Background
Accurate catch data is a critical component for stock assessment processes, managing fish stocks sustainably, and monitoring sector allocations. South Australian commercial fisheries are required to report retained catch. Currently, the only catch reporting required of the South Australian recreational fishing sector is mandatory reporting of Snapper either through the SA Fishing App or via a free call number. Beyond this, broader recreational catch estimates are obtained approximately every five years through a statewide recreational fishing survey. In years where recreational catch data is not available, assumptions must be made about the trajectory of recreational catch.
Methods/Results
As the recreational sector grows and with a level of uncertainty in the accuracy and reliability of data for some species, the lack of consistent data from this sector introduces significant uncertainty into stock assessments and, by extension, fisheries management decisions. To address this gap, the Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) is including voluntary catch reporting for the recreational fishing sector as a key feature in the redevelopment of the SA Recreational Fishing App.
Implementation of a voluntary recreational catch reporting framework recognises the need to build trust and user engagement with recreational fishers, while also allowing for iterative improvements in app design and data usability. The development of the catch reporting tool, including improvements to the mandatory Snapper reporting feature, has been informed by user feedback, technical consultation, and findings from a recent South Australian study on app-based data collection in recreational fisheries.
Conclusion
Users will be able to log both catch and non-catch fishing events in personal fishing logs and choose to submit this information as a report, providing benefits to both the user and government. Over time, this approach aims to improve spatial and temporal coverage of data, support trend analysis in non-survey years, and ultimately enhance real-time fisheries management. Future research will focus on validating recreational catch data submitted voluntarily, improving data quality and representativeness, and exploring how voluntary reporting can complement broader fisheries monitoring programs. These efforts will help provide a more robust and responsive data foundation to support sustainable fisheries management in South Australia.