For the first time in Western Australia, drone technology will be rolled out to monitor how recreational fishers go about getting their catch.
At Crab Fest on Sunday, Fisheries minister Dave Kelly launched the first drone being used in a 12-month survey run by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to monitor the recreational catch of the Mandurah crab fishery.
“For the next 12 months, departmental staff will be surveying shore-based recreational fishers during the day and night using a range of cameras, including a drone,” Mr Kelly said.
“By deploying innovative tools such as drones, departmental staff will be able to more easily assess the proportion of activity that occurs across more than 130 square kilometres of the Peel-Harvey Estuary.
“WA has been a world-leader in sustainable fisheries for 20 years and we have achieved this through the great work undertaken by our Fisheries scientists and researchers.”
In June 2016, professional and recreational fishers who share the blue swimmer crab resource from the estuary, joined forces to become the world’s first commercial and recreational fishery to ever be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
The latest survey would provide a comprehensive estimate of the distribution and effort of recreational fishers that go crabbing in the estuary, a condition of the MSC certification.
The range of cameras to be used in the survey would provide 24-7 data on people wading within the field of view, and provide invaluable information on how fishers use these sites during the day and night.
