Go Fishing for Science

Go fishing for science and win a fishing trip to the magical Montebellos!

Have you ever caught a fish and wondered how old it may be? Or perhaps what sort of habitat it likes to call home? Or even how big it grows before it will breed?

All of these questions and more are asked and answered by fisheries scientists on a daily basis. Fisheries science plays an essential role for developing methods of management for both recreational and commercial fishing. While science may not be at the forefront of many recreational fishers’ minds when they catch a fish, the truth is that we can all play a big part in helping the fisheries scientists who do such important work.

So how can I help?

The Department of Fisheries relies on recreational fishers to donate ‘fish frames’ to its ongoing monitoring of fish stocks. The fish frame is the skeleton, from head to tail, with the guts intact, that is left after the fish has been filleted. Fisheries scientists remove ear bones (otoliths) from frames to determine the ‘age structure’ of certain fish species, which is used to estimate the status of stocks in a given area. Much can be gained from a simple fish frame, including length, sex, reproductive status, diet, and of course the fish’s age. What’s more if you donate your frames with the required information you can go into a prize draw for a heap of fishing prizes, including a week-long charter fishing trip to the magical Montebellos Islands, courtesy of Montebello Island Safaris.

The frames for the species of fish the Department is after include dhufish, pink snapper and baldchin groper from the West Coast Bioregion (north of Kalbarri to Black Point, east of Augusta) and herring, tailor, whiting and garfish from the West Coast Biorgeion and the South Coast Bioregion (east of Augusta to the WA/SA border).

One key outcome of this monitoring work will be to determine whether the stocks of demersal species, such as dhufish, are recovering after the recent changes to management of that fishery. Another is to give a ‘health check’ to the stocks of some of our most popular near shore species.

So I’ve got a fish frame, now what do I do?

The Department of Fisheries’ website has an up to date list of drop off locations in both metro and country areas. Make sure the frame is marked with location and date of capture, as well as your contact information. Oh, and you can freeze the frame if you can’t drop it off immediately.

For a direct link to the fish frames home page, click on the button:

Did someone say prizes?

Apart from actively participating in ensuring there are fish stocks for the future, you can actually win some really great prizes. Fishing tackle, as well as trips on charter boats are often put up as prizes for anglers who donate frames. Again, check the Department’s website for up to date information.