Tourism Council WA has welcomed today's announcement from the Minister of Fisheries of a dedicated allocation of demersal scalefish to marine tourism via a new tag system for operators.
"The proposed tag system will provide marine tourism operators with certainty for future bookings and year-round operations," said Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall.
"By attracting high spending visitors, charter fishing generates more dollars and jobs for Western Australia per fish than commercial or recreational fishing," said Mr Hall.
International tourists who include a fishing activity during their trip spend on average $5,550 per trip in the State, while interstate fishing holiday makers spend on average $3,040. These marine tourism visitors stay longer, disperse further, and spend more in WA than other visitors.
Tourism Council WA also welcomed the funding announced by State Government to assist marine tourism operators move to higher value tourism experiences with a smaller catch.
"Catch and release, and catch and cook experiences are high value tourism experiences with the lowest impact on fish ensuring a sustainable industry into the future," Mr Hall said.
"That one selfie with just one fish is worth thousands of dollars to regional tourism operators and towns," Mr Hall said.
"The tag system will reduce the take of the demersal scalefish to a sustainable level while providing a high value experience for guests. Tourism Council WA will work with the State Government to assist marine tourism operators develop sustainable fishing experiences to attract high value visitors to WA."
