Tag: albany

Fishers Want Better Habitat & Better Fishing

What’s your best session fishing for black bream? Can you imagine a session catching over 100 fish, where the bream averaged over 1 kg each…with some up to 2 kg’s?

Local fishers from Albany and surrounds wanting to learn more about why fishing has changed in the area and what can be done to bring back the glory days came down to the Fishers for Fish Habitat Forum held in Albany earlier this month. The forum, which was run by a partnership between Ozfish Unlimited and Recfishwest, provided a unique opportunity for fishers and habitat experts to come together and combine their knowledge to try and work out the key drivers for changes in the quality of local fishing and what could be done to bring back lost fish habitat and better fishing.

The knowledge local fishers have about changes in the quality of fishing in the area provided a rare insight into how big an impact changes in fish habitat have actually had on fishing. An important part of discussions was led by Western Angler editor Scott Coghlan who talked with local veteran Jim Allan and bream young gun Callum Dowell on their perspectives on changes in the area. Both Jim and Callum had noticed significant changes in the quality of fishing and fish habitat over the years. Jim told tales about some epic bream fishing that used to be available around Albany in years gone by including bream that averaged over 1 kg each, with some pushing 2 kg’s while Callum said at its best it wasn’t unusual to catch over 100 fish in a session! Jim suggested that in terms of habitat loss, one of the key changes that had led to a reduction in the quality of fishing was the huge loss of seagrass in Oyster Harbour, while decreases in rainfall were also hurting the system. Callum had noticed similar changes and noted that on some of the flats he fished the sand had changed over the years from being hard and course to soft mud.

It was amazing to see how close the changes seen by fishers matched with what had been seen by the habitat experts, who further discussed how these changes fit in with the changes in fish habitat. Local seagrass expert, Geoff Bastyan, reinforced the changes seen by Jim to seagrass in the harbour and showed how with the right support, it was possible to bring back much of this lost habitat. There was also some great discussion about the import role bringing back oyster reefs will have on the harbour with Black Bream, Skippy and Yakka’s already seen investigating the developing reefs.

Karen McKeogh from the Department of Water also led a great discussion about how modifications to the Torbay lakes meant that a highly productive system went from producing Murray Cod up to 1.3m to now having health warnings. This forum highlighted the importance of sharing the knowledge fishers have about the changes they have seen in their local systems and their eagerness to bring back some of the lost crucial fish habitat, and better fishing. If you know a fish habitat in your local waterway that needs to be restored, talk to locals in your community and get in contact with the Recfishwest Habitat Officer Michael Tropiano to see what can be done in to bring back fish habitat and better fishing.

Everyone at the forum was hugely appreciative of the members of the Albany Boating and Offshore Fishing Club for hosting the event and all their assistance in running the forum and for support for the event from The Nature Conservancy and the Fisheries Research and Development Commission.

Safety Technology to Improve Emergency Response Time at Salmon Holes

Safety Technology to Improve Emergency Response Time
– Emergency phone for regional mobile black spot
– Funding provided by Colin Holt, Minister for Housing, Racing and Gaming
– Personal responsibility remains best safety precaution
– Educational and awareness campaigns are essential to behaviour change

The Albany community recently received a boost for fishing safety, with the instalment of an emergency telephone at Albany’s notorious rock fishing location, Salmon Holes.
The Minister for Housing, Racing and Gaming Colin Holt, received a recommendation from the Gaming Community Trust to fund and install an emergency telephone at the well-known high-risk fishing location.

Recfishwest Chief Executive Officer Dr Andrew Rowland said the support from the Government to improve public safety should be commended and as the recipient of the grant, Recfishwest were more than happy to assist in delivering improved safety outcomes.
“This telephone runs on a 3G network in a location with limited to no service. It will provide access to emergency services in a reduced time and complements existing safety infrastructure in a continued effort to keep fishers safe in Albany,” Dr Rowland said.

‘While the emergency phone is a welcomed addition to the state-wide Rock Fishing Safety Strategy, Recfishwest still urges fishers to not become complacent as personal safety is always an individual’s responsibility when fishing.’

The ongoing commitment from Albany’s Department of Parks and Wildlife, local Police, Albany Sea Rescue, Department of Fisheries, Albany Offshore Boating and Fishing Club, the City of Albany, the Life Jacket Loan stores and local volunteers to drive positive change in their local community has been fantastic.
To read the Minister’s Media Release click here.

It is as simple as following these safety steps:
– Know the conditions
– Wear a life jacket
– Wear the correct footwear
– Wear suitable clothing
– Know how to swim

ENDS
Media Contact: Tim Grose 9246 3366, tim@recfishwest.org.au

Oyster Reefs in Albany

Recfishwest’s partnership with The Nature Conservancy Australia, University of Western Australia and South Coast Natural Resource Management to help bring back the oyster reefs in Oyster Harbour in Albany is starting to pay dividends. Habitat restoration is important to Western Australian recreational fishers and it is hoped the project will help secure the return of the oyster reefs which were once a thriving and abundant part of the Oyster Harbour underwater seascape.

These reefs, which were almost completely removed over 100 years ago by dredging, provided complex habitat for fish as well as filtering water and capturing nutrients. However, like in many bays and estuaries across Australia, Oyster Harbour’s abundant oyster reefs have been lost. This project, which is partially funded by fishing licence fees through the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund, aims to identify and restore oyster reefs to help to improve recreational fishing, biodiversity and water quality in Oyster Harbour.

As the project works towards large-scale restoration efforts from next year onwards, this month a trial plot of native flat oysters will be placed in Oyster Harbour. Around 6000 juvenile oysters which were raised on recycled bivalve shells at Frenchman Bay hatchery in Albany, will now be placed onto new rubble reefs.  These new rubble reefs are being placed onto the harbour floor to provide a foundation for the juveniles to grow on and develop into new oyster reefs, providing high-quality fish habitat and a great new fishing spot for species like black bream and whiting.

This project marks the second stage of The Nature Conservancy Australia’s (TNC) Great Southern Seascapes program. TNC has already embarked on an Australian-first pilot program testing a range of reef restoration methods based on successful overseas reef restoration programs, in Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay. Recfishwest recognises that healthy waterways underpin healthy fish stocks and we strongly support protecting and restoring fish habitat to ensure enjoyable experiences for the hundreds of thousands of West Australians who like to wet a line.

An Avoidable Tragedy

Recreational fishers have been urged to take more responsibility for their own safety after yet another rock fishing fatality. A 30-year-old man was washed to his death last month while fishing in rough weather, after two fatalities at the same location 12 months earlier. Having taken many steps to educate anglers about rock fishing safety, particularly in Albany (where there are extensive signage and several safety initiatives such as Angel Rings and anchor points), Recfishwest and community partners have again reinforced the folly of rock fishing for salmon during the annual run of this great sportfish.

There are many fantastic spots throughout the South-West where Salmon can easily, and safely, be caught from the beach, even in rough weather. Maps are available that indicate safe fishing spots for salmon around Albany which you can get from local tackle outlets. Anyone who is considering rock fishing should take all the necessary precautions, including wearing personal floatation devices (PFDs) and specialised rock fishing footwear. PFDs are available on loan from 21 locations state-wide at no cost, please see bottom of Broad Cast for the locations. A new emergency telephone will soon be installed at the Salmon Holes as well, to improve emergency response times in another initiative to make fishers safe. However, even with the correct safety gear at their disposal under no circumstances should people risk rock fishing in obviously inclement weather.

Keep the sand between your toes knowing you’ll come home safe from a great day’s fishing!

Albany to get 10 New Angel Rings

In another major step towards safeguarding the lives of recreational fishers, 10 new Angel Rings will soon be installed at popular rock fishing locations around Albany.
Rock fishing is a very dangerous pastime and many lives have been lost, not just along the south coast but all along the WA coastline.

Prevention is the best cure and there are many steps rock fishers can take to ensure their safety, and tips on these can be found at www.fishandsurvive.org.au
However, Angel Rings are life buoys which can be thrown to anyone who unfortunately finds themselves in the water, and greatly increase the chance to survival until rescue in that scenario.

Recfishwest, with the help of community partners, are helping get Angel Rings placed at a number of key rock fishing locations around WA.
Spots close to Albany where new Angel Rings are soon to be installed are The Deeps, Lowland, Cable Beach, Blow Holes, The Steps, Tourist Rock at Cheynes Beach, Three Stripes at Cheynes Beach, Dunsky’s and Maitraya.

There were already Angel Rings in place at the Salmon Holes, and they have also been installed at locations around Kalbarri and Esperance recently with Denmark’s rings not too far away from being installed.  The latest installations in Albany have been driven by the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the City of Albany.  The City of Albany’s Cameron Woods welcomed the installations as a great community asset.

“The installations are an important part of the mix to keep local residents and our visitors safe whilst enjoying our amazing coastal environments,” he said.

“The installations combined with signage and an education awareness campaign is designed to reduce the loss of life and the associated impact this has on families and communities.”

Local rock fishing safety advocate Andrew Jarvis welcomed the news.

“I am very pleased to have been part of the group that has organised to get the Angel Rings in place and it is good to see different government departments working together,” he said.

“I believe Peter Hartley, the district manager from DPaW, has been the primary driver behind the push on rock fishing safety and he deserves a big pat on the back for his efforts.”

With our state government 3-year rock fishing safety funding coming to a close, Recfishwest will be pushing to receive another round of funding to keep fishers safe in WA and incite behaviour change within our communities.

Catch Salmon and Return Home this Easter

Catch Salmon and Return Home Safe this Easter

With the Easter long weekend approaching, Recfishwest are reminding people to take personal responsibility and stay safe when fishing this salmon season.  Recfishwest Chief Executive Officer Dr Andrew Rowland said locations such as Albany and Esperance welcome a large population increase during the Easter period for the great salmon run on their annual migration around the West Australian coast.

“Salmon are a superb sports fish, however, it’s not worth putting your life at risk when the salmon turn up” Dr Rowland said.

South coast locations popular with salmon fishes often see unpredictable weather and large swells which can make fishing from the rocks dangerous.

“The excitement of a good salmon run often sees people overlook simple steps that ensure their safety, as they rush to go fishing from the rocks unprepared.”
“For those fishing this Easter, Recfishwest strongly recommends fishing from the beach.’’ Dr Rowland said.

Local Albany fishermen and well respected fishing safety advocate Andrew Jarvis urges people to stay off the rocks.

‘’We simply do not want anymore more deaths. If you must fish from the rocks make sure you are prepared.”

Dr Rowland praised the tireless work by community groups, volunteers and state and local governments to make fishers safe, especially on the south coast.

“The work that has been done in Esperance, Albany and surrounds, which are our most high risk locations, to make people safe is enormous and a big thank you to the people making people aware of safe fishing practices in the those areas” Dr Rowland said.

Recfishwest continues to promote and support the Free Loan Life Jacket Scheme in 20 tackle stores around the state, where fishers can go in and hire a free life jacket before the head out fishing.
“If the right precautions are followed, fishing from the rocks can be a safe activity.’’ Dr Rowland said.

If you must fish from the rocks, Recfishwest wants fishers to understand the simple rock fishing safety messages:
• Know how to swim
• Wear a life jacket
• Never fish alone
• Observe first, fish later
• Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
• Be familiar with public safety equipment
• Tell someone your plans.