Publication Date

2-2007

Series Number

159

Publisher

Department of Fisheries, Western Australia

City

Perth

ISBN

1 877098 92 2

ISSN

1035 - 4549

Abstract

The Recreational Fisheries Program of the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, has a strategic plan to conduct comprehensive creel surveys of recreational fishing in each of the state’s marine bioregions (Penn et al., 2003). These bioregions are the West Coast, Gascoyne, Pilbara/ Kimberley and South Coast (Figure 1). To record and monitor changes in recreational catch and fishing effort, an integrated approach where all bioregions are to be surveyed on a regular basis was proposed. Until this study, the South Coast was the only bioregion in which a survey of recreational fishing had not been undertaken. Although originally intended to be a survey of both marine and estuarine fishing, due to the high cost of surveys in this extensive region, a reduced scale survey was devised to assess recreational fishing in estuaries and inlets only.

Recreational fishing is one of the most popular recreational activities in Western Australia. A recent phone survey estimated that 537,000 people participate in this activity at least once a year (Baharthah, 2006). According to this survey, the South Coast is the second most heavily used bioregion after the West Coast, with 13% of the state’s recreational fishing effort. Information on recreational catch and fishing effort in Western Australia is required to develop management strategies to ensure the sustainability of fishing activities and for the conservation of fish stocks and habitats. This information will also be used as a basis for future management decisions to improve or maintain the quality and diversity of recreational fishing experiences and to assist with achieving equity between different users of this resource.

The South Coast bioregion lies between the western location of Black Point (115˚ 30’ E) and the Western Australian border at Eucla (128˚ 53’ E) to the east (Figure 1). The coastline between these two points is approximately 1,400km. The numerous estuaries, inlets and lakes that adjoin the coast within this region offer a unique environment, protected from adverse weather conditions, for recreational fishing from boats or the shore. There is a drop in rainfall towards the eastern end of the South Coast bioregion and as a consequence there are only a few relatively small estuaries located east of Esperance. For this reason, and due to the high cost of travelling to these locations, no sampling was undertaken east of this regional centre.

Number of Pages

56

Keywords

South Coast (Western Australia) bioregion, Recreational catch, Estuarine shore, Boat-based fishing, Estuarine fishing

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Marine Biology | Natural Resources and Conservation | Natural Resources Management and Policy

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