Changes to commercial fishing
Commercial fishing for demersal species will be closed from 1 January 2026.
This will include a closure of:
- the West Coast Demersal Scalefish Interim Managed Fishery
- the West Coast Demersal Gillnet and Demersal Longline Fishery
- Zone 1 and Zone 3 of the Southern Demersal Gillnet and Demersal Longline Fishery.
The following spawning closures still apply to commercial fishers:
- The Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds pink snapper spawning closure from 1 August to 31 January (inclusive).
- The Abrolhos Islands baldchin groper spawning closure from 1 October to 31 December (inclusive).
Compulsory Fisheries Adjustment Scheme
The WA Government has committed $20 million towards a Compulsory Fisheries Adjustment Scheme (CFAS) ‘buy out’ for the commercial gillnet and line (south of Kalbarri) fisheries in the west coast bioregion.