The Western Australian marine environment is home to a number of species that are protected under international agreements and national or state legislation.
Many of these species occur in areas where fishing takes place, sometimes resulting in interactions between fishers and protected species. An interaction is considered to be any physical contact between a person, fishing vessel or fishing gear and a protected species, including captures, entanglements and collisions.
This guide has been developed to help you identify some common marine protected species in Western Australia that you may encounter while fishing.
Please note that this guide is not an exhaustive list of marine protected species in WA. 