A Guide to Integrated Fisheries Management

Introduction

Western Australia enjoys an enviable international reputation as a leader in the management and stewardship of fisheries and marine resources.

This reputation has been built on more than 100 years of fisheries management initiatives, marked by a number of key milestones:

• the first licensing of commercial fishing in 1899;
• the introduction of limited entry fisheries in the 1960s;
• the freeze on the issue of Fishing Boat Licences in 1983;
• the development of a Fisheries Adjustment Scheme in 1986;
• the development of a recreational fishing policy in 1990; and
• the enactment of the Fish Resources Management Act in 1994.

Through these initiatives, and many more, the Department of Fisheries has been working to ensure that Western Australia's fisheries are managed in a sustainable way – ensuring Fish for the future.

The increasing competition between commercial and recreational fishers has also intensified, driving debates about “resource-sharing” and the best use of WA's fish stocks and marine areas. With the growth of population, coastal development and the increasing interest in recreational fishing this competition is only likely to increase in the future.

The most recent development in the management of fisheries in Western Australia is the introduction of Integrated Fisheries Management (IFM).