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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.
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.
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.
In a great win for fishers, following Recfishwest’s successful FADs trial program, the State Government has committed to maintaining a Statewide FADs network for the next three years with the north Metro FADs already deployed.
The four most northern Metro FADs have gone in around 30 nautical miles off the coast out from Hillarys and Two Rocks.
The rest of the Metro FADs between Mandurah and Rottnest are due to be in position by the first week of November – subject to weather conditions and logistics.
The table below shows a rough schedule of deployments for all the remaining southern FADs – but it should be noted that all deployments are subject to weather conditions and logistics.
A heads up for Gascoyne and Pilbara fishers, the six combined FADs that were deployed off Exmouth, Dampier and Point Samson have also been retrieved for maintenance prior to the cyclone season and are expected to be deployed in March until around November, 2024 to spice up the sportfishing opportunities for locals.
We will keep you up to date as soon as we learn from DPIRD once these FADs are in the water and ready to fish!
FADs location
Planned time for deployment (subject to weather conditions and logistics)
The south Metro FADs between Mandurah and Rottnest Island
First week of November
Lancelin (NEW!) and Jurien Bay
Late November
Steep Point (NEW!)
Late November
Cape Naturaliste
Mid/late November
Albany
Mid/late November
Geraldton/Abrolhos Islands
Abrolhos Islands FADs are subject to Marine Parks Australia approvals. Once approvals have been obtained, those FADs and the one FAD off Geraldton will be deployed
At a media conference earlier this month, the Minister for Fisheries Don Punch announced the State Government’s commitment to a State-wide network of FADs for the next three years (see map below).
Minister Punch said, “The deployment of these FADs around the State follows the highly successful trial by Recfishwest. They came to us with the concept of putting them into the water, checking it out and seeing how well it worked. It’s very been well received by fishers so far, that’s why we’ve expanded it with a $1.5 million commitment from the State.”
We’re sure to see more FAD-tastic catches continue off the WA coast into the future, just like this cracking dolphin fish landed by Dwayne Robinson at one of the Cape Naturaliste FADs earlier this year!
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland commented, “We’re really proud to have worked with the local clubs and communities in the regions to lay the foundations for this program which the State Government is backing in as a permanent fixture along the Western Australian coastline – not only taking what we’ve done in the previous three years but expanding that to 40 FADs in 13 locations around Western Australia.
“This FADs network is something which when we travel around the State provides and unlocks new opportunities for trailer boat fishing, for sport fishing and for the charter sector. It’s great to see the State Government back that in and make it become more of a permanent fixture along the coastline.”
Recfishwest would like to acknowledge the fantastic work of Perth Game Fishing Club (PGFC) in pioneering FADs off Perth. Their efforts in running their FADs program over the years have shown the effectiveness of the devices off Perth in creating fantastic new sport fishing opportunities for boat fishers.
PGFC’s assistance and advice was invaluable in helping Recfishwest establish the three-year FADs trial that paved the way for the State Government commitment to the network of FADs announced by Minister Punch.
Recfishwest got the chance to catch up with hundreds of mad keen recfishers on the weekend (15-17 September) at the Perth Boat Show.
Our stand at the heart of the show’s fishing section was a hive of activity across the three days – we had a steady flow of members from our passionate community wanting to get our take on all the hot fishing issues of the day.
Our kids’ lure colouring comp – run in partnership with Halco – proved to be as popular a draw as ever, with more than one hundred young fishos entering an array of the most colourful lure designs you’ll ever see.
The lucky winner judged by an expert Recfishwest panel will have their lure design made up into an exclusive Recfishwest lure and win a tour around Halco’s HQ in Freo, along with receiving 10 of their own design lures!
Dozens of boat show attendees also took advantage of our boat show special offer of joining up as a premium Recfishwest member at the show for just $10 and were given an exclusive past winning design of a Recfishwest/Halco lure.
It is great to have new members on board joining our cast of thousands and hundreds of you at the show came over to tell us you were already members and love the work we’re doing on behalf of the community. The overall support we received at the Show from attendees and other exhibitors was truly amazing and we are very grateful to be able to represent such a great community.
Hot topics
From marine parks, to plans for offshore windfarms, clarification on new lifejacket rules or the state of play for west coast demersals – an array of fishing topics came up at the boat show from fishers across a wide range of locations, ages and backgrounds – once again highlighting the diversity of the cast of thousands that is the WA fishing community.
Being able to hear your views and answer your questions helps us better advocate to fisheries decision-makers on your behalf to improve fishing experiences, access, safety and sustainability throughout WA.Here are some of the questions that came up and some of our answers:
The Recfishwest crew spoke with hundreds of friendly fishers from all around WA during the 2023 Perth Boat Show.
1) When will the west coast demersal fishery be open and closed over the coming months?
Given there are numerous opening and closing periods for the west coast demersal season over the coming months along the West Coast Bioregion (Kalbarri down to Augusta), there is understandably some confusion surrounding when fishers have the green light to bottom fish off boats for demersal species.
Here is a rundown of the open and closed periods for demersal fishing in the West Coast Bioregion until winter, 2024.
Demersal fishing is open during the school holidays from September 23 until midnight on October 8.
It is then closed from October 9 until December 15 (inclusive).
Open from December 16 until the end of January.
Closed from February 1 until March 31.
Open from April 1 until July 31.
Note, fishers can catch demersal species when beach or drone fishing off the land 24/7 and 365 days per year. From 1 August until 31 January, however, to protect pink snapper spawning aggregations, you are not allowed to fish for pink snapper either on the water or from shore within the mapped area in Cockburn or Warnbro Sound (pictured below).
Fishing for pink snapper off the land or by boat is not allowed in Cockburn and Warnbro Sound (see closure boundaries above) between 1 September – 31 January.
Recfishwest is keenly awaiting the outcome of the Voluntary Fisheries Adjustment Scheme (VFAS) later this year – which gives commercial fishers the opportunity to surrender their share of demersal catches for fair and reasonable compensation.
If there is a significant amount surrendered, it could create a more equitable sharing of the sustainable catch between recreational, charter and commercial fishing sectors allowing for more time out on the water for mums, dads, kids and mates fishing for iconic demersals.
2) What is happening with plans for Marmion Marine Park?
The boundaries of Marmion are planned to extend further north from Trigg up to Two Rocks. It will also stretch out west to some parts of the Three Mile Reef,nearly quadrupling the park in size with extensive no fishing sanctuary zonesexpected to be included.Plans for this extension of Marmion Marine Park could be released for public comment as early as October.
The Government has planned to extend Marmion Marine Park further north past Two Rocks and out west past Three Mile reef, near to quadrupling the current size of the marine park with potentially significant no fishing sanctuary zones included.
Recfishwest and the Perth metro community that enjoy wetting a line throughout this stretch of coastline share concerns about fishers being locked out of their favourite fishing beaches and spots out on the ocean throughout this area.
We urge everyone to have their say on areas important to them by making a submission to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) when the time comes, so check in on our social media channels for the latest and join Recfishwest’s Cast of Thousands to give us more power to represent WA’s 700,000 fishers.
3) What is happening with the new south coast marine park?
The proposed south coast marine park will span more than 1,000 km of coastline, from east of Bremer Bay to the WA/SA border. It will likely include all beaches and coastal areas up to the high-water mark, save for a small radius around the Esperance townsite covered by Port waters. Plans for this new marine park could be released for public comment as early as October.
Proper consultation with the south coast community has gone off the rails and we heard widespread concerns firsthand from south coast residents at the boat show that their freedoms such as driving on the beach or bringing their dogs to their favourite fishing spots (which are already restricted on some beach stretches) could be threatened given the DBCA’s track record in park management.
Fishers care about the environment and we support the principle of marine parks – but they must balance conservation with fishing. Stopping thousands of mums, dads and kids from wetting a line in their favourite fishing spots would be an attack on our West Aussie fishing lifestyle. This will make it even more critical for south coast fishers to have their say when details of the proposed marine park are potentially released for public comment in the coming weeks.
Four-wheel-drive access may be restricted across numerous southern coastlines between Bremer Bay and the South Australian border, with potential no fishing sanctuary zones implemented.
4) What are the new rules on safety equipment changes in boats
We had numerous fishers approach us with questions about The Department of Transport’s new rules and regulations surrounding safety equipment on registered recreational vessels, personal watercraft (PWC), non-registrable yachts/sailing vessels and tenders.
The length of a vessel will no longer determine how far it can travel from the shore and new laws now require every person to carry a lifejacket while onboard a vessel anywhere in WA. If you’re out on the water in a vessel less than 4.8m long, you must by law now wear a lifejacket at all times. For those with kids aboard, if you’re more than 400 metres offshore in unprotected waters, kids aged between 1-12 years must wear a minimum level 100 life jacket.
Over the course of a five-year transition, emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRB), or personal locator beacons (PLB) will also need to be GPS enabled, along with a move to more reliable VHF and HF radios being required when more than four nautical miles offshore, with the phasing out of 27-MHz radios.
Recfishwest urges everyone to take responsibility for the safety of you and your passengers when out there on the water, because we want everyone to come home safely from a day’s fishing.
New laws from The Department of Transport now require every person to carry a lifejacket while onboard a vessel anywhere in WA.
5) What are the plans for windfarms off the WA coast?
The area between Perth and Bunbury has been proposed for offshore wind projects (roughly 3-50km offshore and each turbine could be roughly 70-200 metres in height). A two-month long public consultation process begins in November where members of the community can have their say on this proposal.
The stretch between Perth and Bunbury is likely to be the most realistic scenario if a windfarm is to be developed off our coastline and no other areas in WA are likely to be considered any time soon.
Recfishwest will only support Offshore Wind Energy (OWE) projects that improve recreational fishing experiences with no net loss of amenity – meaning they need to co-exist with fishers with no loss of access. All offshore wind energy projects should also avoid important habitats such as spawning and nursery areas as well as popular fishing locations.
The area between Perth and Bunbury has been proposed for offshore wind projects (roughly 3-50km offshore) and a two-month long public consultation process begins in November. Photo: Copenhagen Energy.
6) When will Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) be deployed off the WA coastline?
Plenty of avid fishers who attended the Boat Show wanted to know when the southern-based FADs would once again make a splash given the great fishing opportunities they provide.
DPIRD are now coordinating and funding a full-time, State-wide FADs program in partnership with Recfishwest until 2026 and based on our discussions with DPIRD, FADs in Jurien Bay, Lancelin, Perth, Rockingham, Mandurah, Cape Naturaliste and Albany are expected to be deployed sometime around late October to early November of this year and be taken out before winter, 2024.
DPIRD are hoping to deploy the FADs as we transition into warmer temperatures when the pelagic species tend to fire up so the devices can start to accumulate these species to the months-long benefit of boat fishers – watch this space!
This stunning dolphinfish landed by Chris Webster at one of the FADs located west of Rottnest Island was just one of many great catches earlier this year and late October to early November should see the re-deployment of these devices between Cape Naturaliste and Jurien Bay!
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.
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.”
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.
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.
The sportfishing action in Jurien Bay has cranked up since the deployment of four FADs off the coastline!
It is great to see fishers reap the benefits of catches from FADs across WA, with Recfishwest and local fishing community members pushing hard since 2019 to cement a fully established State-wide FADS program.
Now thanks to all that effort, the State Government has committed to funding and coordinating the program in future from June of this year – a fantastic result for WA boat fishers with another great alternative to purely fishing for demersals, which will also have flow-on sustainability benefits.
Along with the numbers of catches of sportfish improving – the sizes of some of the fish has been particularly impressive, with a few thumping dolphinfish caught recently on the Jurien FADs.
One of those brutes, a 19kg dolphinfish landed by Daniel Woodman pictured below, was just one of multiple catches during his recent fishing trip with the Dawesville man making the 300km journey north just to have a crack at the Jurien Bay FADs.
Daniel Woodman’s bull of a dolphinfish landed from one of the Jurien Bay FADs came in at a whopping 19kg, which is one of the biggest we’ve seen landed in WA and came close to the Australian record of 22kg.
“The day started at 4am when we left the marina and steamed out to FADs number 3 and 4 out from Jurien Bay. It wasn’t long before we were watching the sun rise out from the back of our boat named Goodtimes and the FAD came into view,” said Daniel.
“We fished a mixture of gear and had a Nomad deep diver in close with a couple of large Pakula skirts trolled out the back.
“In all, it was an amazing time catching dollies, tuna and wahoo next to the FADs. Living in Dawesville, I’m looking forward to getting out to the recently deployed FADs off Mandurah to see what we can catch on ‘home turf’!”
Daniel had a few good tips to help other fishers increase their hook-ups out on the FADs .
“As for the gear used in trolling and flicking lures around, any simple mid to heavy rod and reel that can handle bottom bouncing is more than sufficient. We were also using a homemade teaser setup with a mixture of pushers and birds on a daisy chain.” added Daniel.
Some of the kind of gear that works well out on the FADs include skirts and stickbaits like the ones above produced by FADs photo comp supporter Richter Lures.
More fishers, more catchesbrings benefits for Jurien
Not only have the FADs attracted more fish, they’ve also attracted more fishers to Jurien Bay, all of whom spend money in the coastal town.
Owner of Jurien Bay Seasports and Tackle, Shane Younger, said it has led to more boat fishers venturing into his store intent on spending their bucks on lures to fish the FADs.
“After all the hard work it’s great to have got the FADs in for fishing in Jurien and we’re looking forward to seeing them go in earlier next year so we can reap the full benefits,” said Shane. “It’s certainly helped bring in more visitors to the shop and to town – and it all helps for a community like ours.”
The Perth Game Fishing Club also held its recent fishing classic competition in Jurien Bay, with a huge majority of the contestants making their way out to the FADs to battle it out with some solid specimens landed.
Talented Salty Bones artist Adam Ashdown’s visit out to the Jurien Bay FADs during the recent Perth Game Fishing Classic competition paid dividends, with this nice yellowfin tuna engulfing his lure.
Recfishwest is proud that the FADs we have deployed over the last four years have provided such exciting and memorable fishing experiences for so many, with the deployments and catches set to only increase in the future.
“It has been a journey to get to this stage but all of the hard work and support we have had from so many in the fishing community and fishing clubs like Perth Game Fishing Club has paid off now that we have a fully established FADs program backed by the State Government moving forward,” said Recfishwest Operations Lead Matt Gillett.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how DPIRD will continue to develop and coordinate the FADs program in the northern parts of the State during the winter months.”
To celebrate the great fishing opportunities at FADs currently between Albany and Jurien Bay (more to come at other locations soon), we’re giving away some quality prizes thanks to Richter Lures and Madfish Gearsimply for catching a fish at the devices between 1 March – 1 May and sending in a snap of your fish!
Thanks to Madfish and Richter Lures, we have three fish bags to give away to the top three images, along with a load of Richter skirts for 4th-10th place!
PRIZES:
Best photo: An XL Madfish Fishing Bag (to keep your catches frosty) with 10x Richter skirt lures inside.
2nd best photo: A medium-sized Madfish Fishing Bag with 10x Richter skirt lures inside.
3rd best photo: A medium-sized Madfish Fishing Bag with 5x Richter skirt lures inside.
4th-10th place: Each receive a handful of Richter skirts and lures!
HOW YOU CAN WIN:
1) Visit any of the FADs (Can find their exact GPS coordinates here);
2) Catch a pelagic sportfish (via boat or spearfishing) and take a photo of your catch that reflects our responsible fish handling practices (linked below) with the FAD clearly visible behind you. This means avoiding images where there is blood visible, cutting the fish’s throat, having your fingers in the fish’s gills, holding the fish vertically, etc).
3) Message a photo of your catch to our Facebook or Instagram page detailing where and when you caught it;
4) Keep an eye on our socials when we announce the winners after May 1!
These two images are perfect examples of the kind of images that would win prizes – treating the fish with respect, high-definition snaps and with the FADs visible in the background!
Recfishwest is pleased to announce all of the metro Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) have now been deployed and are in position ready to fish providing great pelagic sportfishing options for this summer and autumn.
This means there are now eight more FADs deployed in the metro region in addition to the six existing Perth Game Fishing Club (PGFC) devices west of Rottnest.
With 14 metro-based FADs now deployed in Perth waters, expect to see a lot more sportfishing action with great species such as dolphinfish bending your rods! Photo credit: Marco Fraschetti.
The latest deployment includes six devices approximately 30 nautical miles off the metro coast from between Rottnest and Two Rocks in water depths of between 130-350m.
In addition, the Mangles Bay Fishing Club FAD and Compleat Angler Rockingham FAD are now in position and ready for action.
Of course, we would have liked to have been in a position to deploy the metro FADs sooner, but from all reports from keen FADs anglers like Tackle West’s Luke Ryan, action on the PGFC FADs has just started to heat up – check out his recent video of an epic dolphin fishing session on the YouTube link below!
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “We’re really pleased we’ve been able to deploy FADs in the metro in time for late summer and autumn – we know from the wealth of positive feedback we received from the three-year pilot program we ran how popular these devices are with metro-based fishers.
“The metro devices are a key component for State-wide FADs program which we now have an ongoing funding commitment from the State Government to support, which is a first for WA.
“The FADs provide a great sport-fishing option for fast-growing abundant pelagic fish and we want to work with the Government to develop more new sustainable fishing opportunities like these that can spread fishing effort and provide real value to the WA fishing community.”
FADs are still planned for Albany and Geraldton and for the first time off Mandurah and Jurien Bay.
Recfishwest is also in talks with the Government over the FAD program rollout for the northern parts of the State.
We will continue to work hard to get the remaining FADs in the water at all locations – stay tuned to all our channels for updates.
Hard-fighting sportfish such as dolphinfish and various tuna species love to congregate around the FADs, make sure you send us your snaps of your catches if you pay the metro FADs a visit!
Recfishwest is pleased to announce that we’ve been able to deploy four FADs off Cape Naturaliste, with additional Perth Metro FADs to follow in the next couple of weeks.
Following on from the success of the three-year pilot FADs program initiated and run by Recfishwest, many fishers have been asking us when the fish aggregation devices are going to be deployed this summer.
Recfishwest submitted an in-depth report outlining the results from the pilot program to DPIRD in May 2022, along with a request for funding of the program going forward.
We have continued to press for funding to allow us to deploy the devices in the southern half of the State this summer – as our pilot program clearly established how effective and popular the FADs have been in creating fantastic new pelagic sportfishing opportunities.
In late December, we received provisional support from DPIRD for the program to go forward.
Since receiving approval to proceed we have pushed ahead as fast as we can to ensure sport fishers can make the most of the FADs this summer and autumn.
Four FADs are readily available to fish off Cape Naturaliste to help spice up the sportfishing in the area as Chris Leigh Cooper found out when he hooked up right next to one of the Cape Naturaliste FADs.
Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “Despite the disappointment at the Government’s recent west coast demersal decision, we are pleased to see a commitment to an expanded WA FADs program as part of its package to support recreational fishing.
“Having an established Statewide FADs program is a first for WA – and is a direct result from all the hard work put into the FADs pilot program by Recfishwest and local fishing champions, as well as expertise from Perth Game Fishing Club (PGFC).
“We look forward to hearing DPIRD’s plans for expanding the program in the north of the State and going forward Statewide.”
Recfishwest is also planning to deploy FADs off Mandurah and Jurien Bay for the first time, to add to the already successful Albany, Cape Naturaliste, Rockingham, Perth and Geraldton deployments in the south of the state.
Another six metro FADs will again be deployed between Rottnest and Two Rocks in water depths of between 130-350m to complement the six existing annual FADs already deployed by the Perth Game Fishing Club (PGFC), located west of Rottnest.
In addition, Recfishwest will be deploying the Mangles Bay Fishing Club FAD and Compleat Angler Rockingham FAD as soon as possible pending weather conditions.
Recfishwest is also in talks with the Government over the FAD program rollout for the northern parts of the State.
Once settled, fishers can again expect FADs in the traditional locations of Exmouth and Broome, with plans to drop FADs for the first time off the coast of Port Hedland. We will keep you updated on any progress with these discussions.
We will continue to work hard to get the remaining FADs in the water at all locations – stay tuned to all our channels for updates.
Consider joining our cast of thousands as a Recfishwest member to help us launch more initiatives like this that create more great fishing opportunities in WA – jump on our membership page here to find out more.
Recfishwest will continue to work hard so that more FADs in more locations are deployed as soon as possible so you can catch impressive sportfish like this dolphin fish, landed by Beau Suladra in Perth.
