Tag: cockburn sound

Artificial reef and seagrass commitments welcomed – although Cockburn Sound dredging and access concerns remain

The State Government’s announcement of $17.4 million for social and environmental initiatives in Cockburn Sound has been welcomed by Recfishwest.

Among the initiatives being funded are new artificial reefs and more seagrass restoration — two measures Recfishwest has long supported.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “We welcome the Government’s commitment to artificial reefs and seagrass restoration – both are proven tools for supporting healthy marine ecosystems and better fishing.

“We’ve advocated for these initiatives for some time and it’s good to see them get a guernsey in this budget.”

Cockburn Sound artificial reefs – have your say

The Government’s Westport program is seeking community feedback on the best location for the reefs. Recfishwest encourages all metro fishers to have their say – click here to access the survey.   

As seen with artificial reef deployments in Dunsborough (left), the Rottnest Towers (centre) and Esperance (right), artificial reefs deployed in Cockburn Sound could see similar marine life benefits.

Ongoing concerns about dredging

While we welcome these habitat initiatives, serious concerns remain about the potential impact of the dredging that will be required to create the new port and a new shipping channel that will service it.

What you need to know about the dredging

• It’s going to be on a large scale to deliver the new port and the new shipping channel. To create the planned 20km long, 18.5m deep shipping channel running from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound will require up to 35 million m³ of ocean habitat to be dredged, potentially making it among the biggest dredging operations ever to be undertaken in Australia.
• There’s little detail at this stage about the dredging program required to deliver the development adding to our concerns about its potential impact.
• It will be subject to environmental approvals from the Environmental Protection Agency following a Public Environmental Review due to take place next year.
• If approved, dredging could start as early as 2028.
As seen in this map on Westport’s website, there is a huge amount of dredging planned to make way for the port and shipping channel from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound, making it among the biggest dredging operations in Australian history with serious potential impacts on the environment and fishing.

 

“The sheer scale of dredging and the plume it will create is the most concerning aspect of the Westport project,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland.

The international experience has shown dredging can have massive impacts on the environment. Even after the dredgers leave, it can take decades — or longer — for marine ecosystems to recover. In some cases, they never do.

Dredging increases turbidity, reduces light penetration and smothers seagrass meadows which are vital habitat for species like snapper, crabs, whiting, herring and squid.

It’s a concern that is shared by the Westport developers themselves – Westport Managing Director Patrick Seares told the ABC in a recent interview, “We realise this is a public project led by the public, by the Government for the public – so we’ve got to take care of their assets.

“For us it’s about managing the dredging program, the plumes coming out of dredging and making sure we protect the Sound through that.”

Recfishwest will continue to advocate for the long-term health of the Sound and the safe, accessible and much cherished fishing experiences it supports for thousands of fishers.

“We’ll keep supporting positive habitat outcomes,” said Andrew, “but we’ll also keep pushing for clarity and accountability around environmental impacts and will fight to maintain and improve Cockburn Sound.”

Recfishwest in national media – AUKUS defence must not come at the expense of Cockburn Sound

Recfishwest has joined growing calls for a full public environmental review of the AUKUS submarine development’s impacts on Cockburn Sound. 

In an Australian Financial Review article earlier this month, Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland and our partners at Save Cockburn Sound (SCS) urged both Federal and State Governments to ensure maximum transparency and community involvement in decision-making around the project. 

Acknowledging Cockburn Sound’s strategic defence importance, Andrew stressed that development must balance environmental protection with community access and fishing values. 

READ THE FULL FINANCIAL REVIEW ARTICLE HERE  

Andrew said, “Cockburn Sound’s safe, accessible waters are vital to tens of thousands of Perth fishers delivering outstanding family fishing and supporting crucial fish species, including the largest pink snapper spawning aggregations in the West Coast bioregion. 

“We recognise the strategic defence role of HMAS Striling naval base in Cockburn Sound, however the AUKUS development must not come at the expense of the environment, public access, or community amenity. 

“People care deeply about this place, and this project must be fully transparent, rigorously assessed, and shaped with genuine input from the local community and all stakeholders.” 

The AUKUS submarine development is another potential industrialisation strain on the abundant marine life within Cockburn Sound (pictured), which could see large, modernised submarines moving in and out of this sheltered waterway.

The cast of thousands stand up for Cockburn Sound  

The local passion for the Sound was on full display at our Snapper Guardians fish release event in February, where one thousand mums, dads, and kids came together at Woodman Point to release juvenile pink snapper back into this much-loved waterway. 

Recfishwest has long led efforts to protect Cockburn Sound from creeping industrialisation and has recently joined forces with Save Cockburn Sound – a coalition of community groups and individuals who are passionate about the Sound and enjoy a range of recreational activities in it. 

As an SCS spokesperson put it in the Financial Review: 

“Cockburn Sound supports a huge range of family accessible recreational activities for fishers, sailors, boaties, divers, nature watchers and windsurfers right on Perth’s doorstep giving enormous enjoyment and relaxation for thousands of West Aussies.    

“However, the environment and amenity that supports all these activities is under increasing pressure from a range of industrial developments including AUKUS, the planned Westport Outer Harbour development and an 18m-deep shipping channel to be dredged through the heart of the Sound.  

“We have serious concerns about the ongoing industrialisation of the Sound and we call on State and Federal Governments, and all developers, to take responsibility to ensure these developments have minimal impact on the Sound’s environment and the activities we cherish.” 

Recfishwest and Save Cockburn Sound will continue to stand up for the Sound – and we urge anyone who shares our concerns to join us in the fight for its future. 

Join Recfishwest as a member here.

Sign up as a supporter of Save Cockburn Sound here to receive a free SCS bumper sticker!  

Huge Snapper Guardians turnout highlights Cockburn Sound’s value to local community

The record attendance of 1,000 people at this year’s Snapper Guardians highlights the huge value the local community places in Cockburn Sound and the pink snapper stocks it supports. 

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “This massive turn-out from the community sends out such a clear signal as to how important the health of this waterway is to so many West Australians and the Cast of Thousands.”  

Snapper Guardians’ popularity has always seen solid numbers of the community rolling up their sleeves to help hand-release thousands of juvenile pink snapper – but the 2025 edition sent our attendance records tumbling.  

Recfishwest was blown away by the 1,000-plus mums, dads and kids who grabbed a bucket full of fish and helped us release 3,000 juvenile pink snapper – around 100 days old and between 7-9cm long – into their new home.  

A big thanks to all of you who came down to help out including Ozfish Unlimited, and DPIRD’s Fremantle fish hatchery staff who collected the eggs, hatched and reared the fish for the release.  

Check out the highlights from this special day in the video below!

Andrew said, “This turnout far exceeds what we were expecting, and it’s great to see passionate people give back to the environment which supports their fishing. 

“Decision-makers and planners responsible for future industrialisation in these pristine waters need to take notice and reflect. The future of the Sound is in their hands and it’s simply too valuable to mess it up.”

It was fantastic to see the community’s respect for pink snapper was as big as the line was for releasing them! A big thanks to all families who came down and helped us release 3,000 pinkies in less than an hour!

Get around protecting the Sound 

Snapper Guardians is just one of many Recfishwest-led initiatives working towards improving habitat and fish stocks which build better environments. It’s one of the targets in our election manifesto, and this is crucially important for Cockburn Sound.  

This sheltered waterway on Perth’s doorstep is home to one of the largest aggregations of pink snapper on the West Coast and crucial nursery habitat for species like herring, whiting, crabs and squid – and with industrialisation threats to the area, we all need to rally together to protect it.  

Are you passionate about protecting Cockburn Sound? Visit savecockburnsound.org.au to see what you can do.

“Roboseeder” robot in trials to ramp up restoration of critical Cockburn Sound seagrass habitat

A cutting edge “roboseeder” underwater robot is being trialled in Cockburn Sound to sew seagrass seeds help restore depleted beds of the ecologically critical plant.

Cockburn Sound has lost 80 per cent of its seagrass meadows since the 1960s due to industrialisation – a big dent in critical spawning habitat for species like pink snapper, whiting, squid and crabs.

This mirrors a global trend that is seeing seagrass crops being steadily depleted due to industrialisation and climate change.

“The biggest challenge we face globally is that we’re losing seagrass at about one soccer field, or half a hectare, every 30 minutes,” said Professor Gary Kendrick from the School of Biological Sciences and UWA’s Oceans Institute.  “We need to be able to restore hundreds to thousands of hectares a year.”

The trial is being funded through the Government’s $13.5 million Westport Marine Science Program and if successful could help compliment the great work being done by volunteers as part of Ozfish’s Seeds for Snapper program in reseeding seagrass meadows in the Sound.

The newly arrived underwater robot, or seed injection machine drone, could help improve the rate of restoration significantly by allowing seeds to survive early life in, rather than on top of, the sediment.

 The “Roboseeder” in action – it has the potential to sow thousands of seagrass seeds on the ocean floor to help restore lost seagrass habitat  lost by industrialisation and climate change. 

Recfishwest Operations Manager Leyland Campbell said, “It’s good to see innovative solutions being investigated to fix a problem that has been decades in the making. Any efforts to restore seagrass and productivity in Cockburn Sound are to be applauded.

“Seagrass is critical to the ecological health of Cockburn Sound and spawning habitat for fish that underpins fantastic family fishing experiences on Perth’s doorstep.

“That’s why the Government and developers need to be very careful about further industrialisation of the Sound until we are able to restore and protect this important environment.”

Serious Cockburn Sound environmental concerns persist following Westport Business Case summmary release

Recfishwest continues to have serious concerns about the future of Cockburn Sound following the Government’s release of its Westport Business Case summary earlier this week for the development of a $7.2 billion container port in Kwinana.

The proposed port would require a massive dredging operation and see cargo vessels more than twice the length of Optus Stadium oval pushing past families fishing from small boats. 

The Westport dredging operation – what we know so far

  • To service the new port, a 18.5m deep shipping channel from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound will require up to 35 million m³ of seafloor to be dredged – making it among the biggest dredging operations ever to be undertaken in Australia.
  • The new channel will be required to accomodate “Post-Panamax” size vessels measuring 366m long, 51.2m wide and 15.6m deep.
  • Dredging increases turbidity, reduces light penetration and is known to damage the marine environment. Much of the proposed dredging will occur around recovering seagrass meadows in Parmelia and Success Banks. These meadows provide critical habitat for species like snapper, crabs, whiting, herring and squid.  
  • Westport’s revised EPA referral document acknowledges “The proposal is likely to have significant effects on the environment.” Ths further highlight the importance of Westport’s stated objective that the new port will “deliver positive long-term benefits for the natural and physical environment.”  
As seen in this map on Westport’s website, there is a huge amount of dredging planned to make way for the port and shipping channel from Cottesloe to Cockburn Sound, making it among the biggest dredging operations in Australian history with serious potential impacts on the environment and fishing.

Click here to listen to Operations Manger Leyland Campbell’s recent ABC radio interview where he discusses Westport’s potential impacts on the environment and fishing.

Premier Roger Cook recently announced a $273 million investment to progress detailed planning for the development of a new container port in Cockburn Sound following completion of a business case for the Westport project.  

However, no indication was given as to how much – if any – of that investment would be spent on better understanding or addressing the project’s environmental impacts.  

What Recfishwest has to say on the issue

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “The business case has not been released and the summary of the business case that has been made public fails to address the impacts on the Cockburn Sound environment from dredging 35 million m³ of sand, installing a 2km long breakwater and constructing an international shipping container port. 

“For seven years since Westport was first tabled, we’ve been asking the same questions and all we’ve heard is lip service being paid to the environment and our fishing experiences. 

“Westport project managers claim this will be an environmentally friendly port that will leave the environment in a better place. We have seen no evidence this will be the case and so many questions around the environment remain unanswered.”  

Recfishwest has recently joined the Save Cockburn Sound Alliance – a coalition of groups who have a strong connection with the Cockburn Sound and are deeply concerned about its future.  

We encourage anyone who cares about the Sound to join – check out Save Cockburn Sound’s website for more information. 

Footy legend Jako’s super snapper footage highlights Cockburn Sound’s unique value

Former AFL legend and passionate angler Glen Jakovich shared this fantastic footage with Recfishwest of a pink snapper spawning aggregation in Cockburn Sound.

“We drove a bit closer and I could see the pink fins breaking the surface and knew straight away what we were seeing,” said Glen. “I turned off the motor immediately and carefully set the drift to not disturb the school, but to get us close enough to have a look.

“It was just majestic to see, we did a couple of drifts and left them doing their thing. We see them schooling up like this every year and it never gets tired. How good is it having this on our doorstep?”

Glen has a lifelong passion for fishing in Cockburn Sound growing up fishing there and says he spent many hours as a young bloke fishing for pink snapper.

“I haven’t fished for them for years now, though,” said Glen, who says he’s more than happy catching bread and butter species in the sound these days. ‘But it’s just great to see and shows just how important the Sound is.”

The safe and accessible waters of Cockburn Sound support the largest known spawning aggregation of pink snapper in the West Coast Bioregion – the full moon around October usually marks the peak spawning period for these great fish. The Sound also supports a host of other popular species like squid, herring, whiting, garfish and crabs.

Save Cockburn Sound

This is why Recfishwest and the fishing community drove the introduction an extension of snapper spawning closures in the Sound and the Snapper Guardians community stocking program.

This is also why Recfishwest has joined a new community -based coalition of groups with a strong attachment to the sound and the recreational activities it supports called Save Cockburn Sound (SCS).

SCS exists to celebrate the great experiences Cockburn Sound provides and to ensure the Sound and all the social and well-being benefits it gives us is protected from excessive industrial development.

Recfishwest strongly encourages everyone who has a passion for fishing in Western Australia to join SCS in helping to protect this unique and treasured environment right on Perth’s doorstep so we can ensure this great footage like Jako’s does not become a memory in the future.

Find out more about Save Cockburn Sound here.

As seen in this incredible drone shot captured by Jamie Vogler in 2020 of a large school of pink snapper spawning in Cockburn Sound, this spectacle usually occurs around October and is a sight to behold for fishers.

Community’s joy at Cockburn Sound’s crabbing comeback

Having fished in Cockburn Sound for 57 years man and boy, Cockburn Power Boats Club member Don Beisley is thrilled to have the chance to go crabbing with his grandkids in the Sound this summer.

This opportunity means three generations of his family will have enjoyed catching blue swimmer crabs in the Sound.

Don (pictured below with son-in-law Tony crabbing on the Swan) was one of thousands celebrating this week’s fantastic news that Cockburn Sound is to reopen for crabbing this summer for the first time in 10 years.

Don Beisley and his son-in-law Tony will soon be able to carry their joys of crabbing on the Swan River to Cockburn Sound, with crabbing given the green light in the Sound from 1 December!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – HOW WE BROKE THE COCKBURN SOUND CRABS REOPENING NEWS

“I’ve nothing but good memories of catching crabs in the Sound with my dad and my uncle when I was a kid, chugging out in their old school clinker boat,” recalled Don. “We’d take what we’d need for a feed, and they tasted great! But it was all about getting to do it with my dad and uncle – it was such fun!

Don continued, “When I got older, my wife and I took our kids out crabbing, and they loved it too. They still talk about it today as grown-ups. Now, I’m rapt to be able to share this experience with my grandchildren this summer.

“I was over the moon to hear the news – it’s such a magical place right on our doorstep. It’s pretty special, isn’t it? So, well done to you guys – it’s a great result for everyone.”

And when Don’s grandkids do go out crabbing with Don, it will be with crab nets they had a hand in making!

“We make our own nets for crabbing in the Sound,” Don revealed. “We get the frames made and sew all the mesh by hand. It’s all about the size, depth, and color of the mesh. Now, we’ve got the grandkids helping out with making the nets too!”

Picking up the thread. Don showing his grandchildren the art of crab net making!

Cockburn Soundbites

Here’s some of the other reactions to the great news for metro crabbers.

“Awesome outcome, thank you.” – Ted Russell

“Oh yes thank you very much for your info. Now no need to driving far for chasing crab thank you” – Henrix Clavecilla

“Excellent work really looking forward to it. It’s been a long time. Be great for the family and the kids. Thanks, Recfishwest!” – Jason and Karen Kuzmanich

“Great news, Recfishwest, Well done” – Barbara Ross.

“OMG! Been waiting since 2014! Awesome! Caught some nice feeds there,” – Murray Sofield.

“Awesome news for the upcoming seasons…Thank you to Recfishwest and the various departments involved in preserving, rebuilding and managing this important fishery” – Crackpots Marine Supplies.

Cockburn Sound to reopen for crabbing this summer!

Recfishwest is delighted by the Minister for Fisheries’ decision to reopen Cockburn Sound for crabbing this summer from 1 December for the first time in 10 years!

The announcement follows DPIRD’s updated scientific assessment that confirms crab stocks in Cockburn Sound have recovered enough to allow families and friends to catch a delicious feed of crabs in the sheltered waters of the Sound.

The assessment also showed that changing environmental conditions have reduced crab productivity in Cockburn Sound to a level unlikely to support commercial crab fishing into the future.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “Over the last ten years, Recfishwest has repeatedly called for changes to the way crabs are managed in Cockburn Sound to deliver optimum community benefit.

“We are now pleased to see that the updated science assessment has confirmed what we suspected that the Sound can reopen for recreational crabbing.

“This is a great outcome for metro fishers further highlighting the huge value of Cockburn Sound.

“Crabs are one of the most popular species and reopening the Sound to crabbing will complement the iconic Swan-Canning and Peel-Harvey crab fisheries, so it’s looking like a great summer of crabbing ahead!”

Click here to read the Minister’s media release

The rules for crabbing in Cockburn Sound will be the same as those that apply in the Swan and Canning Rivers – the fishery will open from 1 December until 31 August with a bag limit of five crabs per person per day and a boat limit of 20.

The Cockburn Sound crab fishery was closed from 2006-2009 due to sustainability concerns and again in 2014 and hasn’t reopened since.

Reopening the fishery this summer is just another example of Recfishwest making fishing in WA even better – click here to join our cast of thousands as a Recfishwest member today and encourage your friends and family to do the same!

A cracker of a crab! Although this one wasn’t caught there, happy scenes like this will soon be returning to Cockburn Sound!

 

Snapper Guardians 2024 not going ahead due to hatchery virus

This year’s Snapper Guardians community fish stocking event, planned to be held at Woodman Point in Cockburn Sound, will regrettably not be going ahead.

Unfortunately, a finfish virus – betandovirus – was detected at DPIRD’s Fremantle hatchery where the juvenile pink snapper are hatched and reared.

This means, in order to protect Cockburn Sound’s wild pink snapper stocks, unfortunately none of the infected fish can be released.

READ DPIRD’S MEDIA RELEASE HERE

Snapper Guardians sees hundreds of mums, dads and kids helping stock thousands of juvenile pink snapper into Cockburn Sound each year. Unfortunately, we’ve had to pull the plug on the 2024 event due to a virus affecting the snapper set for release.

It is obviously a disappointing setback for Snapper Guardians and the wider metro pink snapper fish releases as no pink snapper will be available for release this year. This is because the snapper stocking program relies on collecting eggs from the wild spawning population in October and November each year.

However, Recfishwest will be working with DPIRD to ensure the pink snapper stocking program gets back on track soon, in addition to other stocking initiatives for several other species.

Recfishwest Chief Executive Officer Dr Andrew Rowland said while it was disappointing Snapper Guardians cannot go ahead this year, the priority is to protect the health of wild pink snapper stocks in Cockburn Sound.

“Since the Snapper Guardians program started in 2016, more than 220,000 pink snapper have been released into Cockburn Sound providing a family-friendly opportunity to celebrate pink snapper, Cockburn Sound and to make sure we have plenty of fish for future generations,” he said.

“We look forward to bringing back the Snapper Guardians community fish stocking event in 2025. Recfishwest will continue to work with DPIRD on other stock enhancement programs including yellowtail kingfish, marron and trout to ensure high quality recreational fishing experiences are maintained and enhanced for all West Australians to enjoy.”

Environment Minister acknowledges “critical” importance of seagrass meadows to marine life in Cockburn Sound

Recfishwest was pleased to hear Environment Minister Reece Whitby talk up the importance of Cockburn Sound and its seagrass habitat at a recent partnership agreement signing between Cockburn Power Boats Club (CPBC) and Ozfish for the Seeds for Snapper initiative that Recfishwest was instrumental in developing.  

At the signing which took place at Woodman Point earlier this month, Minister Whitby admitted, “Over many years, we haven’t always exactly looked after Cockburn Sound. The seagrass has depleted dramatically…there are multiple uses and pressures on this valuable ecosystem and it’s taken its toll. 

“Cockburn Sound plays a very important role economically, but it also plays a very important role socially and culturally – we know that anglers love it. We know the significance it has for our community and why it’s so important. 

“Seagrass meadows are very critical for our fish. They provide a safe sanctuary, a nursery, a habitat and seagrass is also important to stabilise the sediment and it protects against erosion as well. 

“It’s wonderful habitat to support some of the species that exist here that people are keen on – pink snapper, King George whiting, herring, fish that we enjoy all along the metro coast and providing that nursery environment for these fish is also very vital.” 

FIND OUT WHAT IS BEING PROPOSED FOR THE NEW PORT IN COCKBURN SOUND HERE AND ABOUT THE QUESTIONS THAT MUST BE ANSWERED. 

The partnership agreement signing deal the Minister was attending saw CPBC sign a formal deal supporting the Seeds for Snapper seagrass restoration habitat project run by Ozfish and supported by Recfishwest.   

The seagrass meadows in Cockburn Sound act as a crucial nursery habitat for many recreational species, including pink snapper, squid and King George whiting.

Holding the Minister to his words 

Recfishwest Operations Lead Leyland Campbell, who also spoke at the event, welcomed the Environment Minister’s comments. 

“It is good to hear that Minister Whitby has an appreciation of how important Cockburn Sound and its seagrass meadows that support the Sound’s abundant sea life is to the community,” said Leyland.  

“We will be sure to hold the Minister to his words ahead of plans for the Westport international container port. What the Minister said highlights why questions must be answered on the impact dredging millions of tons of sand will have on the seagrass and the fish that rely on these meadows. 

“That said, we are glad to see CPBC get behind Seeds for Snapper and we hope to see many other partners coming on board for this important project.”  

Squid image in banner: Matt Bielecki.