Snapper Guardians – Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve put together some FAQs to hopefully help you answer some of your questions.
Q: Shouldn’t my recreational fishing licence money be paying for this?
A: Recreational fishing licence money made this project possible by funding the initial egg collection project. This has provided an opportunity to stock these fish which is too good to miss.
Q. Why don’t we just release the snapper now?
A. If the snapper are released at their current size of 20mm, their chance of survival is far less that if we hang onto them for a little longer. At a size of 40mm or above, these fish will have the best chances of survival in the wild and this will take 8 weeks.
Q. If these snapper are released back into Cockburn Sound, won’t they just die like the others?
A. These fish will be released at various locations close to Perth which meet specific criteria such as presence of suitable nursery habitat and high water quality.
Q. Isn’t this money better used to find the cause of the recent fish deaths in Cockburn Sound?
A. This project does not mean we are giving up on finding solutions to improve the health of Cockburn Sound. Recfishwest is an active member of the Cockburn Sound Management Council as well as working with Fisheries and Environment Managers to ensure appropriate responses and actions to any further issues in the Sound.
Q: How come the people responsible for the fish kills are not paying for this?
A: All the evidence gained from fish and water samples following the event last month indicated an algal bloom caused critical gill failure in the fish killed. This algal bloom was most likely caused by natural origins and limited water flushing in the southern section. For the full explanation from the Department of Fisheries, please see the report here.
Q: Why did you collect eggs if you didn’t have the money to grow them?
A: The objective of the egg collection project was to test if viable fertilised Pink Snapper eggs could be collected from the wild. It was a forward thinking conceptual project that, if successful, might one day be used to assist pink snapper recruitment or as a potential means of future proofing fish stocks.
It was not known at the time of collection if this project was going to be successful, however we now have an opportunity to grow and release these fish so they have the best possible chance of survival and add to our understanding of pink snapper in local waters.
Snapper Guardians Project
The Snapper Guardians Project was born after a disastrous fish kill event on pink snapper in the Cockburn Sound in 2015.
The WA fishing community came together, raising enough money to fund the culture of 100,000 juvenile pink snapper which were to be released back into the Cockburn Sound.
Read more about this exciting initiative in our Snapper Guardians Project article.
Snapper Release Day
Approximately 400 people came to down to be a part of this historic event with everyone given the opportunity to release baby snapper back into the waters of Cockburn Sound.
Read the full story in our Snapper Guardians Realease Day article.
Did you become a Snapper Guardian by donating to the project?
If so, find your name on the Snapper Guardians Wall Of Fame.
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