Publication Date

4-2002

Series Number

139

Publisher

Department of Fisheries

City

Perth, Western Australia

ISBN

1 877098 00 0

ISSN

1035 - 4549

Abstract

A 12-month creel survey of recreational boat-based and shore-based fishing in the Gascoyne bioregion of Western Australia was conducted between April 1998 and March 1999. During the survey 1,738 boat crews were interviewed at public boat ramps when they returned from their fishing trip. During patrols conducted along the coastline 695 groups of boat-based fishers and 1,060 groups of shore-based fishers were interviewed at fishing locations and camp sites.

The total annual recreational fishing effort for the Gascoyne bioregion was 243,000 fisher days (95%CI: 222,000 – 264,000). This comprised 113,000 fisher days by boats launched from public ramps, 53,000 fisher days by boats launched from beaches and 77,000 days by shore-based fishers.

The total recreational catch of all finfish species for the bioregion was estimated at 350 tonnes (95%CI: 320 – 380). This was one third of the commercial catch of 1,082 tonnes at the time. The most common species kept by recreational fishers in the Gascoyne bioregion were (in order of estimated weight kept) spangled emperor (79 tonnes), pink snapper (79 tonnes), narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (47 tonnes), bluelined emperor (34 tonnes), golden trevally (20 tonnes), sweetlip emperor (16 tonnes), chinaman cod (10 tonnes gilled and gutted), western yellowfin bream (5 tonnes), tailor (5 tonnes), whiting species (5 tonnes), mullet species (2 tonnes) and western butterfish (2 tonnes). These catches do not include charter boats and therefore understate the total recreational catch for the bioregion.

Anglers have adopted modern technology to increase the efficiency of recreational fishing with 73 percent of boats launched from public boat ramps fitted with an echosounder and 49 percent using a global positioning system to find fishing locations. There was a very high level of compliance with the fishing regulations. Only four percent of boats launched from public ramps, one percent of boats launched from the beaches and one percent of shore-based fishers interviewed kept undersize fish. Very few fishers exceeded the bag limits. Most fishers had a reasonable knowledge of the fishing regulations and knew the bag (93%) and size (94%) limits for the species they were targeting or the predominant species they had caught.

Number of Pages

60

Keywords

Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development, recreational fishing, catch and effort, Gascoyne, Shark Bay, Carnarvon, Quobba, Coral Bay, Exmouth

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Natural Resources Management and Policy

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