There’s Something Fishy about WA Fisheries Management

By John Ogilvie

The WA Government has just unveiled a radical overhaul of the demersal scalefish fishery. This seismic shift will threaten jobs, skyrocket seafood prices, and undermine Australia’s food security. The three main policies announced were a total ban on boat-based demersal recreational fishing until September 2027, a permanent ban on all commercial demersal fishing on the West Coast (Kalbarri to Augusta), and a 50% reduction in commercial catch for the rest of WA.

This represents a seismic shift in fisheries management, and it will have major consequences for the economy and society going forward. So how did we reach this point?

History of Mismanagement

For years, successive governments have let this crisis fester by not taking adequate management steps. Many of those governments also subscribed to a flawed zero-sum mindset that pits users against the resource, but more on that later.

Thanks to this extended period of mismanagement, several species of demersal fish are under extreme pressure, most notably WA dhufish and pink snapper. In late 2022, the WA Government introduced a set of restrictions with the aim of preventing further decline of dhufish and pink snapper. These measures included an extended recreational closed season, reduced catch limits, and restrictions on commercial and charter fishing. This set of restrictions had a devastating effect on the fishing sector, with many tackle shops being forced to close their doors due to the loss of business. The restrictions were particularly brutal for regional communities.

However, it seems that these restrictions were not enough, and the government is now cracking down even harder.

Bringing Down the Hammer

These sweeping changes will reshape WA’s fishing landscape forever.

In the West Coast Bioregion (Kalbarri to Augusta), boat-based recreational fishing for demersal species is closed until at least September 2027, and anglers will have to report all catches of demersal species going forward.

While these recreational restrictions are significant, it’s nothing compared to what the commercial sector has been hit with. As of January 1, 2026, commercial demersal fishing will be permanently banned between Kalbarri and Augusta, while operators elsewhere (except in the Gascoyne) must halve their catches.

For those of you that may be wondering, the new demersal restrictions apply to every species that the government defines as demersal. In addition to pink snapper and dhufish, this also includes all the emperors, coral trout, and tropical snappers (Goldband, crimson, etc.) Bizarrely, this means that the restrictions will also apply to species like hapuka, blue-eye trevalla, bass groper and nannygai. These extreme-depth dwellers (often 100+ meters) aren’t at risk, per recent assessments, yet they’re collateral damage in this overreach. This one-size-fits-all absurdity exposes the policy’s flaws. Why punish thriving stocks to ‘protect’ others?

Devastating Impacts: Jobs Lost, Prices Soar, and a Hypocritical Reliance on Imports

The most obvious and immediate effect of this ban will be extensive job losses. The commercial fishing sector has been caught completely off guard and are being used as a scapegoat to cover up the government’s mismanagement of the fishery. Demersal commercial fishers in the West Coast are being offered a $29.2 million support package, but it’s unlikely that this will be adequate especially when one considers the enormous costs of fuel, boats and other fishing equipment. Regional towns that were already struggling due to recreational and commercial fishing restrictions are going to feel even more of a sting due to these new measures.

Seafood prices? Brace for shockwaves! Demersal species will become scarce and ludicrously expensive, driving consumers to alternatives and inflating costs across the board through supply-demand imbalances. Supply chains are already fracturing, forcing restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores to scramble, hiking prices further.

It’s highly unlikely that local commercial fishermen will be able to make up for the loss of product in such a short amount of time. So, if we can’t source the fish that we need locally, where will it come from?

This is the dirty little secret about seafood in Australia that the government tries to avoid mentioning.

Most of the seafood consumed in Australia is already imported, and it’s not just 51%. The latest estimates say that 60-70% of all the seafood that we consume comes from overseas. Most of our seafood imports come from Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. None of these countries have regulatory frameworks that are nearly as strong as Australia’s, and they all have far worse management and sustainability outcomes than we do.

We are shutting down our heavily regulated fisheries here in Australia, while we increasingly rely on seafood imports from countries with far worse environmental outcomes. Our politicians call this “sustainable management.”

If you think that this sounds like a Monty Python sketch, you’re not alone.

You also need to consider what may happen in the future. Right now, it’s economical for Australia to import most of our seafood because of the economic discrepancy between ourselves and Southeast Asia. But this won’t always be the case. These countries are gradually clawing their way out of poverty, which means a rising middle class with more purchasing power. This will lead to a considerable increase in domestic demand for seafood, which means that export supplies will become scarcer and the price will go up significantly. What happens when it’s no longer affordable for us to import most of our seafood, and we’ve shut down most of our commercial fisheries?

These new restrictions are going to cause the price of seafood to skyrocket. This is coming at a time when we have a cost-of-living crisis, and medical professionals are telling us that we should be eating considerably more seafood. Put simply, there’s a very real possibility that these new restrictions could jeopardize public health and well-being.

But that’s okay; it’s not like our healthcare system is in trouble.

The Zero-Sum Fallacy – Reject Stagnation

At its core, the government’s approach reeks of zero-sum defeatism. The government assumes that marine productivity is fixed and demands brutal rationing. But this is a myth; we can expand the pie through innovation.

The reality is that there are already several methods by which the quality of the marine estate can be improved. These include artificial reefs, planting seagrass and kelp forests, stock enhancement using hatcheries, and pollution control.

Artificial reefs have proven themselves to be particularly effective. Once-barren seabeds have been transformed into vibrant habitats, boosting fish stocks dramatically. Here are a few videos showing how effective artificial reefs can be in just a few months or years.

In addition to the real-world methods previously described, there are several speculative methods that could improve the productivity of our waters. These ideas include ocean iron fertilisation, artificial upwelling, and directly adding macro-nutrients to stimulate growth.

In addition to the costs involved, one of the main reasons why these speculative methods have not been put into practice on a large scale is due to restrictions that have been put in place by various governments over the years. This is yet another example of how ex-ante regulations can stifle innovation.

There’s a tremendous opportunity here for entrepreneurs to prove (or disprove) the effectiveness of these proposed methods for improving ocean productivity. If even one of these methods were found to have a significant positive effect, the benefits would be astronomical, both financially and ecologically. Entrepreneurs could also just invest in existing technologies such as artificial reefs and seagrass reseeding.

To use an analogy, imagine if there were only one bakery in town. The bakery uses poor quality ingredients and outdated baking methods. The high demand mixed with the poor quality of the resources (i.e., equipment and ingredients) means that there are often shortages. Rather than innovating, the owner responds to the high demand by radically increasing prices and refusing to sell bread to certain people so that they never run out of baked goods.

That’s WA fisheries policy. Punitive, not progressive. We deserve better.

What Now?

The government says that it’s enacting these harsh restrictions out of genuine concern for biodiversity. I’m sure that there are many people in government who do feel genuinely concerned about the plight of some of our demersal fish species.

But true stewardship pairs smart regulations with enhancement, not destruction. If I were the fisheries minister, I’d pour millions into coastal artificial reefs and expanded hatcheries to rebuild stocks proactively. Instead, we’re force-fed restrictions with zero commitment to growth.

It’s time for entrepreneurs, lawmakers, and citizens to rally: to push for a balanced model that protects while prospering. With today’s tech, we can safeguard stocks and deliver a superior marine legacy. More fish will ensure thriving communities and affordable nutrition.

This is about much more than just fishing. It’s about public health, food security, and the health of our marine ecosystems. We should support innovative projects, and reject zero-sum stagnation.