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Recovery of demersal scalefish stocks

Demersal scalefish in the West Coast bioregion, including pink snapper and WA dhufish, are at severe risk and a recovery plan is in place.  

Illustrations © R.Swainston/animafish.com

Recovery plan

Demersal scalefish in the West Coast bioregion have been at severe risk since 2007 and a recovery plan is in place to ensure these important species are around for generations to come. Find out what recovery arrangements apply to fishers:

It’s important to understand these changes and what they mean for you.

Recovery plan and support package

Since 2022, to support demersal scalefish stocks in the West Coast bioregion, the Western Australian Government has invested $10 million to fund key initiatives, including: 

  • voluntary buyback of commercial fishing entitlement in the wetline fishery
  • enhanced monitoring and research
  • voluntary digital catch reporting tool for recreational fishers - FishCatchWA™
  • expanded juvenile pink snapper stocking program
  • expanded statewide fish aggregating device (FAD) program
  • support package for charter operators to diversify and adjust their businesses
  • expanded education and awareness program.  

More information

Read more about the Strategy