Recreational abalone fishers are reminded to fish sustainably and safely on Saturday 13 December for the opening session of the West Coast Zone fishing season between 7am and 8am.
This first session will be open to licenced abalone fishers between Busselton Jetty and the Greenough River Mouth, based on the predicted weather and ocean conditions.
Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) modelling predicts an average tide of 0.4 metres and an average wave height of 1 metre or above. The air temperature range is expected to be from 18 to 36 degrees with winds of about 21.4 kilometres per hour.
The modelling uses the best available information on conditions from several sources, rating the risks for factors like wind speed, wave height, tide, swell period and direction.
Conditions may differ at various locations throughout the zone and anyone collecting abalone should ensure they have sufficient water skills to match the conditions, wear the right gear and keep an eye on waves that wash across the reefs. Monitor conditions on the day and take the advice of SLSWA to manage personal safety.
DPIRD management officer Aidan Walsh said the abalone season was tightly managed to provide fishers with safe access to the abalone and ensure the long-term sustainability of the fishery.
"All fishers should know the size and bag limits and take all steps to ensure we have healthy abalone stocks for the future," Mr Walsh said.
"The bag limit for Roe's abalone is 15 and the minimum size limit is 60 mm measured across the widest part of the shell.
"Abalone should always be measured before they are removed from a reef, so undersize abalone are left to grow. Once removed, the survival rate for undersize abalone is reduced.
"If abalone is in your catch bag it's considered your catch. It's too late to measure when you return to shore."
The fishing rules are available in DPIRD's Abalone Recreational fishing guide .
DPIRD fisheries officers will be attending beaches within the West Coast Zone to ensure people understand and follow the rules. SLSWA will be on patrol to ensure fisher safety, excluding the area north of Yanchep to Greenough River Mouth.
