Publication Date

11-2025

Series Number

357

Publisher

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development WA

City

Perth

ISBN

978-1-925415-33-9 (Print) 978-1-925415-92-6 (Online)

ISSN

1035-4549 (Print) 2202-5758 (Online)

Abstract

The smooth marron (Cherax cainii) (‘marron’) is endemic to freshwater dams and rivers of south-west Western Australia. Marron are managed as a single stock within the South-West Recreational Freshwater Resource and are highly vulnerable to over-exploitation due to the biological characteristics of the species (e.g., low fecundity, localised populations) as well as environmental (e.g., habitat loss, reduction in rainfall) and human (e.g., fishing, land clearing) pressures on freshwater ecosystems.

Due to this vulnerability, this species has been the focus of research, monitoring and management since the 1970’s. Since 2000, annual phone-recall (2000 – 2021) and online-recall (2022 – 2025) surveys have been undertaken using the marron licence database as the sampling frame.

Participation in the Recreational Marron Fishery (marron licence holders aged five years or older) in the 2025 fishing season (8 January – 5 February 2025) was 71% of licence holders or 8,546 fishers (95% CI 8,199 – 8,893). Statewide fishing effort for marron by licensed fishers in 2025 was 29,289 days fished (95%CI 27,205 – 31,373); of which 65% or 19,064 (17,267 – 20,860) was in rivers and 35% or 10,226 (8,663 – 11,789) in dams. The top five hydrographic basins captured 76% of the statewide fishing effort, with the Collie Basin, Harvey Basin and Warren Basin having the highest levels of fishing effort. Fishing effort in these basins was predominately from the Wellington Dam and Collie River (Collie Basin), Harvey Dam (Harvey Basin) and Warren River (Warren Basin).

Statewide total catch (numbers) of marron by licensed fishers in 2025 was 179,551 individuals (95%CI 161,020 – 198,083); of which 66% or 107,016 (94,460 – 119,572) was caught in rivers and 40% or 72,535 (57,409 – 87,661) in dams. The top six basins captured 88% of the statewide total catch, with the Collie Basin, Warren Basin and Harvey Basin having the highest levels of total catch. Total catch in these basins was predominately from the Wellington Dam and Collie River (Collie Basin), Harvey Dam (Harvey Basin) and Warren River (Warren Basin).

Statewide retained catch (numbers) of marron by licensed fishers in 2025 was 84,322 individuals (95%CI 75,061 – 93,582); of which 63% or 52,944 (45,974 – 59,914) was caught in rivers and 37% or 31,378 (24,620 – 38,135) in dams. The overall release rate of marron in 2025 was 53%.

Although the retained catch has fluctuated across years, the catch range (defined by the 95% confidence intervals for the retained catch) has been within the acceptable catch range of 50,000 – 100,000 since 2003. Therefore, the Recreational Marron Fishery is currently deemed sustainable.

Ongoing monitoring and management of the Recreational Marron Fishery is required to ensure it continues to be sustainable in an era of changing environmental conditions. A key part of this is ensuring that the annual online-recall surveys continue to provide information at scales appropriate to support management decisions.

Number of Pages

23

Keywords

phone-recall survey, Cherax cainii, hydrographic basins, dpird, wa

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries

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