Creel census of amateur line fishermen in the Blackwood River estuary, Western Australia, during 1974-75

Abstract

A creel census was carried out from May 1974 to April 1975 on the amateur line fishermen of Blackwood River estuary, from the Swan Lakes and Deadwater to Alexandra Bridge. The estimated total fishing pressure was 76 149 fisherman hours which was mainly concentrated in the summer and autumn months. The rate of success averaged 3.86 fish per fisherman per hour fishing. The estimated harvest of fish was 287 300. In the Hardy Inlet and Swan Lake region, western sand whiting (Sillago schomburgkii) was the main species caught for most of the year, except for the autumn months when Australian herring (Arripis georgianus) was the major species. In the Blackwood River, black bream (Mylio butcheri) dominated the catch throughout the year.