Tag: Recfishwest app

Fishers join forces with the Australian Border Force to help protect WA’s northern waters

West Aussie fishers have long cared about looking after our oceans – and now, thanks to a new partnership between Recfishwest and the Australian Border Force (ABF), we’ve got a stronger way to help protect them.

In a first for Australia, fishers can now report suspicious or illegal foreign fishing activity directly through the free Recfishwest app. The new feature links straight to ABF’s Border Watch Online Report form, allowing fishers to quickly pass on details like location and type of activity.

This follows a rise in illegal foreign fishing vessels detected in WA’s north, including the Kimberley Marine Park. With thousands of fishers regularly on the water – often in remote areas – our community is uniquely placed to be the eyes and ears of the coast while supporting ABF’s efforts to safeguard Australia’s marine environment.

Watch the ABC News piece on this new initiative in the video below.

A greater role for fishers as guardians of the sea

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “West Aussie fishers care deeply about protecting our waters and fisheries, and we see it as our responsibility to report illegal or suspicious activity when we’re out there.

“Partnering with the Australian Border Force gives our fishing community a simple and direct way to play an even greater role as ocean stewards.

“With our app already downloaded more than 300,000 times, WA fishers are a powerful ally in safeguarding our northern waters for future generations.”

What to do if you see a suspicious vessel

With illegal foreign fishing activity increasing in WA’s north, fishers are now playing an important role as the eyes and ears on the water. By noting down a few key details and reporting through the Recfishwest app, you can help protect our fisheries and coastline.

What to look out for

  • Vessels operating unusually close to shore or in restricted areas (see diagram below for suspicious vessel types).

  • Boats loitering or anchored for no clear reason

  • No name, registration or flag visible

  • Unusual equipment, cargo, or deck activity

  • People or goods being transferred between vessels

What to note down

  • Location (GPS if possible, or nearest landmark)

  • Date and time you saw the activity

  • Vessel details: size, colour, markings, registration, name

  • Activity: fishing, unloading, unusual manoeuvres

  • People: number on board, appearance if visible

  • Other details: vehicles, trailers, or gear used nearby

How to report suspicious foreign fishing vessels through the Recfishwest app

• Open the Recfishwest app
• Tap on My Tools
• Select Report Suspicious Fishing Activities — and follow the prompts.

Reports can be made anonymously. Every report helps protect Australia’s borders, marine life and our great fishing lifestyle.

Check out the short video here on how to use this new ABF feature on our app.

The vessels detailed in the image below are examples of what to look for when out on the water.

These are the kind of vessels to keep your eyes out for when fishing in the North. If it doesn’t feel right – flag it!

Read the joint ABF/Recfishwest media release here 

As your peak body, we stay on top of emerging issues that could affect fishing like this one. Join the Cast of Thousands today as a Recfishwest member here or donate to us here to help us look after our fisheries and make fishing better.

Marine parks mapping now a feature of Recfishwest App

The third version of Recfishwest’s popular and trusted smartphone App has launched, with new features built in to make your fishing even more stress-free than before.

The new version of the App has a new feature to help fishers better identify and understand where Marine Parks are located in WA and what fishing activities people can and can’t do within each park.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said with many different Marine Parks Statewide (Commonwealth and State Marine Parks) containing confusing ‘zoning’ rules and information about what fishing activities are allowed in each zone, it was important to simplify the rules for everyone, as currently all of this information is not in one easy to access location.

“We’ve responded to calls from our community to help them better understand WA’s complex Marine Park fishing rules and as the trusted peak body working on behalf of rec fishers we’ve built the new mapping feature in our App to help make their fishing easier,” Dr Rowland said.

”Coupled with WA’s fishing rules, such as bag and size limits, the mapping feature gives all West Aussie fishers confidence they are doing the right thing – and essentially supporting sustainable fishing.”

You will also see a change to the initial App loading screen. Shimano Australia have become supporting partners of the Recfishwest App, supporting sustainable fishing in WA

As a worldwide trusted brand, Shimano believe that supporting WA’s peak body for recreational fishing is good for the industry and great for getting more people out fishing.

Read more about our new partnership here.

Here are the new features of Version 3 of the Recfishwest Smartphone App

The Marine Park Mapping Tool allows people to fish stress free by knowing where the Marine Park Zones are located and what activities you can and cannot do.

The maps are downloadable to your phone, so once you leave phone range, the maps are available to you at the touch of a button.

Notifications of Marine Parks will be sent to your screen once you enter and exit a Marine Park (the App must be open to receive Marine Park notifications).

Search Function

Once a fish is searched and clicked on, upon returning to the search page, you will be returned to your previously searched for fish – rather than being returned to the top of fish search page.

To unlock these new features, please update your Recfishwest App in the App Store.