Science and Logic Ignored in WA's Demersal Fishing Ban
Commercial fisherman Dan Hunt has launched a scathing critique of Western Australia's permanent demersal fishing closure, arguing the Cook Government's decision defies both scientific evidence and basic mathematical logic. The controversial policy, implemented in December 2025, has effectively ended nearly two centuries of local seafood supply in the West Coast Bioregion.
Local Supply Replaced by Lengthy Imports
The closure has created what Hunt describes as environmentally contradictory outcomes. Local pink snapper that previously arrived in Perth within hours from nearby locations like Lancelin is now being flown 5,400 kilometres from New Zealand. This represents a tenfold increase in transport distance compared to the most remote Midwest port delivery to Perth by road.
In Kalbarri, a tavern once famous for snapper landed directly across the road must now source identical fish from the Gascoyne region - a 440-kilometre journey replacing what was previously a 400-metre drive. This represents an astonishing 1,100 times greater distance to deliver the same product, creating unnecessary fuel consumption and environmental impact for fish already abundant locally.
Efficient Local Supply Chain Destroyed
For decades, towns from Lancelin to Kalbarri and Bunbury to Augusta maintained efficient local seafood networks that included:
- Direct sales of fresh fillets to the public
- Takeaway meal services featuring local catch
- Affordable species alongside premium fish like WA dhufish
This system avoided the environmental costs of air freight, single-use polystyrene packaging, plastic liners, and waste generated by long-distance transport. It represented a low-impact, efficient model that supported regional communities while providing fresh local seafood.
Contradictory Data and Policy Decisions
Hunt highlights significant contradictions between government claims and available data. Despite assertions that the commercial sector was no longer viable, fisheries had not experienced the collapse that typically drives fishers from the industry. WA seafood continues to support restaurant reputations throughout wine regions, including areas within the Minister's own electorate, with chefs purchasing directly from local fishers and tourists specifically seeking unique local seafood experiences.
The timing of the closure appears particularly contradictory. In late November 2025, State Government-sponsored Pair'd Festival showcased locally caught fish from the very fisheries that would be permanently closed less than two weeks later. This occurred despite departmental knowledge that catch rates for pink snapper and other species were at record highs, with some stocks at minimal risk.
Mathematical Impossibilities and Stock Assessment Concerns
Claims that higher catch rates resulted from "fishing harder" are mathematically impossible, Hunt argues, given that fishing time had already been reduced by up to 60 percent over the previous two years. Rising catch rates more logically reflect actual fish abundance rather than increased fishing effort.
Independent analysis reveals a clear mismatch between reported snapper spawning biomass and observed catch data. Queensland recently faced similar stock assessment failures in its mackerel fishery, resulting in recreational limits being doubled and commercial allocations increased by more than 50 percent after review. WA should follow this evidence-based approach rather than implementing permanent closures.
Dhufish Management and Recreational Impact
While genuine concerns exist regarding dhufish populations, Hunt argues the numbers tell a different story than the policy response suggests. A zone between Bouvard Reef and Lancelin has been closed to commercial fishing for nearly twenty years, yet the recreational sector removes approximately 40 tonnes of dhufish annually from that area alone. The entire commercial dhufish catch across both Midwest and Southwest regions totals just 42 tonnes.
Compounding this imbalance, the recreational sector discards 20 tonnes more demersal fish than the entire commercial dhufish catch. The mathematical solution to sustainable fishing exists but appears politically inconvenient to implement.
Misrepresented Statistics and Geographic Scope
One significant misrepresentation involves claims that the West Coast Bioregion closure covers only 7 percent of the coastline. Basic mapping analysis suggests the permanent closure actually encompasses closer to 17 percent of WA's 12,889-kilometre coastline when accounting for bays, islands, and inlets.
When combined with:
- A proposed five-month South Coast closure
- Existing marine parks and sanctuary zones
- Gillnet and line closures
- The Pilbara trawl closure
Demersal scalefish fishing becomes restricted across 46 percent of the coastline for nearly half the year. This comprehensive approach positions WA as potentially the world's most anti-commercial fishing jurisdiction.
Omitted Data and Shark Fishery Closure
Public figures claiming 41 boats caught just 280 tonnes of fish omit more than 330 tonnes of shark catch - an essential, affordable seafood product that historically served the lower end of the pricing scale for wild-caught fish. This omission removes over 2.2 million meals from public discussion.
The West Coast shark fishery closure appears particularly perplexing, representing only 3.5 percent of the West Coast demersal catch - less than half the demersal fish discarded dead by the recreational sector. Meanwhile, charter fishing continues with similar retention levels while producing higher total mortality through depredation and discards.
Ignored Scientific Approvals
The shark fishery received Federal wildlife trade approval in October 2025 with conditions operators were prepared to meet. Yet Zone 3 was closed despite not even being part of the West Coast Bioregion, suggesting fisheries policy may be driven more by sentiment than scientific evidence.
Hunt concludes that the policy simply doesn't add up mathematically, environmentally, or scientifically. Fish For All is calling for a full independent biomass survey, immediate reopening of the West Coast shark fishery, and reinstatement of wetline fishing with effective dhufish controls. The organization advocates for methods allowing both commercial and recreational sectors to fish sustainably, arguing that the public and seafood industry deserve evidence-based policy rather than decisions that defy logic and science.
