Tag: DPIRD

Mackerel mayhem: record-breaking catches and samples collected at MACK10K

Ashburton Anglers annual MACK10K competition is always jam packed with Spanish mackies, but 2025’s competition has showcased the Pilbara as a powerhouse for these predators.

The vibrant coastal town of Onslow came alive from 23-24 August for the competition, and this year’s event marked a significant milestone – not only due to a surge in participation and catches, but also the number of fish samples donated to our Fishing for Science program.

A record-breaking 100 boats and 328 keen competitors took to the waters, with the adults landing 212 Spaniards and the juniors catching an additional 33 across the two-day competition, a promising sign for the future of this popular competition.

As a result of more fish captures and the backing of the Pilbara fishing community towards our Fishing for Science program supported by DPIRD and Woodside North West, a record 133 Spanish mackerel catches were kindly donated for sampling.

Our Fishing for Science team assisted DPIRD’s Research Scientist Paul Lewis and Fisheries Manager Liv Rynis collecting otoliths and genetic samples from each fish and record the weight, length, gender and maturity stage.

Senior Operations Officer Sam Russell said, “Across the two days we had more Spanish mackerel sample donations than we’ve ever had at any WA fishing competition, so it’s great to see a growing eagerness from the community in wanting to do their part for a better scientific understanding of this species.”

The finalised data will help analyse the health of Spanish mackerel stocks directly informing assessments in the Pilbara Management Area.

“We also had 50 kids enjoying themselves at the Healthway Kids Fishing Clinic run in partnership by Recfishwest and the Club, so hopefully these youngsters turn into adult competitors at the MACK10K down the track,” added Sam.

It might not look pretty, but these donated Spanish mackerel samples are vital for gaining a better understanding of this cherished species off the WA coastline, with our team assisting DPIRD in collecting the otoliths and belly samples from each fish.

 

Some of the highlights from our jam-packed Healthway Kids Fishing Clinic!

 

Big fish = big paydays!

With impressive prizes up for grabs across 17 categories, it was John Palermo aboard On The Chew with his 30.52kg beast that took home the whopping $20,000 payday for the biggest overall mackie, with his vessel also taking out Champion Boat Overall with a total of 57.92kg of Spanish mackerel weighed in.

In the junior category, young Macie Gusthart wowed the crowd with a solid 18.08kg Spaniard, just edging out strong junior contenders Blake Gibson and Blair Fitzgerald, with both assisting each other to land a 17kg fish.

Cause and effect! John Palermo’s 30.52kg Spaniard landed him a $20,000 payday!

Click here to see all results from the 2025 MACK10K.

“A big thanks to all competitors and the Ashburton Anglers Club this year for their ongoing support in Fishing for Science and we always look forward to this landmark event on the Recfishwest calendar, we’ll see you in 2026,” said Sam.

Dampier fishers back science and sustainability at Classic comp

Challenging weather couldn’t dampen spirits at the 49th King Bay Game Fishing Club Dampier Classic, with the iconic event once again highlighting the importance of fishing to Pilbara coastal communities.

It also showed how much Pilbara fishers care about their fishery, with many donating their catches to Recfishwest’s Fishing for Science program, supported by Woodside North West.

Fishing for Science in action

Across four days and 19 boats, competitors contributed 79 samples from species including Spanish mackerel, queenfish, cobia, trevally and spangled emperor. In return, our Fishing for Science team filleted fishers’ catches and provided DPIRD Research Scientist Paul Lewis with mackerel samples to support a Department stock assessment.

We also ran a popular Healthway Kids Fishing Clinic, where more than 60 young fishers learned how to catch, handle and release a variety of Pilbara species such as whiting, bream, tuskfish and cod.

Check out the highlights from the Dampier Classic and our kids’ fishing clinic in the video below!

Competition highlights

  • Most species (boat): Hashtag with 19 species.

  • Tag and release (boat): MICX crew with 58 tags across 13 species.

  • Junior tag and release: Max Grasso with 39 tags across 11 species.

  • Junior most species: Mia Grasso with six species.

  • Stand-out catch: A near 17kg Spanish mackerel landed on just 3kg line.

What they said.

Recfishwest Senior Operations Officer Sam Russel:

“It was a fantastic response from the Dampier fishing community, who are just as passionate as we are about fish sustainability and research. Fishing for Science is a great way for fishers to learn more about the species they love to catch, while contributing to data that will benefit the fishery in the future.”

King Bay Game Fishing Club President Scott Sharp:

“Kids are the future of fishing, and it was fantastic to see so many youngsters excitedly wetting a line and asking questions at the Fishing for Science table. Despite the weather, the strong junior presence bodes well for next year’s 50th edition.”

It was fantastic to see the youngsters in Dampier getting stuck into catching and releasing numerous Pilbara species and helping out our Fishing for Science team at the samples table!

A special thanks to our sponsor Woodside North West and all the competition sponsors for making this another brilliant event, we look forward to seeing you in 2026 for the big 50th edition!

Looking ahead

Recfishwest looks forward to returning in 2026 to help celebrate the half-century edition of this much-loved Pilbara competition — and thanks all fishers who generously donated their samples to Fishing for Science.

Bluewater Classic sees big species variety and donations to science

A strong turn-out for the 2025 Bluewater Classic run out of Geographe Bay showcased the South-West community’s passion for fishing – with many of the 160-plus participating fishers donating samples to fisheries science.  

The 2025 Bluewater Classic – run by the Naturaliste Game and Sportfishing Club – saw a strong field of adult and junior fishers turn out to catch a range of species.  

Naturaliste Game and Sportfishing Club Vice President, Tom Miller, said it’s one of the biggest turnouts in the competition’s history.  

“We had 165 competitors across 47 boats catching a mix of species out on the ocean, upriver and off the beaches. It’s always been a great competition for the variety of fishing on offer and the juniors absolutely loved it,” said Tom.  

Naturaliste Game and Sportfishing Club Vice President Tom Miller managed to take his boat out and the crew managed to land this cracker of a mulloway.

DPIRD were able to collect valuable data from 12 species from fish frames donated by fishers, with tissue samples and otoliths collected to help better understand our fishery.  

Recfishwest’s Senior Operations Officer Sam Russell said the willingness and interest of fishers to learn about the species they were catching reflected good stewardship among the local fishing community.  

“We love seeing the club members’ passion for fishing, the fish they fish for and the future of the South-West fishery at this great community event,” said Sam.   

“There was a healthy mix of dhufish, yellowtail kingfish, pink snapper, herring, whiting, breaksea cod, baldchin groper and various other species caught and donated for sampling. The community were as keen to understand these fish as much as they wanted a delicious feed,” said Sam.  

DPIRD officers did a fantastic job collecting otoliths and tissue samples from species big and small during the competition, from herring to dhufish.

“A big thanks to DPIRD for their tireless efforts over the weekend in collecting samples from every species big or small, to Geographe Bay Yacht Club and Naturaliste Game and Sport Fishing Club for hosting this great event, and the participants who were keen to have a yarn about all things fishing,” added Sam.  

New FADs season launched: 30 devices with some cutting-edge tech

Recfishwest is excited to announce the launch of this summer’s new Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) season, with 30 devices being deployed across the southern half of WA in the coming weeks.  

This year’s rollout also includes innovative fish-monitoring technology that will be trialled for the first time in Australia. Check it out in the video below! 

Ten FADs are already in position off the north metro coast, behind Rottnest, and off Rockingham and Mandurah, ready for action.

An additional 20 FADs, stretching from Steep Point to Albany, will be deployed by the end of November, setting the stage for another fantastic summer of pelagic fishing for dolphinfish, tuna, billfish and the like.  

CHECK OUT OUR FADS WEBSITE PAGE FOR THE FADS’ CURRENT STATUS AND COORDINATES  

Sounding out an even better future for FADs

At the season launch at Hillarys, Minister for Fisheries Don Punch joined Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland to unveil the sonar technology that will be trialled on FADs this summer. 

These buoys will provide 24/7 live data on the number and size of fish gathering around the devices, offering valuable insights into the behavior of pelagic species and supporting the continuous improvement of sportfishing opportunities on the FADs. 

The new Satlink SLX+ sounders being trialled will deploy a 35-degree beam and provide 24/7 information on the biomass of fish aggregating within 10 depth intervals (down to 115m depth).  

To save bandwidth, data from the sounder will be streamed hourly, with five-minute intervals captured from an hour before to an hour after sunrise, a key period for pelagic fishing.  

This will help DPIRD assess fish abundance under the FADs and correlate it with factors like temperature and depth.  

The data will potentially help refine future FAD placements and deployment timing.

Ongoing evolution

CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “It’s great to see the Government backing in this program, which began almost 30 years ago with the Perth Game Fishing Club and has since evolved through Recfishwest’s successful Statewide FADs trial.  

“We welcome DPIRD trialling these sonar buoys on six of the locations from the Abrolhos through to Albany to help better understand what fish are turning up and at what time of year.” 

“We look forward to more innovation of this kind supporting better recfishing. 

On behalf of the cast of thousands, Recfishwest will continue to keep all fishers up to date with all FADs developments.  

The FADs have produced some beautiful captures over the years for both both fishers and spearfishers, with dolphinfish a commonly encountered species at the devices. Images: Beau Suladra and Spearwest.

2024 Troutfest highlights WA’s big love for trout and freshwater fishing

The eighth annual edition of Troutfest produced the biggest turnout yet, with beautiful weather and a lively crowd of around 400 people providing a fitting celebration of our South-West freshwater fishery!   

More than 300 larger rainbow and brown trout from mid-sized yearlings up to larger ex-broodstock sizes were hand-released into their new home, resulting in hundreds of beaming smiles for the scores of mums, dads and kids who all rolled up their sleeves and got in on the action.  

Check out the highlights from Waroona Troutfest 2024 in the video below!

With DPIRD agreeing to our request to declare the weekend freshwater ‘licence-free’ for fishers, eager families tried their hand at flicking lures or fly-fishing, with volunteers from the Western Australian Trout and Freshwater Fishing Association (WATFFA) kindly and enthusiastically spending hours teaching eager attendees the peaceful art of fly-fishing.  

The fishing is better when there’s more fish biting, and with around 66,000 more trout set for release into our South-West fresh waterways over the coming months, the future of freshwater fishing for West Aussies looks bright.  

Click here to see a full list of trout stocking numbers and locations for 2024!

Recfishwest’s Operations Lead Matt Gillett – who has been at all of the previous Troutfest events – said this year’s crowd was easily the biggest out of the eight editions.  

“Watching excited kids wade into the water to have a go at handling these fish with care before releasing them into their new home is always a great sight,” said Matt.   

“Troutfest epitomises the value of fish stocking and our South-West freshwater fishery – it’s a fun, safe and accessible fishery underpinned by the great work DPIRD does rearing such healthy fish at their Pemberton hatchery.  

“It is always a pleasure watching this event continue to grow each year thanks to the tremendous help from the community and all our Troutfest supporters and a special shout-out to the Shire of Waroona for backing in this great community event.” 

Now a highly-anticipated attraction on the South-West community calendar, this year’s Troutfest was once again made possible by the Shire of Waroona, Alcoa, our stocking partners Daiwa and DPIRD’s freshwater hatchery in Pemberton.  

Budding fishers were also able to tap into the knowledge of experienced freshwater fishers, with free fly-casting tuitions and fly-tying demonstrations on offer, along with an array of stalls packed with freshwater fishing merchandise and delicious food on offer. 

This is what it is all about! A big thanks to all the community members and our supporters for making the eighth edition of Waroona Troutfest the biggest yet!

The licence-free weekend was a good incentive for many to try their hand at chasing trout or redfin perch with picturesque backdrops, contributing to the growing $37 million in economic spending each year in regional economies from freshwater fishers. 

Waroona Troutfest is part of a carefully managed South-West trout-stocking program supporting a fishery enjoyed by around 10,000 freshwater fishing licence holders who venture to picturesque streams, rivers and dams throughout the South-West.   

Recfishwest, through its Freshwater Fisheries Reference Group, offers advice to DPIRD on where to stock each year’s cohort of hatchery-bred trout to the best benefit of freshwater anglers.  

Missed out on the 2024 Waroona Troutfest? Don’t worry – we’ll be back in Pemberton on Sunday, 13 October for the third edition of Pemberton Troutfest! Check out the highlights from last year’s Pemberton Troutfest in the video below and bring your family along!  

Family-friendly Troutfest fish release boosted by licence-free freshwater fishing weekend!

Get ready to roll up your sleeves, Troutfest is returning this Saturday, 7 September at Drakesbrook Weir in Waroona!

As the peak fishing sector body, we are also pleased the Government took on board our recommendation to make it a freshwater fishing licence-free weekend, as well as the 13-14th of October which coincides with the Pemberton Trout Festival and National Gone Fishing Day.

Troutfest gives mums, dads and kids the unique chance to release radiant rainbow and beautiful brown trout into this picturesque South-West waterway to celebrate WA’s freshwater fishery, as well as having a crack at freshwater fishing. This weekend you won’t need an annual freshwater fishing licence to do so either!

The fishing is always better when the fish are biting in greater abundance and this is a great example of how fish stocking helps keep the fun in fishing.

Along with the community having the chance to help these trout swim off into their new home, free rod hire, fly-casting tuitions, fly-tying demonstrations and trout fishing tips are also on offer, along with food and drink stalls.

Check out what you can expect to see at Troutfest this weekend in the video below!

Recfishwest is once again partnering with the Shire of Waroona, Alcoa and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) to host the eighth annual Troutfest community fish stocking event, which has helped thousands of rainbow and brown trout dive and thrive into Drakesbrook Weir since 2017.

This event was first initiated and supported by local fishing clubs including the Australian Trout Foundation (ATF), Southern Forests Freshwater Angling Club (SFFAC) and Western Australian Trout and Freshwater Angling Association (WATFAA).

“Troutfest has become a welcome fixture on WA’s fishing calendar since its inception in 2017 and Recfishwest always looks forward to celebrating this fantastic fishery and allowing families to stock these stunning fish into their new homes,” said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland.

“The continuing popularity of our Troutfest events showcases how fun and popular freshwater fishing is and how WA’s freshwater stocking program underpins this highly valued fishery. We’re proud to support DPIRD’s trout stocking program through the great work and advice of our Freshwater Fishing Reference Group.”

Each year, trout are stocked at various popular freshwater fishing rivers and dams, including Drakesbrook Weir, Harvey Dam, Waroona Dam, Collie River and Brunswick River. The released trout are hatched and reared at DPIRD’s Pemberton-based trout hatchery through the trout stocking program.

Recfishwest, through its Freshwater Fisheries Reference Group, offers advice to DPIRD on where to stock each year’s cohort of hatchery-bred trout to the optimum benefit of freshwater anglers.

Recfishwest thanks DPIRD, The Shire of Waroona, Alcoa, Daiwa, Healthway, Fishability and Act, Belong, Commit for their support in making this much-loved family-friendly event a reality.

Wanting to come along to Troutfest? Make sure you’re there before 10:30am so you don’t miss out on hand-releasing the fish! 

Click here to view where it’s happening!

Breakaway FAD’s epic 4,000km drift!

A break-away FAD has been “at large” for an epic 4,000km-plus drift up to Shark Bay, before looping back and eventually beaching at Walpole on the South Coast (see map below). 

FAD #6 broke off from its anchor point around 50km off Woodman Point earlier this year. FADs can break away for a number of reasons such as boat strikes, violent swell, wind and gear failure. Therefore, all FADs are fitted with satellite trackers. 

That’s how the wayward fish aggregation device was tracked as it drifted up to 650km off the coast, before being carried northwards up to 400km west off Shark Bay.  

It then looped around, being dragged within 50km of the Abrolhos Islands, before catching the Leeuwin Current and drifting all the way down to the South Coast, landing at Conspicuous Cliffs Beach, near Walpole.  

Taking the scenic route! FAD #6 started its journey out from Woodman Point and ended up drifting north of Kalbarri, before moving southwards and eventually washing ashore in Walpole due to our strong currents.

The FAD was retrieved by DBCA rangers of the Walpole-Nornalup National Park, and while the FAD had an extensive journey, it is still thankfully in great nick, allowing it to be redeployed later this year as part of the ongoing Statewide FADs program. 

The FAD’s voyage highlights the strength of the Leeuwin Current along the WA coast, which pelagic fish species such as billfish, tuna, mackerel, yellowtail kingfish and Samsonfish use as a “highway” to navigate up and down our coastline. 

The wayward FAD finally washed up at Conspicuous Cliffs Beach, near Walpole looking none too worse for wear on the back of its 4,000km trek! 

Tapping into the bountiful pelagic fishing action provided by the current is a great boon for recreational and charter boat fishers, whose love for fishing the FADs fuelled Recfishwest and the fishing community’s establishment of the successful three-year FADs program trial.  

The State Government has committed to maintaining and developing the State-wide FADs network until at least June, 2025.  

Want to know more about the FADS currently deployed in WA waters along with their coordinates? Check out our dedicated FADs webpage here or download the Recfishwest App! 

Take part in WA online fishing survey for the chance to win some great fishing prize packs

Recfishwest has teamed up with DPIRD and market researchers Hudson Howells to survey WA recreational fishers about their fishing behaviours and the make-up of the WA fishing community.

As well as ensuring decision-makers understand what’s important to the fishing community better, by filling out the online survey, you will go into the draw for some great prizes – see below for more details.

The survey should take about 20 minutes to complete and your responses will be completely confidential. The survey link will ask you to provide your contact details if you want to enter the prize draw.

Click here to start the survey

Draw prizes

1st prize $500 tackle prize pack includes tackle backpack with boxes, Tackleworld filleting knife pack, Squidtrex vibe, Vexed Bottom Meat and Bottom Worm Long Shank, Ocean’s Legacy Sling Shot lure, brag mat and more!

2nd prize $300 tackle prize pack includes tackle backpack with boxes, Berkley filleting knife, Squidtrex vibe, Vexed Bottom Worm, Arma Anchovy lure and IKA squid Jig.

3rd prize $200 tackle prize pack includes tackle bag, Sicut filleting knife, IKA squid jig, Smilin Jacks Pillie, Arma Anchovy.

Take the WA Recreational Fishing Experience survey to go in the running for three amazing prizes packed to the brim with new fishing gear!

The research project, which will also include interviews with fishing focus groups, is set to be the most extensive study of its kind ever undertaken in the State.

Recfishwest Chief Executive Officer Andrew Rowland said, “This landmark study will provide us with invaluable insights into the diverse cast of 700,000 recreational fishers in Western Australia.”

“Given the importance of fishing to the West Aussie culture, way of life and economy, it’s important that we, and decision-makers, develop a finely tuned understanding of the fishing community’s make-up, behaviours, values and aspirations.”

“This knowledge will enable us to better advocate for fishers’ interests and ensure fisheries management is more attuned to the social values of recreational fishing.”

Recfishwest calls on Government to listen to local fishers and re-think illogical and unjustifiable no fishing zones

Recfishwest says that some of the proposed no-fishing zones in the Government’s South Coast Marine Park plans released today are “completely illogical and unjustifiable”.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “Proposing no fishing zones in front of caravan parks, boat ramps and along several popular beaches demonstrates marine park planners in Perth are out of touch with the south coast community.

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“We stand firmly for sustainability; however, we cannot support the marine parks in their current form.

“None of the evidence we have seen supports the need to implement no fishing zones over the top of places where people have fished for generations, and they simply cannot be justified.

“The Government must genuinely engage with the local community – if they had done this in the first place, they would not be proposing to implement these zones where they have.”

SEE A MAP OF THE PROPOSED MARINE PARK ZONES HERE (the green zones are the proposed no fishing zones).

 

Orleans Bay Caravan Park sees thousands of mums, dads and kids venturing down each year to enjoy the great fishing on offer from the beach and off boats. If implemented in their current form, several of the proposed marine park zones will see great fishing experiences like this off limits to fishing families along the south coast.

In December, the Environment Minister Reece Whitby is on record saying that the Government “had listened to recreational fishers” and that fishers would “be impressed by what they see at the other end.”

“We confirm that we are not impressed by what we see in these proposals,” said Dr Rowland, “The views of local fishers have clearly been ignored and it’s now time the Government genuinely starts listening.

“We ask the Government to seriously re-think several zones and join us at the table to deliver a truly positive outcome for fishers, the environment and our future.”

“These plans are now open for public comment until 16 June and Recfishwest encourages all fishers with an interest in this coast to study the details and engage in the consultation process.”

Recfishwest will be on the south coast this week encouraging locals to have their say over the coming four months. Make sure you join our Cast of Thousands as a Recfishwest member to help us protect access to our prized fishing spots.

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.”