Here’s a challenge for recreational fishers heading offshore to reel-in or spear a pelagic at any of the FADs (Fish Aggregation Devices) off WA’s Northern Coastline – how about you take a photo of what you catch and submit it for a chance to win some great prizes.
It’s not about catching the biggest fish that wins, DPIRD (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) researchers want photos of all species and sizes, to learn more about which species the FADs attract year-round and, when you submit a photo to the competition page on the website, you’ll be in the running to win prizes kindly donated by Aussie Reels, Richter Lures and madfishgear.com.
They are in the final year of the three-year, $1.5million State Government FADs program which gives anglers a chance to catch pelagic species like tuna, mahi mahi, and marlin, or sailfish, wahoo and Spanish mackerel that are attracted to the FADs.
The FADs are continuing to provide enjoyable fishing opportunities for anglers to “switch your fish” and target pelagic species. The strategy is aimed at giving West Coast demersal fish species, such as pink snapper and dhufish, an opportunity to recover.
DPIRD Research Scientist Peter Mitchell said the eight FADs off Broome and Dampier now have a more robust chain rigging system which is designed to withstand cyclonic conditions, providing year-round fishing opportunities.
“With an additional four FADs off the Exmouth Coast, the northern FAD season is well underway. The Exmouth coast FADs will need to come out of the water around October, but the FADs off Broome and Dampier will remain in place for ongoing northern fishing options,” Mr Mitchell said.
“All the southern FADs have now been retrieved, except for those off Cape Naturaliste, which are scheduled to come out in early June.”
“The southern season was particularly popular this year, with good catches of dolphinfish, billfish and other pelagics reported throughout DPIRD’s network of FADs. The summer was particularly warm, which probably contributed to the bumper catches.”
Now as recreational fishers turn their attention to the Northern FADs and catch some great memories on camera, they can submit their photos for a chance to win some handy prizes that fishers will find very useful for their trips to the FADs.
Click the link to the DPIRD FADs webpage, and scroll down to the button to the Photo Comp link:
https://www.dpird.wa.gov.au/individuals/recreational-fishing/west-coast-demersal-scalefish-resource/fish-aggregating-devices/
