DPIRD warns of spawning closure at Abrolhos Islands as west coast bioregion demersal fishing season opens

Recreational fishers are being warned that spawning closures for baldchin groper will still be in place at the Abrolhos Islands from next month, after the demersal fishing season opened on Monday. Fishers in the west coast bioregion are permitted to catch demersal fish until October 14 as part of the Government-introduced seasonal closures between Kalbarri and Augusta. Demersal fishing is banned between February 1 to March 28, August 1 to September 15, and October 15 to December 15. Boaties are limited to four demersal fish per vessel. But the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is warning Abrolhos Islands fishers that a spawning closure for baldchin groper also applies from October 1 to December 31. DPIRD principal fisheries management officer Clinton Syers said recreational fishers were doing their part to help the overall recovery of demersal stocks through the seasonal closures. “As part of taking the pressure off west coast demersal stocks year-round, fishers can also switch their fishing activities to non-demersal species such as tuna, samsonfish and whiting,” he said. Mr Syers encouraged recreational fishers to voluntarily record their demersal catches on FishCatchWA and donate fish frames to DPIRD’s Send Us Your Skeletons research project. “Voluntary reporting of recreational catches is an important aspect of the work supporting the recovery of demersal species in the west coast bioregion and we encourage fishers to log their catches,” he said. “Scientists require 300 to 500 frames from each of the key demersal species each year, to continue this vital work that feeds into the recovery program.” Rules can be found in the 2024 recreational fishing guide.