Recreational fishing rules simplified

Fisheries Minister Norman Moore today announced Western Australian recreational fishing rules would be made a lot simpler following a major review.

  • Existing regional variations to be removed, complexity reduced
  • New rules come into effect February 1, 2013 and apply on a State-wide basis
  • Recommendations based on public views

Fisheries Minister Norman Moore today announced Western Australian recreational fishing rules would be made a lot simpler following a major review.

The review included extensive consultation with WA's recreational fishing community which provided more than 900 public submissions. 

Mr Moore said he supported Recfishwest's recommendations developed from the consultation.

"Currently there is a myriad of different rules across four different regions, whereas the new rules will apply on a State-wide basis and removes many of the significant variations that exist between the regions," he said.

"The changes will remove the complexity of the existing regime.  For example, the existing 13 finfish bag limits categories will be cut to four new resource-based categories across the State covering demersal, pelagic, nearshore/estuarine and fresh water.

Key changes include:

  • Large pelagic fish - mixed bag limit of three fish across WA

  • Demersal species - mixed bag limit of five outside the West Coast Bioregion

  • Nearshore and estuarine fish - mixed bag limit of 16 across WA

  • Freshwater - mixed bag limit of four

  • Standard bag limit of two barramundi across WA

  • Standard bag limit of eight for all rock lobster species across the State

  • Possession limits - no use of commercial couriers to transport unaccompanied fish

  • Simplifying the rules of processing/filleting at sea and how they are landed.

The new rules come into effect from the beginning of February 2013.

"This outcome shows the recreational fishing community is willing to co-operate to improve the fishing experience for everyone in Western Australia," the Minister said.

      Fact File

  • Liberal-National Govt reinvesting funds from recreational licences into recfishing sector

  • Committed $850,000 of Natural Resource Management (NRM) funding to assess South Coast demersal scalefish stocks

  • Allocated $2.4m across four years for artificial reef projects and research

  • More details on new recreational fishing rules available at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au

Minister's office - 6552 5400