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From Thursday, 1 February, the west coast demersal fishery between Kalbarri and Augusta will be closed until 29 March (Good Friday) to recfishers.
It’s great to see recfishers play their part in the recovery of these treasured fish by giving them a break for a couple of months.
It’s a particularly important time to give dhufish a rest as the closure coincides with their peak spawning period.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “This late summer closure was something that Recfishwest, the West Coast Demersal Expert Working Group and grassroots members of the fishing community called for.
“This was because protecting spawning dhufish helps replenish the stock and speeds up the recovery. Furthermore, protecting spawning fish is the right thing to do and simply makes sense. It’s great to see recreational fishers get behind the closure, because it shows how much our community cares about these special fish.
“Unfortunately, the closure does not apply across all sectors and we think it should.
“In good news though, the Government took on board our call for the west coast demersal fishery to reopen coinciding with Easter. This year this means fishing mums and dads will be able to get out and fish for bottom fish again on Good Friday on 29 March, giving them a chance to catch a quality, fresh demersal for their Easter dinner.”
Although the demersal season is closing for two months, it doesn’t mean you have to stop fishing – there are so many other great fishing options to explore in the region, whether it’s chasing yellowtail kingfish on nearshore reefs, trolling for tuna, targeting squid and whiting or beach fishing for tailor and mulloway – it’s a great time to try some new tactics and widen your fishing activities.
“While the demersal fishing has been great over the past couple of months, many recfishers have thoroughly enjoyed the red hot pelagic and inshore fishing on offer and that option is still available to us,” said Recfishwest Operations Lead Matt Gillett.
“The FADs continue to fire for dolphinfish and wahoo, there’s various whiting species across the shallow sand and weed patches, you can troll for tuna, drop a net for blue swimmer crabs in the rivers and inlets, flick a squid jig out for some delicious calamari or visit our South-West to target various freshwater species – we’re very lucky to have so many options available to us.”
Dolphinfish and tuna have been regularly caught at the FADs off the WA coast, squid are plentiful over the shallow weed beds and delicious whiting are easy to catch over the inshore sand patches – to name a few options!
As the dust settles on the new fishing rules for west coast demersals, Recfishwest says the Government has got to get right the way $10 million of public money is spent on supporting the fishery.
The Government heralded the funding boost as part of the west coast demersal management changes package announced by Fisheries Minister Don Punch in December as “the biggest investment in the recovery of a fishery in WA history”.
To date, though there has been little detail provided of exactly how the money will be spent other than the following breakdown given to Recfishwest by DPIRD and given in question time in the WA parliament.
West coast demersal $10 million support package break-down
Voluntary Fisheries Adjustment Scheme (VFAS) – $2.5 million
Public education and awareness campaign – $1.75 million
Science and monitoring – $1.8 million
Statewide FADs – $1.5 million
Snapper restocking – $1 million
Digital catch reporting for recreational fishers – $674,000
Charter tourism business diversification – $500,000
Charter sector management reform – $260,000
Recfishwest believes it is crucial that the Government closely involves the recreational fishing community and industry in the design and delivery of the package.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “This is a significant amount of public money and the Government has got to get it right this time. Invested properly, this money can go a long way in redressing the fundamental inequity in the way this valuable public resource is managed.
“It can plug significant knowledge gaps that can inform much better management of the fishery and promote better fishing behaviours that can speed up the recovery and ultimately lead to optimising the social and economic benefits these fish provide for our community – this after all is the goal of fisheries management enshrined in WA law.”
$1 million is currently set to be poured into further pink snapper stockings, providing a boost to current fish stocking initiatives such as Recfishwest’s Snapper Guardians.
Commercial buy-back scheme can pave the way for a better, fairer way
The VFAS commercial licence buy-back scheme earmarked for $2.5 million of the package will provide operators compensation to voluntarily reduce the number of commercial fishing units, Recfishwest understand this scheme is due to open this month.
Andrew said, “We are particularly keen to understand how the VFAS will work given it can potentially pave the way to a fairer and more equitable sharing of the overall sustainable catch between recreational, charter and commercial fishing sectors.
“This is long overdue with 64 per cent of the west coast demersal catch currently reserved for private profit and only five per cent of demersal fish caught in WA waters taken by recreational fishers. It’s about how the maximum amount of social and economic benefits can be attained from the sustainable catch for the Western Australian community.
“That means giving back mums, dads, families and friends more time back out on the water with the chance to catch a quality bottom fish for dinner.”
Recfishwest will continue to fight in ensuring a fair amount of time on the water for recreational fishers, while pushing to protect spawning dhufish with a February-March demersal closure for all sectors.
Better knowledge, better fishery management
Other elements of the support package including the science and monitoring, and digital catch reporting investment can help plug some of the knowledge gaps scientists and fishery managers have around west coast demersal scalefish.
Examples of these are around to what extent the recovering Gascoyne pink snapper stock underpins numbers of those fish in the north of the west coast bioregion and how climate change might be impacting on spatial movement of the west coast demersal stock overall.
“Combined with clearer recreational catch data, better scientific understanding of dhufish, pink snapper and other prized demersals will help DPIRD fishery managers make better and more informed management decisions when the latest west coast stock assessment is due next year,” said Andrew.
“A comprehensive education and awareness campaign can also have a positive impact on fisher behaviour, reducing post-release mortality, spreading fishing effort away from west coast demersal species and ultimately speeding up the recovery. This campaign needs to involve fishers as well as charter operators and tackle stores who talk to fishers every single day.
Want to play your part in ensuring a better future for west coast demersals with better fish care and by diversifying the species you target? Check out our tips here.
Concerns for the charter fishing sector
“The charter fishing sector has been neglected in the new management package putting significant pressure and risk on the $110 million the sector contributes to the economy every year and the 830 jobs it supports.
“Twenty tonnes of the available 375 tonnes is simply not in line with significant benefits this sector provides to the Western Australian public. There will be more to come from us on this in the coming weeks.”
Getting answers to questions that have to be asked
In our role advocating for the interests of the WA fishers, Recfishwest will continue to ask the questions of Government that need to be answered on how this money is invested and how a fairer more equitable way to manage the fishery can established in the future.
“Make no mistake, this is a golden opportunity to set things right,” said Andrew, “But it has to be done right and it has to be done transparently – it’s simply too important a chance to squander.”
The February-March demersal fishing closure in the West Coast Bioregion ends on Saturday 1 April and recreational fishers are to be congratulated for playing their part in helping the recovery of these iconic fish and other demersals during this time.
We continue to press the Government to apply this closure across all sectors to ensure dhufish are given the full protection they deserve during their spawning period.
Fishers can now target bottom fish once again in the West Coast Bioregion from 1 April until 31 July. New rules now apply – you can check out these new rules on Recfishwest’s fishing rules app.
Once again, recreational fishers are doing more than their fair share to help the recovery of these fish.
The removal of the dhufish size limit was intended to allow fishers to keep a fish suffering from barotrauma that would otherwise die if released. So, while the size limit for dhufish has been removed (as well as for breaksea cod and baldchin groper), there is no reason why you shouldn’t return smaller dhufish if they’ve been caught in relatively shallow water and are in good condition.
There is plenty of evidence that shows small dhufish caught in shallow water survive release if the fish are looked after well and returned quickly using a release weight if needed.
In addition, while the boat limit for dhufish has been removed, there is an individual bag limit of 2 dhufish and a demersal boat limit of 4 fish. This does not mean you have to catch two dhufish or target four dhufish every time you go out on the water with mates.
There are plenty of other great fishing options available in the West Coast Bioregion such as pelagics, squid, nearshore species etc. Consider spreading your effort and giving other types of fishing a go, rather than only targeting demersals every time.
Going for pelagic species rather than demersals such as tuna, mackerel, cobia or dolphinfish like this recent beauty landed by Jarryd Sewell at one of the Recfishwest FADs provides great fishing experiences off the WA coastline.
Have questions? We’ve got your back
There were a lot of questions around the new rule changes from many of you, so here are some of the responses from DPIRD below.
Broader West Coast Bioregion:
Question)Given that size limits have been removed for some species, does this mean fishers have to keep the first two fish they catch?
Answer – No, however fishers are encouraged to retain the first two legal size demersals they catch and then switch their fish to other nearshore or large pelagic species once they reach their limit.
Question)Does the ‘one hook per line’ rule apply to offshore demersal species such as hapuku and others?
Answer – Yes, it applies when fishing for all demersal scalefish in the West Coast Bioregion.
Question)What sized hooks are considered to be targeting demersal scalefish?
Answer – There is no regulation on hook size or number of hooks provided you don’t use more than one bait or lure per line when fishing for demersal scalefish in the West Coast Bioregion.
Once you reach your demersal possession limit, make sure you switch your fishing to target nearshore or larger pelagic species.
Abrolhos Islands:
Question) In the event that a fisher catches a demersal scalefish that renders greater than 5kg of fillets, can the additional fillets be shared amongst any other people on the boat?
Answer – Yes
Question)Additionally, do these people have to be in possession of a fishing license?
Answer – No
Question)If a fisher enters the Abrolhos FHPA with a fish caught outside the FHPA, do the possession limits apply?
Recfishers care about these iconic fish, and it’s important our sector play our part to help further speed up the recovery of the demersal fish stocks, potentially leading to a quicker relaxing of the fishing restrictions put in place.
“Fishing for bottom fish in the West Coast Bioregion begins again as of April 1st and many will be able to enjoy the quintessential West Aussie experience of getting out on the water fishing with families and friends and catching a top-quality feed of dhufish, baldies or snapper,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland.
“Recfishwest will continue to fight in ensuring these fish get the proper spawning protection they deserve while also ensuring fishers are given access to our fair share of the fish that are available.”
From tomorrow (Wednesday 1 February) the west coast demersal fishery will be closed to recreational fishing until the end of March as part of new changes introduced by the Government in December (see below for more details about the rule changes).
Recfishwest called for this late summer closure as it coincides with part of the peak spawning period for dhufish and we are proud it is widely supported by our members and our Expert Working Group because we care passionately about the future of these fish.
However, we remain disappointed that the closure will not apply to all sectors with the commercial fishing industry able to continue to target spawning aggregations of dhufish during this period.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “If the Government truly cares about ensuring the sustainability of demersal fish between Augusta and Kalbarri, they need to explain why they do not support better protection for spawning dhufish.
“It’s yet another example of the fundamentally inequitable way this fishery has been managed for decades and it’s too important for old and embedded sectoral favouritism to continue to underpin management decisions.
“Fisheries management should ensure the greatest good is delivered to the greatest number from the sustainable catch of fish – that is simply not happening under the current regime with 64 per cent of the west coast demersal catch reserved for private profit.
“We need a fairer more equitable and sustainable approach, giving spawning dhufish more protection and fishing mums and dads more time out on the water to be able to optimise all the social, mental and well-being benefits fishing brings.”
The Government claims there is no evidence that dhufish aggregate to spawn. This image and evidence from DPIRD’s own research scientists suggest otherwise. Video still: @fbk3lly YouTube channel.
Commercial licence buy-back scheme details must be thrashed out as soon as possible
Recfishwest will always support action to ensure sustainability but shutting out 700,000 West Aussies from being able to catch dhufish and pink snapper for six months of the year is an unnecessary overreach.
Part of the $10 million package put forward by the Fisheries Minister to support the west coast demersal changes included a yet-to-be specified amount to be allocated to a Voluntary Fisheries Adjustment Scheme (VFAS) to offer commercial operators fair and reasonable compensation to voluntarily exit the fishery.
“We need the Government to thrash out the details and progress the VFAS as quickly as possible,” said Dr Rowland. “There is a great opportunity here for the Government to put right an outdated and broken fisheries policy that places profit before the public good.
“We need a comprehensive and transparent buy-back scheme that can assure the community that every tax-payer’s dollar spent on it is delivering the best return through a sustainably and equitably managed system in line with the harvest strategy for this fishery.”
Changes to the west coast demersal rules – 1 February 2023
The free upgraded Recfishwest app contains all the fishing rules at your fingertips including outside of mobile range. You can download the app for free on the App and Google Play stores.
The new demersal rules will go live in the new app from Wednesday when they come into effect – in the meantime see below for the rule changes in full.
Annual demersal fishing closed seasons in the West Coast Bioregion:
– 1 February to 31 March (to 28 March in 2024 to accommodate Easter) (inclusive);
– 1 August to the beginning of the September/October school holidays (22 September 2023); and
– end of the September/October school holidays (9 October 2023) to 15 December (inclusive).
Note: this does not apply to land-based line fishers, charter fishers, or commercial fishers.
Bag limit of two WA dhufish within the mixed species bag limit of two demersal scalefish in the West Coast Bioregion.
Demersal scalefish boat limit of four (excludes charter boats).
Remove the WA dhufish boat limit.
Remove size limits for WA dhufish, baldchin groper and breaksea cod.
A maximum of one bait or lure attached to a line can be used when fishing for demersal scalefish in the West Coast Bioregion.
Extend the timing of the pink snapper spawning closure in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds from 1 August to 31 January (inclusive).
Realign the baldchin groper spawning closure at the Abrolhos Islands from 1 October to 31 December (inclusive).
Abrolhos Islands: The Abrolhos Island Fish Habitat Protection Area is being managed as a Wilderness Fishing Area to allow visitors to experience unique marine-based activities, while appreciating a sense of remoteness, amenity and lifestyle.
The following changes to bag and possession limits provide for low take, low takeaway recreational fishing at the Abrolhos Islands while also contributing to the recovery of demersal scalefish stocks in the West Coast Bioregion;
bag limit of one demersal scalefish;
possession limit of:
– 5kg of fillets from any species, plus 5kg of fillets from large pelagic finfish (must have skin attached for identification purposes); OR
– one day’s bag limit of whole fish.
Recreational boat fishers will next be able to drop a line for west coast demersal species such as pink snapper from 1 April until the start of the September/October school holidays.
Fishing for bottom fish in the West Coast Bioregion has begun and many will be able to enjoy the quintessential West Aussie experience of getting out on the water fishing with families and friends and catching a top-quality feed of dhufish, baldies or snapper.
Under the recently announced management changes, fishers will have six weeks to enjoy their fishing until a new February-March closure comes into effect coinciding with part of the peak dhufish spawning period.
Recfishwest recommended better protection of spawning dhufish as part of measures to speed up the recovery after receiving thousands of fishers’ views and advice from our West Coast Demersal Expert Working Group.
The strong support for this measure has reflected on the level of care fishers have for these iconic fish.
Fisheries Management 101 – protecting spawning fish
The February/March closure will only apply to recreational fishers with many in the fishing community questioning the logic of this closure not applying to all sectors.
The only reason publicly given for this decision appears on a frequently asked questions document on the Fisheries website, which says, “A targeted spawning closure for dhufish is not proposed as there are currently no known large spawning aggregations of dhufish in the West Coast Bioregion. Targeted spawning closures benefit species that aggregate in some form and experience higher catchability during peak spawning compared to outside the spawning period.”
CEO Dr Andrew Rowland has highlighted the apparent inconsistency between this statement, multiple pieces of scientific research and fishers’ experience.
“Given every fisher knows dhufish aggerate to spawn over summer and there are numerous published studies by the Department’s own scientific experts that confirm the existence of these aggregations, this response makes little sense,” said Dr Rowland. “Just because dhufish aggregations are not as big as snapper aggregations in Cockburn Sound, it does not mean they are any less important.”
Fisheries scientists freely admit dhufish form spawning aggregations and suggest they are more vulnerable to fishing activity during this time. For example, a 2014 study by leading Fisheries scientists stated “… commercial fishing for West Australian dhufish in the South-West area occurs largely on fish that are aggregating to spawn in a relatively restricted part of that management area in the austral summer”. This is just one of many peer-reviewed scientific references supporting the existence of dhufish aggregations.
“If the Government truly cares about ensuring the sustainability of demersal fish between Augusta and Kalbarri, they need to explain why they do not support better protection for spawning dhufish,” said Dr Rowland.
“The efforts of recreational fishers to give spawning dhufish a break will be largely wasted if the Government continues to allow others to target these same fish.
“This issue points to a fundamental inequity in the way this fishery has been managed for decades and it’s too important for old and embedded sectoral favouritism to continue to underpin management decisions.
“As a sector with a strong track-record in safeguarding fish stocks for the future and in driving fish spawning closures – we have a right to expect clarity on why aggregations of snapper and baldchin should be protected, but aggregations of dhufish shouldn’t.
“We will continue to make this case to the Government and ensure that the commercial licence buy-back scheme announced by the Minister is implemented quickly, efficiently and in a way that can at last meet community expectations of equitable management.”
While many fishers are understandably frustrated by the Fisheries’ Minister’s final decision on the future management of the west coast demersal fishery, it is clear we all need to do what we can to ensure better stewardship of these fish and to reduce fishing mortality.
For the overwhelming majority of recreational fishers who care about these iconic fish, this is simply the right thing to do – but it also will help to further speed up the recovery of the demersal fish stocks, potentially leading to a quicker relaxing of the fishing restrictions put in place.
Fishing mortality is the number of fish that die as a result of fishing – that does not just mean fish that end up in the esky, it also includes fish that expire because of barotrauma, bad handling, deep-hooking injuries and shark bite-off.
Recfishers already have a very strong track-record in looking after demersals. This includes supporting increased spawning closures for pink snapper in Cockburn Sound, initiating and supporting the compulsory use of release weights, forming the Snapper Guardians stocking program and playing our part in providing samples for DPIRD’s Send Us Your Skeletons program, to mention just a few examples.
Recfishwest is also preparing to launch the Dhufish Forever Alliance – a broad-based community alliance calling for and supporting better stewardship, better science and better management to result in a better future for west coast demersal fish.
For all of that though, we still need to do better collectively to reduce the number of fish dying as a result of fishing, because:
a) It’s the right thing to do and will help speed up the recovery rate; and
b) It will give us a better chance of seeing the current rules relaxed quicker – at the moment DPIRD scientists calculate that for every two dhufish released, one will die as a result of post-release mortality. If we can reduce the number of fish released through better fishing behaviour, the stocks will rebuild quicker, resulting in better fishing experiences.
Demersal species such as dhufish have a high post-release mortality rate and should not be targeted for catch and release fishing. Image: Marco Fraschetti.
How can you do your bit?
Below are some of the things we should all be doing to cut down on the number of fish dying that you are not taking for the table.
Catch and release fishing for demersals is not OK
Demersals are particularly vulnerable to barotrauma, particularly when caught in depths greater than 30 metres. Research on dhufish shows a substantial proportion of fish caught at depths over 30m die when released, with survival rate decreasing the deeper the fish are caught.
And it’s not just barotrauma that can kill released fish – bad handling, deep-hooking and being preyed on by sharks before and after being caught and released – all takes its toll on fish numbers.
If you see or hear people bragging about the number of dhuies they caught and released in their session, perhaps have the conversation with them in a reasoned way. Accepting and understanding that demersals are not catch and release species is in everyone’s best interest.
Demersals should not be regarded as a sportfish. Once you’ve got what you need – and that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to fish up to your bag limit either – stop fishing for demersals and try your luck on other species.
Targeting pelagic or inshore species other than demersal finfish are always great alternatives when fishing. Trolling for pelagics such as tuna can be a great adrenaline rush, while fishing for squid can provide a delicious feed. Image left: Fishin’Wishin Life
Switch your fishing
There are plenty of other options – troll for some tuna, jig for a Samson fish, target yellowtail kingfish around shallow reefs – come inshore with smaller baits for whiting or put a jig out for some tasty squid.
While dhuies and snapper have been the mainstay of recreational boat fishing for decades, there are many excellent options for catching a feed of fish along the west coast.
Use release weights to return demersal finfish species in water depths greater than 10m
A release weight – a simple device, pioneered by West Australian anglers, allows demersal finish to be returned to the depth they were caught from quickly, helping reduce the effects of barotrauma and assisting in recovery.
Release weights must be carried on board boats and are the best way of quickly returning unwanted demersal fish to the depths they were caught from to reduce the effects of barotrauma and increase the fish’s odds of survival.
Handle with care and release unwanted fish quickly
Fish gills contain fragile blood vessels which can become easily damaged by human hands and excessive force. So, if you’re going to return a fish, avoid sticking your hands in behind the fish’s gill plates and keep your fingers away from their eyes.
Cradle the fish by placing your wet hands and forearm (if additional support is required) under its belly and supporting its body weight, with the other hand around the tail.
You also want to avoid placing the fish on a hot deck. If you can do it, keeping the fish in the water while unhooking and attaching a release weight is the best way. if however, you are going to bring the fish on board, you can either cradle your catch gently while unhooking or place the fish on a wet towel or brag mat.
Use a good pair of pliers to remove the hooks from the fish – if the fish is deep-hooked, cut the line off as close to the fish’s mouth as possible. Trying to get the hook out when a fish is deep-hooked can lead to fatal damage to its vital organs.
If you want to take a picture of your catch before releasing it, have your phone or your camera gear to hand and ready to go so a fish can be photographed and returned as quickly as possible with minimal fuss.
It is crucial to handle demersal finfish correctly by avoiding touching their gills, cradling the fish’s belly, not placing them on hot surfaces, using pliers to remove hooks and cutting the line as close to the fish’s mouth as possible if they are deep-hooked. (Image left: Marco Fraschetti. Image right: Paul Cunningham).
Look after the fish you’re keeping
A fish’s eating quality starts deteriorating from the moment it is caught, so dispatch it quickly and get it in an ice slurry to keep it fresh. These are prized fish, and we want to ensure the best possible eating quality is maintained.
Change up your spot if sharks are around
If you get ‘sharked’ onceit isusually only going to go one way from there. Sharks are opportunistic predators andif they get a free feed of a big demersalspecies, they are going to stick around and attack any other fish that is hooked. Avoidgiving the ‘taxman’ a free lunch at the expense of our demersal stocks – move spots.
If any of your demersal catches start falling victim to shark bite-off, it is time to move spots immediately. Do not try and battle it out against the ocean’s most adapted marine predator.
Working together to protect our image
If you’re already doing all of the things above, that’s great, but you can still play your part by encouraging friends, family, members of your fishing club or in your fishing social media forums to do the same.
If anything, the last few months have shown us we need to work together more as a community to protect these important fish – one of the practical ways you can do that is by engaging with other fishers and encouraging them to do the right thing as well.
With our way of life under increasing pressure from stringent fishery management rules, some conservationists’ and animal rights activists’ agendas, we also need to give some thought as to how our behaviour comes across to the wider community and other groups.
For example, while it may get some likes off your mates on Facebook, is hanging a bloody dhuie from your backyard washing line for a trophy shot a good look? Is that really respecting these fantastic fish that give us all so much pleasure and magic fishing experiences?
We are not talking about being the fun police here, everyone has the right to do what they want so long as it is within the boundary of the law.
However, we can all play a role in calling this kind of stuff out in a reasonable and reasoned manner as it could impact on all of our fishing experiences.
If we all work together to improve the stewardship of these fish and reduce demersal mortality rates, we will speed up the recovery of the demersal fish stocks, potentially leading to a quicker relaxing of the fishing restrictions put in place for more better experiences catching these special fish.
Recfishwest is deeply disappointed by the Fisheries Minister’s decision to impose a six-month ban on west coast demersal fishing.
Recfishwest has always supported action but shutting out 700,000 West Australians from being able to catch dhufish and pink snapper for six months of the year is completely unnecessary.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “Our sector has a strong-track record in putting the fish first and we agree there needs to be some changes to help stocks continue to rebuild.
“We presented clear, science-backed alternative proposals to Government which would have reduced recfishers’ catches by 50 per cent, met sustainability targets and allowed people the freedom to spend more time fishing with families and friends.
“Yet, the Minister has decided on extended bans for the recreational fishing sector and has put commercial profit over the public good with the lion’s share of this fishery given to a small number of commercial operators.
“Today’s announcement restricts recreational fishers to an annual catch of 115t, a reduction of more than 50% on current catches, while commercial operators will be able to catch 240t, a reduction of only 12% on current catches.”
Recfishwest’s proposals were developed during months of consultation with the recreational fishing community and a specially convened West Coast Demersal Expert Working Group.
One of these proposals aimed at speeding up the rebuilding of demersal fish stocks included a closure during the dhufish spawning period.
“The fact that this closure will not apply to the commercial fishing industry does not reflect best practice fisheries management,” said Dr Rowland.
“Recfishwest also called for a buy-back of commercial fishing licences and welcomes this element of the Minister’s package.
“A commercial licence buy-back will help deliver a fairer, more equitable outcome which will deliver the greatest benefits for the greatest number in the community.
“The Government has a golden opportunity to fix a broken and outdated fisheries policy by ensuring the prompt and effective implementation of this buy-back and reduce its ill-advised six-month ban.”
Recfishwest is continuing to work closely with the Government towards a package for west coast demersal fish that can ensure there will be fish for the future while keeping fishers on the water.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “Government is at the table with us. We have put our position strongly to them and that has been received. It is fair to say this is genuine consultation, that no decision has yet been made and that there has been some constructive discussions.”
Key elements of Recfishwest’s west coast demersal package
Increased spawning protection for fish, particularly dhufish, from 20 January to 20 March
The fishery being closed for a total of 4.5 months.
A wide range of other measures including reviewing size limits, better fishing practices education and increasing gear restrictions
Better data collection and science including real time recreational fishing data collection, better understanding of the shark bite-off issue and a better understanding of the potential effectiveness of stocking of species like snapper and dhufish.
“Core to our package is increased spawning protection for demersal fish, particularly dhufish, along with a Term 3 closure,” said Andrew, “This would amount to the fishery being closed for around four-and-a-half months and would be in addition to a range of other measures we have proposed aimed at reducing mortality of these fish.”
Giving increased spawning protection for demersal species, particularly dhufish, is a cornerstone of the Recfishwest west coast demersal package put forward to Government.
Following the ongoing discussions, Recfishwest understands a decision on the final west coast demersal package will be announced by the Government in early to mid-November.
Andrew said, “It’s really important to understand we are focussed on sustainability and that is what our package does. We are doing what needs to be done in terms of reducing fish mortality, while allowing people to spend more time on the water avoiding an eight or nine-month closure.”
Andrew said the response up to this point from the recreational fishing community has been “absolutely fantastic.”
“We really want to thank everyone for their genuine support,” he said. “It’s brought home to us just how deeply people care about these fish. People are happy to play their role but believe there is a better way.”
Recfishwest continues to work with DPIRD, the Fisheries Minister and the State Government towards a sensible outcome that ensures west coast demersal fish stocks continue to recover without wrecking the lifestyle and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of WA fishers.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland met with the Fisheries Minister, Don Punch, last week and had a “frank, but constructive” conversation around the Government’s proposals – further discussions have also taken place with DPIRD fisheries managers around our alternative proposals.
“I reiterated our sector’s commitment to sustainability and our opposition to a nine-month ban when there are alternative effective measures available,” said Andrew, “The meeting with the Minister was frank, but the communication lines appear to be now open. While the official public consultation period is over, we have received assurances from Government that no decisions have been made. The Minster also told Parliament he has committed to re-discussing the issue with Recfishwest prior to any decision being made.
“We are continuing to meet with DPIRD and we’re pleased that the conversation is continuing. We’re having discussions around solutions that put the fish first, while delivering a more balanced outcome than the Government’s initial nine-month proposal.
“As WA’s not for profit, independent peak sector recfishing body, it’s really important that Recfishwest continues to impress upon Government that the 700,000-plus West Aussie fishers we represent, who spend $2.4 billion on fishing every year, is too important as a sector to neglect.”
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland was recently on the road visiting tackle store crews from Geraldton down to Augusta to discuss their concerns and views on the west coast demersal issue.
A loud and clear message from the WA fishing community
Andrew spent the previous week out on the road talking to local fishing club members and tackle store owners from Geraldton to Augusta. The Recfishwest team also had a big presence at this year’s Perth Boat show and we would like to thank the thousands of fishers who came and gave us their support.
“What we continue to hear from our community hammers home the level of concern there is out there about the future of our fishing lifestyle, community life and associated small businesses.
“It also highlighted how united our community is in finding a better way to speed up the recovery of the fish stocks without the social and economic fall-out of a nine-month demersal ban. The Government needs to understand this.”
“The messages we have received loud and clear from fishers, fishing clubs and businesses is everyone cares deeply about sustainability, supports protection of fish during peak spawning times and are happy to support science-backed rule changes. There is also great concern about fair and equitable sharing of publicly-owned fish stocks and the lack of consideration given to the social and economic impacts of management proposals.”
The online petition is another example of just how much the fishing community’s oppose the Government’s proposals. At nearly 18,000 signatures, it is the biggest online Parliamentary petition in WA history! There’s still time to sign it if you haven’t already done so, but be quick as we hear it is planned to be tabled in Parliament next week.
How’s this for a show of strength! Lancelin Angling and Aquatic Club showing how united they are on this issue.
What you can do
While the official community public consultation is over, the Government is yet to make a decision – so you can still make your views known by:
Contacting your local MP and let them know how the proposals will impact you and your family. Find tips on how to reach out here.
Calling your local talk back radio station and let listeners know what fishing means for you and your family. 6PR and ABC mornings are great places to start in Perth.
Writing aletter to the West Australian newspaper - all letters must be SIGNED and include the writer’s full-name, address (not postal) and telephone number.
Sign the petition if you haven’t already and encourage your family and mates to do the same.
Following the Government’s proposed nine-month ban on fishing for more than 100 demersal species from Augusta to Kalbarri, the call for an alternative – including a dhufish spawning closure – continues to build in the fishing community.
Recfishwest has been communicating with thousands of fishers concerned about the impact a nine-month closure will have on them and their families, as well as regional caravan park owners, charter operators and tackle shop owners who hold very real concerns about the future of their businesses.
Coral trout will be one of the iconic species to come under the nine-month ban from Kalbarri to Augusta if the Government’s proposal goes through. Photo: Al McGlashan.
Fishing clubs, who have been a central part of their communities’ social fabric for generations, have told Recfishwest the Government’s proposal will force them to close their doors.
The current proposals will also bankrupt genuine long-term charter fishing operators, depriving the community of great fishing and tourism experiences.
“We are all committed to the sustainability of this great fishery,” said recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland. “We have a strong, extensive track record in supporting dhufish and snapper conservation including tagging programs, release weight research and subsequent legislation, snapper spawning closures, released fish survival projects, investments in shark deterrents and the Snapper Guardians program,”
“Recfishwest knows there is a better way to speed up the rebuilding of these fish stocks without the massive social and economic damage, which is why we reject the Government’s proposed nine-month ban.”
Good friend of Recfishwest and editor of Western Angler Magazine, Scott Coghlan, summed up the Government’s proposals on the front page of this week’s Albany Advertiser, “It’s like using a chainsaw to fillet a herring,” he said.
It’s been great to hear from so many of our members who, supporting our efforts, want to know what they can do to help.
What you can do – ask the Government to adopt a more sensible approach
Encourage your family, friends and fishing mates to:
Sign the parliamentary petition to voice your opposition to DPIRD’s proposed nine-month ban. You can find the petition here – more than 10,000 people have already signed – make sure you add your name and encourage anyone you know to do the same.
Contact your local Member of Parliament and let them know how the proposals will impact you and your family. If you need tips on how to reach out to your local MP, our guidelines here will help.
Encourage your family and friends to join Recfishwest – send a clear message that recreational fishers are united in supporting a more sensible outcome. They can join through this link here.
Come and see Recfishwest at the Perth Boat Show next week from Friday 16 September to Sunday, 18 September.
A WA fishing community record survey of nearly 6,000 respondents also helped inform the package of recommendations.
The package was well balanced and focused on protecting the sustainability and spawning of the fish while delivering the best social and economic benefits, along with better fishing rules, enhanced education and more research.
The story has attracted more media attention than any other fishery-related issue in recent times, reflecting just how important this fishery is to the Western Australian way of life.
We hugely value your support – and we’ll keep working hard to protect these fish as well as all the benefits this fishery provides to so many West Australians.
