Publication Date

12-1999

Series Number

117

Publisher

Fisheries Western Australia

City

Perth

ISBN

0 7309 8434 6

ISSN

1035 - 4549

Abstract

A creel survey of recreational boat-based fishers on the west coast of Western Australia was conducted from September 1996 to August 1997 to provide information required by fisheries managers. The bus route method, where a survey interviewer visits all boat ramps in a district on the one day, was used. The time spent fishing, catch, demographic and attitudinal information was collected from boat crews returning to boat ramps at the completion of a fishing trip. The total marine catch (number of fish kept) was estimated for key recreational species. Whiting species (other than King George whiting) (564,000) and Australian herring (425,000) were the predominant catch. Other species caught included blue swimmer crabs, skipjack trevally (123,000), King George whiting (94,000), squid (88,000), southern sea garfish (79,000), various species of wrasse and groper (65,000), Western Australian dhufish (29,000), snook (28,000) and tailor (27,000). Large numbers of western rock lobster were also caught by boat-based recreational fishers.

The total annual boat-based fishing effort for the region was estimated at 453,000 fisher days. The recreational effort was higher in the more populated districts, especially near the Perth metropolitan area. Anglers have adopted modern technology to increase the efficiency of recreational fishing, with 36 per cent of boats fitted with an echo-sounder and 12 per cent using a global positioning system to find fishing locations. There was a very high level of compliance with the fishing regulations. Only 2.5 per cent of boat fishers interviewed kept under-size fish. Very few fishers exceeded the bag limits. Most fishers had a reasonable knowledge of the fishing regulations and knew the bag (80%) and size (84%) limits for the species they were targeting or a species they had caught.

Number of Pages

52

Keywords

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, recreational fishing, boat-based fishing, Perth, Busselton, Mandurah, Jurien Bay, angler, echo-sounder, size limits, bag limits, compliance, fishing regulations

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Environmental Policy | Environmental Studies | Leisure Studies | Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration | Research Methods in Life Sciences

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