Commercial fishers in the Abrolhos Islands and Mid-West Trawl Managed Fishery are preparing for the re-opening of the scallop fishery on 22 May after a five-year hiatus.
The fishery was closed in 2012 as part of a recovery plan to restore local scallop stocks following the 2010/11 marine heatwave off the Western Australian coast.
After years of monitoring and sampling, our research scientists have identified scallop catch rates high enough to allow four commercial trawlers to operate during the 2017 fishing season.
The Abrolhos Islands and Mid-West Trawl Managed Fishery is based on the take of saucer scallops, with a small component targeting the western king prawn in the Port Gregory area, and has an estimated production value of $6 million per year.
More details.