Fishers should also be aware that marron caught during the open season must be taken to their residence by no later than midnight on the last day of the season.
A limited marron season that lasts only four weeks, along with bag, possession and size limits ensure the sustainability of the fishery and make this one of the most tightly managed recreational fisheries in Australia. Importantly, the ongoing sustainability of the fishery is backed by a comprehensive research program.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has recently published insights into WA’s recreational marron fishery between 2000 and 2024, using data collected during annual surveys of marron licence holders.
Fisheries Research Report (No 347) shows in the 2024 marron season more than 82,000 marron were retained by fishers, with 67 percent caught in rivers and 33 percent from dams. Although the retained catch has fluctuated across years, the catches have been within the acceptable catch range of 50,000 to 100,000 since 2003.
DPIRD scientist Claire Smallwood said marron are only found in the south-west of WA, making marron fishing an iconic and unique activity to Western Australia.
This research highlights the importance of ongoing sustainable management of this fishery to make sure that recreational fishers continue to have great freshwater fishing experiences,” Dr Smallwood said.
“The research is valuable for understanding and assessing how the recreational marron fishery has changed over time and contributes to ongoing assessments of the fishery’s sustainability, especially in the light of changing environmental conditions.”
Dr Smallwood said there were 10,003 marron licences issued in 2023/24.
“Recreational fishers play an important role in providing this information during our annual surveys and we acknowledge their valuable contributions to our research over many years,” she said.
“It’s important for us to understand how many people are fishing for marron, how many days they went fishing, and how many marron were retained and released. This information provides estimates of participation, effort and catch in the fishery.”
Fisheries Research Report No.347 is available at https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fr_rr/257/
and the marron fishing rules are in the Marron Recreational fishing guide 2025.
If you suspect any illegal marron fishing activity, please call FishWatch on 1800 815 507.
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