The Department of Fisheries are reminding people that pink snapper fishing in Cockburn and Warnbro Sounds is illegal from October to January this year.

The prize catch is banned for four month’s of the year to protect stocks during spawning - necessary to allow the species to replenish itself.

Recent stock assessment of pink snapper on the West Coast has revealed that pink snapper are being overfished; a finding which if not observed could spell disaster for the species.

“Pink snapper is a slow-growing and long-lived species. Its slow growth rate makes the species less able to recover from overfishing and rapid environmental change,” said Department of Fisheries Principal Management Officer, Nathan Harrison..

“They can live to 30 years or more and this long life increases each pink snapper’s chance of reproducing successfully, so it is vital to keep a balance of older and younger fish in the West Coast population for their long term sustainability.

“In the past, pink snapper have been caught weighing almost 20 kilograms and measuring over a metre long. These days it is rare to see pink snapper weighing more than 10 kilograms.”

Offenders caught fishing for Pink Snapper while the season is closed will face fines of up to $5000 for recreational catches.

Source: PerthNow