AFTA’s WA Ambassador Tim Farnell reports that West Australia has finally had a break in the weather, anglers have been out fishing, and stores have been busy. The two weeks of extra demersal fishing time added on either side of the September school holiday opening period has certainly assisted here. This gives anglers a 6.5-month total fishing time for demersal species over the year.
Some more good news for Anglers is the Re-opening of the Cockburn Sound Recreational Crab fishery this summer. Recfishwest has been pushing hard for ten years to get this re-opened for recreational fishers, and a recent announcement from Minister Don Punch was well received. The fishery will re-open on the 1st of December, close on the 31st of August, and have the same possession and size limits as the Swan and Canning River fishery.
Whilst on Cockburn Sound, the Government’s Westport plans are starting to cause more stir amongst anglers and industry alike. Cockburn Sound is a unique and sheltered stretch of ocean on the city’s coastal doorstep, loved by tens of thousands of West Aussies who fish, dive, swim, sail, kayak, windsurf, watch nature and/or enjoy being in, on or around the Sound. But this is all under threat from a tsunami of industrial developments coming the Sound’s way, including the Government’s Westport, plans to build a massive new container port in Kwinana and dredge a huge shipping channel through the middle of the Sound – with works due to start in 2027. Recfishwest is part of an alliance of local marine user groups working to highlight the importance of Cockburn Sound in the face of future industrial developments such as the new Outer Harbour (Westport), submarine port, and upgrades of the Kwinana Bulk jetty, etc. The purpose of the alliance is to promote the social and ecological values of the Sound and work together to ensure all future developments do not impact these values. The website is now live: www.savecockburnsound.org.au