Abalone hour: Surf lifesavers record most danger session of the season with almost 80 rescues

WA’s latest abalone session has marked its most danger this season, with almost 80 rescues across the West Coast Zone amid “challenging” conditions. Abalone hunters took to the waters between Moore River to Busselton Jetty on Saturday, hoping to fill their bags with the small shelled marine snail. But they were met with strong undercurrents, low visibility, and high levels of water surging over reefs. During the hour window fishers had to find and collect their hauls between 7-8am, Surf Life Saving WA recorded a whopping 1230 preventative actions to keep people safe. It was up from 430 the previous session on February 17. There was also a more than 200 per cent increase in required first aid attendance, with 76 swimmers treated this session – almost doubling the combined total at all three previous sessions. One recreational fisher at Mettams Pool in Perth’s north called for help to lifesaver Malcolm Judge when he was about seven metres out after suffering exhaustion from strong undertow. Across the season, which included three other sessions on February 17, January 13, and December 9, there were 106 rescues, 122 first aid treatments, and 2709 preventive actions. A session had been planned on February 3 but cancelled due to predicted unsafe conditions. Saturday’s session was to make up for the missed day. The length of the open recreational fishing season for abalone may be adjusted each year to ensure recreational catch is managed in a sustainable manner. A warning had been issued prior to the session that waves could reach two metres in some areas and winds averaging 15.5 knots, gusting to 16.4 knots. Eleven infringement fines were issued to fishers on Saturday for taking more than the bag limit — which is 15 per licensed fisher in the Zone. Officers also delivered dozen bag limit cautions. There were six fines and nine warnings for undersized abalone. One fisher is expected to be fined for not having the required abalone fishing licence. Two warnings were issued for taking shellfish other than abalone from within the Marmion Marine Park. Abalone hunting is a popular hobby in WA, with more than 17,000 licenses obtained in the 2023/24 season. More than 170 dedicated volunteers helped patrol WA beaches on Saturday to ensure those taking part were safe. DPIRD’s fisheries and aquatic resource management director Nathan Harrison said all fishers were warned of the conditions and “considerable effort” is made to hold the sessions on suitable days. “DPIRD works with Surf Lifesaving WA, who are experts in sea safety and consider a broad range of information when providing advice on fishing conditions for the day,” Mr Harrison said. “While considerable effort is made to hold the fishing session in good conditions, there are inherent risks with abalone fishing, and we urge all fishers to put their personal safety first. All abalone licence holders were sent text messages mid-week to advise them to proceed with caution alongside a string of announcements made online. While fishers are urged to check the SharkSmart WA app for sighting prior to entering the water, there was only one spotted in the Metro area — which was a 1.5 metre hammerhead near Cathedral Rocks on Rottnest at 9am.