Published on Monday, 18 December 2023 at 12:33:00 PM

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPRID) is implementing changes to the recreational fishing rules for greenlip abalone along the south coast to protect the sustainability of stocks, but there are no changes to fishing for brownlip or Roe’s abalone. 

The full media release can be found here.

The Southern Zone extends from the Busselton Jetty to the South Australian Border and is open to abalone fishing between 1 October and 15 May the following year.

From 1 October 2023, the area from Busselton Jetty to Shoal Cape, within the Southern Zone, will be closed to recreational greenlip abalone fishing.

This closure has been put in place to protect greenlip abalone stocks and to further assist their recovery.  Impacts of a previous marine heatwave event, followed by periods of above average sea surface temperatures, have slowed down the recovery of greenlip stocks with the latest scientific stock assessment showing additional management action is needed to protect the sustainability of this species.  WA has one of the few remaining sustainable wild stock abalone fisheries in the world and it is vital to take action now to support the recovery of this resource.

Please note, Shoal Cape is the eastern border for a commercial abalone zone and the area from the Busselton Jetty to Shoal Cape is already closed to commercial fishing for greenlip abalone.  

DPIRD will continue to monitor the recovery of greenlip abalone with stock assessments undertaken on an annual basis.  The closure will remain in place until an appropriate level of stock recovery is achieved.

The Abalone Recreational fishing guide 2023/24 is now available online; the guide details additional rules that apply to the recreational abalone fishery in Western Australia, including licence requirements, bag limits, size limits, seasons, locations, and closed areas.

Back to All News