Commercial fishing for demersal fish will be permanently banned off a section of WA's coast along with a raft of other changes to save the under-threat species.
The State Government today announcing reforms to protect demersal fish like pink snapper, red emperor and dhufish from extinction.
The measures include a permanent ban on commercial demersal fishing off the West Coast bioregion, which stretches from Kalbarri to Augusta including the Perth metropolitan coast, from January 1, 2026.
The State Government will buy back commercial licences.
Commercial fishers in most other regions will be hit with 50 per cent catch reductions.
Recreational fishers will be banned from catching demersal species on a boat in the West Coast bioregion until September 2027, meaning boat-based fishing will not reopen as originally planned on December 16, 2025.
Recreational fishing for demersals will remain open in all other regions.
Charter fishing in the Perth metropolitan area will be closed from December 16, 2025, however, charter fishing for demersals under the tag system will continue in the remainder of the West Coast Zone under a reduced annual catch limit of 25 tonnes.
The changes come following a forum in October attended by key stakeholders in Western Australia's fishing community to discuss solutions to the state's dwindling fish stocks.
PIC: WA Government
“These are difficult decisions to make, but they are the right thing to do. We want our kids and grandkids to be able to enjoy fishing in our beautiful State into the future," Premier Roger Cook said.
“Our iconic demersal fish species like dhufish and snapper are on the verge of extinction in some parts of WA, so we need to take urgent action to save them for the future generations of fishers.
“That’s why we are implementing these strong measures along WA’s coastline and asking everyone who has an interest in these fish stocks to play their part.
“We know that these reforms will have a large impact on the fishing industry and sectors, and we have been working with them closely throughout this decision-making process.
“We will be providing a $29.2 million Fisheries Support Package to help them to adapt to the incoming reforms and establishing an advisory council to provide guidance as the reforms are implemented.”
For more details on the reforms visit www.dpird.wa.gov.au/demersal.
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