Mrs Warr inquires about the considerations, variations, and data supporting recreational fishing catch limits in WA. The response refers to the Department's Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) framework and the Status of the Fisheries report.

AnsweredQoN 867Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 October 2025
Portfolio
Fisheries

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to the catch limits for recreational fishers, and I ask: (a) What considerations are taken into account when these catch limits are introduced; (b) How does this vary among species; and (c) What data is used to support these decisions?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
18 November 2025
Responded by
Minister representing the Minister for Fisheries
Response time
9 days
(a-c) As outlined in the latest Status of the Fisheries report, which is available on the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) website, DPIRD uses the Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) framework as the basis for management of all aquatic resources in WA.
EBFM recognises the social, economic and ecological values at a regional level and the links among individual exploited fish stocks, effects on habitats and protected species (which collectively form the broader marine ecosystem), to ensure the sustainable management of all fisheries resources into the future.
Given the potential complexity of the EBFM approach, DPIRD uses a practical, step-wise, risk based approach to integrate all the fishery level assessments and management systems into a form that can be used for aquatic resource management planning by the Department.

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