Fishing rates highly in WA

More than eight out of 10 West Australians are satisfied with the Department of Fisheries' management of the State's aquatic resources, Fisheries Minister Ken Baston claimed, after results were collated from the WA community survey, which measures satisfaction across commercial and
recreational fisheries, aquaculture and pearling, and fish habitat
protection.

The Minister said he was  pleased to see WA's commercial and
recreational fishing sectors had contributed $1.5 billion to the State's
Gross State Product in 2014-15.

"The value of the State's
commercial fisheries and aquaculture production now sits at $490 million
annually," he said. "These sectors continue to contribute significantly
to the Western Australian economy.

"Recreational fishing also
remains a popular Western Australian lifestyle activity, with an
estimated 711,000 people or 29.6 per cent of the population taking part
at least once in 2014-15," he said, which when you do the maths means the recreational industry is worth more than a $1 billion.

Tabling the department's 2014-15 annual report, Mr Baston commended the State Government agency for achieving strong support from the broader community and stakeholders.

"The annual community survey for 2014-15 showed an estimated satisfaction rating of 84.8 per cent, making it the fifth year in a row that it has been above 80 per cent," he said.

 "For the same period, the stakeholder survey delivered an estimated 79.9 per cent satisfaction rating, which is a great result; particularly when you consider that has risen from 67 per cent in 2010-11.

"These results indicate the Government is achieving key aquatic resource management goals in a consultative way that engenders broad support and understanding of its management role.

"I'm pleased to see that Fisheries enjoys the support and confidence of West Australians. The department uses an adaptive management approach, based on sound scientific analysis, to make tough decisions and adjustments to ensure our fish stocks are sustainable for the long term."

 Fact File
>> The annual community survey measures satisfaction across commercial and recreational fisheries, aquaculture and pearling, and fish habitat protection
>> The stakeholder survey, held every two years, includes the commercial and recreational fishing sectors, aquaculture and pearling, as well as environment conservation and industries such as tourism and mining.
>> The Australian Seafood Industry National Conference, Seafood Directions 2015, will be held in Perth from October 25-27.

For more information, visit http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx.