Tag: dampier

Dampier’s Mackerel 5000 sets new Fishing for Science record for most mackie samples donated in one day

The Accenture Mackerel 5000 held in Dampier by the Nickol Bay Sportsfishing Club in mid-October needs to take a bow, it just produced some of the most jaw-droppingly big Spanish mackerel ever seen in a West Aussie fishing comp! 

Recfishwest’s Fishing for Science team ventured up to the sun-kissed Pilbara town for the competition on October 15, backed with the support of Woodside North West to collect more Spanish mackerel samples to be used by DPIRD to inform the future Pilbara’s Spanish mackerel stock assessment. 

It resulted in a mighty 65 narrow-barred Spanish mackerel heads being kindly donated by many of the 153 competitors in what was one of the most red-hot mackie sessions witnessed in WA, which ultimately set a new Fishing for Science PB for the most mackerel samples collected in one day.  

In a great show of support from the Dampier community, more than 80 per cent of Spanish mackerel brought to the competition’s weigh-in were happily handed over for sampling.  

It might look rather tedious, but the 65 Spanish mackerel samples taken during the Accenture Mackerel 5000 competition by our Fishing for Science team to be donated to DPIRD for analysis will play a big role in helping better understand the Pilbara mackerel stocks. Big kudos to Dampier’s future generation of fishers for showing a great interest in our mackie biology lesson!

The samples collected included the gonads and ovaries for a sexual maturity analysis and the removal of the fish’s heads to collect otoliths for aging purposes back in Perth. In addition to this, our Fishing for Science team recorded the length and weight of each fish.  

The data collected during this competition will be vital to inform the current Pilbara mackerel stock assessment being put together by DPIRD. 

While the biggest Spanish mackerel donated topped out at just over the impressive 30-kilogram mark, it was another gargantuan monster of a Spanish mackerel that nearly joined the audience’s jaws on the floor from the scales.  

The 34.4kg beast landed by Casey Roskell scored him a big cheer from the crowd and $5,000 as the biggest specimen landed during the one-day-long competition, which maxed out the first scale brought out by the King Bay Game Fishing Club before a heavier scale was required! 

The audience’s reaction says it all! Check out this massive 34.4kg Spanish mackerel landed by Casey Roskell which was well over six feet long and took out the Mackerel 5000 competition!

“We were quite stunned at not only the sheer number of Spanish mackerel being caught and kindly donated to our team, but also some of the sizes of the fish as well. They were easily some of the biggest Spanish mackerel we’ve seen in recent memory,” said Recfishwest’s Senior Operations Officer Sam Russell.  

“It just highlights how productive the pristine Pilbara waters are along with the importance of fishing competitions to regional communities like Dampier. We had a great yarn with all attendees and the competitors made a great contribution to our Fishing for Science program, 65 mackies in one day is now the number to beat! I’d also like to give a massive shout out to the Nickol Bay Sportsfishing for running an amazing comp and being so accommodating for our Fishing for Science program.”  

In a partnership between Recfishwest and Woodside North West, this new event on the Pilbara fishing calendar is expected to grow over the next three years, based on the enthusiastic response to the Accenture Mackerel 5000 competition with the 50-boat capacity rapidly filling up.  

Recfishwest also had the pleasure to have a friendly yarn with key stakeholders in the Pilbara region, including the Nickol Bay Sportfishing Club, King Bay Game Fishing Club and Karratha Adventure Sports, with valuable insights on addressing issues such as shark bite-off and how recreational fishing can be improved in the area.  

Click here for more information about our Fishing for Science program 

A big Recfishwest thanks to the Dampier community for giving us such a warm welcome and for their tremendous support of our Fishing for Science program.

Fishing for Science and hard-fighting pelagics at the 2023 Dampier Classic!

With scores of spectacular catches rolling through at the recent Dampier Classic last weekend, the weigh-in scales and our Fishing for Science team at the filleting table were certainly kept busy!  

And with our latest SunSmart Fishing Clinic allowing kids to learn how to catch, handle and release a range of great species in the pristine Pilbara waters – our Dampier fishing clinic was booked out in a matter of days.  

With a fantastic community response to our Fishing for Science fish program, supported by Woodside North West at King Bay Game Fishing Club’s (KBGFC) 47th annual Dampier Classic, scores of comp entrants provided the Recfishwest team with plenty of samples of commonly captured Pilbara species such as wahoo, mackerel and tuna. 

Fishing for Science is a community engagement program that enables local communities to better understand scientifically the fish species that underpin prized fishing experiences. With each day’s weigh-in showcasing many impressive captures, competitors were happy to assist Recfishwest in taking 63 belly samples from a range of fish species.  

Other data gathered for our Fishing for Science program across the competition included the weight, condition, sex, parasites and maturity stage of each fish, providing some interesting insights for locals while allowing them to give something back to fishing.  

The kids in Dampier absolutely loved learning about the gender and biology of many different species on our Fishing for Science filleting table from Recfishwest’s Levi De Boni, with a strong flow of captures keeping the next generation of fishers entertained for days.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR FISHING FOR SCIENCE PROGRAM HERE 

It wasn’t just 70-plus Dampier Classic competitors aboard 19 boats who enjoyed some great fishing action. Our SunSmart Fishing Clinic in Dampier drew in 50 local kids eager to wet a line off the shore, with plenty of great catches ranging from 10cm Moses perch to 30cm tuskfish.  

This fishing clinic introduced future fishing generations to the great species on offer in the pristine Pilbara waters and also provided Sam Russell and Levi De Boni from Recfishwest the opportunity to educate kids on how to be SunSmart under the new KBGFC gazebo – funded through a Recfishwest Community Grant – while also teaching them how to catch, handle and release fish correctly.  

“This was Recfishwest’s biggest attended SunSmart Fishing Clinic to date with plenty of fish caught throughout the whole three-hour clinic. It clearly outlines how important fishing is to the Pilbara community when our clinics rapidly book out with dozens of kids all buzzing to wet a line,” said Recfishwest Senior Operations Officer Sam Russell.  

“A big thanks to the Dampier fishing communities, King Bay Game Fishing Club and SunSmart for allowing us to run these clinics and actively engage with hundreds of Dampier and Karratha locals again for 2023 – and a big kudos to our Fishing for Science partners Woodside Energy for supporting this great community program that continues to expand across northern WA.”  

The smiles tell the story! Here is some of many great catches from our packed-to-the-rafters SunSmart Fishing Clinic in Dampier, with more than 50 kids learning how to catch, handle and release fish.

President of KBGFC Leon Brislane has helped coordinate the Dampier Classic for the last three years and has seen first-hand the importance and growth of this renowned fishing competition and Recfishwest’s Fishing for Science program throughout our northern communities. 

“This annual competition always brings loads of families and friends together to share a beer, have a laugh and catch some top-quality fish in one of the best fishing locations in WA,” said Leon. 

“The kids can’t get enough of the Fishing for Science program and they are always super-excited to become engaged with the Recfishwest crew taking fish samples. It always leads to fun ‘guess the fish gender’ games and they also receive an invaluable biology lesson to better understand these great species of fish. 

“A big thanks to all of our sponsors for their generosity in helping support the King Bay Game Fishing Club and this great annual event.”

A big Recfishwest thanks to the Dampier community and the King Bay Game Fishing Club for their warm hospitality during the 2023 Dampier Classic.

Enhanced sport fishing opportunities for Dampier and Point Samson with four FADs deployed for the first time!

Pilbara boat fishers off Dampier and Point Samson now have enhanced sportfishing options available to them, with four Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) deployed off the Pilbara towns for the first time in WA’s history.

The latest FADs deployments include one device approximately 40km (22 nautical miles) north, north-west off Point Samson in a depth of 37m, with the other three FADs deployed around 50km (27 nautical miles) north-west of Dampier in depths of 40-46m.

GET THE NEW DAMPIER AND POINT SAMSON FADS COORDINATES HERE! 

The devices have been deployed off Dampier to attract mainly black marlin, sailfish and wahoo, while the Point Samson FAD is expected to attract the same species for sportfishers with dolphinfish also a welcome possibility.

Vince Amico from Adventure Sports in Karratha said the deployment location of the three Dampier FADs – coordinated by Recfishwest and DPIRD – are bang on the money for attracting larger pelagic predators in the coming weeks.

“Given their depths and the water temperatures, I think they will fire up brilliantly for pelagics and both Recfishwest and DPIRD have done a great job on researching where to put them to the greatest benefit of the community,” said Vince.

“These FADs are on the way to most of the trolling or bottom bouncing spots for locals and are relatively close together, so they have the option of fishing all FADs within one session which will help them save on fuel.

“The best tip I can give to anglers heading out there is make sure you are courteous to others and don’t anchor up directly on the FADs. It’s a first in, best dressed scenario, so if you turn up to fish a FAD and it’s already quite busy, there are thankfully other FADs close by.”

For tips on how to fish the FADs and FADS fishing etiquette, click here.

It is another feather in the cap of the State-wide FADs program, which is being run by DPIRD in partnership with Recfishwest.

Marlin, sailfish and wahoo catches could be a common occurrence next to the four FADs recently deployed off Dampier and Point Samson in our State’s Pilbara region, with three devices in the drink off Dampier and one device positioned north of Point Samson. Photo credit: Marco Fraschetti.

“FADs being deployed off this northern stretch of the WA coast for the first time is a big win for the Dampier and Pilbara region fishing community and it’s going to be exciting to see how catches coming off these FADs compare to other parts of the State where the devices have been rolled out,” said Recfishwest Operations Lead Matt Gillett.

With the State Government committed to funding a full-time and State-wide FADs program for at least the next three years, Recfishwest is hoping to develop more new sustainable fishing opportunities like these that can provide great fishing opportunities and better value to the WA fishing community.

Want to know more about FADs and their coordinates? Check out the Recfishwest FADs webpage.

The newly deployed FADs could fire up quickly for attracting larger sportfish, making them a potential hotspot for competitors in King Bay Game Fishing Club’s Dampier Classic between 18-21 August. Right photo credit: Marco Fraschetti.

Dampier community fishes for fun and for science!

We had a fantastic response to our Fishing for Science fish sampling table and fishing clinic in Dampier coinciding with King Bay Game Fishing Club’s recent Dampier classic.

The great response to these activities and the dozens of boats in the competition shows just how important fishing for regional communities continues to be.

Wahoo, Spanish mackerel, queenfish, longtail tuna, barracuda and golden trevally – these were just some of the species local anglers landed throughout our five-day visit to the northern coastal fishing jewel.

Our Sunsmart Fishing Clinic saw more than 40 eager kids wet a line off the shore, with plenty of great catches of species such as bluebone and stripey snapper providing great memories and snaps for the next generation of anglers.

We had a great time showing future generations how to safely catch, handle and release fish!

Following the Sunsmart Fishing Clinics in the mornings, the icing on the cake for our Recfishwest team was the many fish given to us to sample for our Fishing for Science Program at the end of each day’s weigh-in from 67 competitors wetting a line from 21 vessels.

Fishing for Science is a community engagement program that enables local communities to better understand scientifically the fish species that underpin prized fishing experiences.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR FISHING FOR SCIENCE PROGRAM HERE

In total, more than 50 fish across 15 different species were brought to the sampling table, for measuring, sexing and having belly tissue samples taken to freeze for future scientific studies and monitoring of our fish stocks.

Other data gathered for our Fishing for Science program across the competition included the weight, condition, sex, parasites and maturity stage of each fish, providing useful knowledge for locals while allowing them to give back in protecting our fisheries.

Sam Russell and Danielle Hartshorn always had a great bunch of kids eager to see the fish gender reveals!

Operations Officer Sam Russell said both the fishing clinics and positive engagement with the competition participants provided invaluable information on the importance of these special ocean habitats to our northern communities.

“A big thanks to the Dampier fishing communities, King Bay Game Fishing Club and Sunsmart for allowing us to run these clinics and engage with hundreds of Dampier and Karratha locals again this year – and a big thanks to our Fishing for Science partners Woodside Energy for supporting this great community program”

A Story about James, Stephen and Jack

August 4th and 5th was a weekend jam-packed with activity options for families in the Pilbara communities of Karratha and Dampier. The annual FeNaClNG Festival (Stands for: Fe[Iron]NaCl[Salt]NG[Natural Gas]) celebrates community and brings in supporters and spectators from far and wide. Local group KSEN (Karratha Science Engagement Network) for ‘epic’, (empowering people in communities), took the chance to team up with Recfishwest and local fishing clubs to hold two Junior Recfishwest SunSmart fishing clinics.

More than 40 families participated across the two clinics at King Bay Game Fishing Club and Nickol Bay Sportfishing Club. As the second session of the day drew to a close, an unexpected finale unfolded.

It’s not often Recfishwest call an early end to one of our fishing clinics; but when the younger kids are losing interest as a result of catching just two fish over two hours, instructors Matt Gillett and Kim Burton were left with little choice. The group ventured back up to the Nicol Bay Sports Fishing Club (at Hampton Harbour Boat and Sailing Club) to hold the clinic debrief where Matt and Kim recapped the important SunSmart and fishing safety messages and handed out a huge array of prizes. Participants were spoiled for choice with a huge selection of lures thanks to Nickol Bay Sportfishing Club and ‘epic’/KSEN as well as hats, water bottles or books from Recfishwest and SunSmart.

So after completing the quiz and prize session, Kim (ever keen for one more cast) suggested if any of the children would like to finish off the session with a little more fishing he was happy to accommodate with some “one on one” tuition.

Stephen Farey and son James (aged 7) from Denmark in WA’s deep south, were in Karratha for the FeNaClNG weekend and had some unfinished business. Like many others for the day, James had not landed a fish during the session…. that was hopefully about to change.

Stephen and Kim chewed the fat over past clinics Kim had conducted at the location, with Kim pointing out over the twenty or so clinics he had done there, never had he seen a clinic with so little fish. Over the years at past clinics the participants had caught gardies, queenfish, squid, juvenile giant and golden trevally, flathead, javelin fish and massive diamond scale mullet to name a few……..all missing from this clinic. This time no amount of berlying from Kim and Matt had made any effect whatsoever.

So after another 30 minutes of fishless time had passed, the sun hit the horizon and as Kim called ‘last cast’, Stephen’s 6kg monofilament line took off with line peeling from the reel. It was pretty evident that there was a fair fish on the end of it. So while Stephen was holding the rod, James suddenly sprung to life. To start, dad Stephen was a little over exuberant with the tiny outfits meant for smaller fare so Kim suggested that he let the fish run and take line from the spool when it wants to go then pump and wind when the fish tires. Not wanting to miss out on the action, James all of a sudden wanted in and a father and son team effort ensued.

The water in front of the Nicol Bay Sports Fishing club at the time was around waist deep. The fish took runs parallel to shore leaving large boils behind. With the murky water there was no way of telling what they had hooked, but with past catches from this beach everything pointed to one of the trevally species, more than likely a good size golden trevally.

Too much tension on the line would have seen the line break, not enough and it would be disaster into the rocks and dreams about a fish of a lifetime fade away with the looming sunset. It wasn’t to be as the father and son combination had the culprit in the shallows after a six or seven minute tussle but the fish would not give in that easy. With the fish only metres from shore there was no way of telling what we had on in the murky shallows, a glimpse of what was hooked would have satisfied everyone at this delicate stage.

And after what must have been the best part of a ten minute fight we caught a glimpse of the red tail and then the whole fish. They had done it. A 46cm Mangrove Jack caught on a size one circle hook and small piece of prawn carefully dragged on to the shore safely landed. A real team effort in what many anglers with greater experience could only dream of.

”This was one of the best days of my life!” – Said James, reflecting on the day when talking to his dad that evening.

It doesn’t always happen but in this case, persistence and patience paid off with both James and Stephen walking away from the Recfishwest Fishing Clinic with memories to last a lifetime and Matt and Kim knowing that they have another junior angler who had participated in the Recfishwest Fishing Clinics hooked for life.

By Kim Burton (Recfishwest Fishing Clinic Instructor from FeNaClNG weekend clinics Aug 4th 2018)