Your catch, your legacy

Every report from the Qld Fishing 2.0 app helps to build a clear and reliable understanding of what's happening in our waters.

One trip might seem small, but when thousands of recreational fishers record their catches, scientists gain a far more accurate understanding of fish stocks and fishing activity across Queensland.

The information you submit through the app helps us to better understand:

• recreational fishing activity
• catch rates
• depredation trends over time.

These insights are critical for understanding fish stock health and guiding management decisions.

In Queensland, recreational catch data is combined with commercial catch information and biological data to build stock assessments that assess the health of fish stocks and how they're changing over time.

The assessment results then feed into harvest strategies, which guide the management decisions needed to keep our fish stocks sustainable.

Sometimes a stock assessment will show a decline in a fish stock.

When that happens, management changes such as reduced possession limits or area closures may be needed to help the stock recover. On the other hand, when assessments show an increase in stock level, management may be changed to allow for greater catch.

More data, more often, helps us to pick up on any issues with a fish stock before they become severe, and more restrictive changes may be needed for their recovery.

When only a small number of people record their catch, it's much harder for scientists to see the full picture, and important trends can be missed.

By recording your catch, you're helping to ensure that decisions are based on strong, up-to-date data.

This means that we can:

• better protect our fish stocks
• support local communities tied to fishing and tourism
• ensure sustainable fishing for generations to come.

Want to make a difference and be part of the bigger picture? Download the Qld Fishing 2.0 app today and start recording, because Your Catch Counts.

Record today, fish tomorrow.

[Text on screen reads: “Record today, fish tomorrow. Your data makes a difference.”]

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Why do you want more data from recreational fishers and why through an app?

We want more recreational fishers reporting their catch data through an app.

The data's electronic, it comes directly through to our fisheries database.

It gives us real-time data of what's actually getting caught off our Queensland coast.

What's in it for me?

It's not just about reporting your catch to us to manage the fishery, but you can also use the app as a fishing journal.

So you can go back and check your catch through time.

You can check it against weather events.

You can also share your catch and history, species identification, size and possession limits, closed seasons, can I fish here function, fad locations, rules and regulations, and best thing of all, you get to contribute to managing the fish stocks into the future.

Why do you want to know my catch info?

What will my data be used for?

We want to use your catch data to track fish populations through time.

This feeds into stock assessments for fish species, which feed into our harvest strategies.

Harvest strategies are world's best practice management.

They introduce possession limits, closures, size limits, and these are adjusted through time as the fish stock changes.

When information from fishers about fish stocks is limited, it's hard to detect problems until they become severe.

At that point, managers have fewer options and those options can be more restrictive.

This reinforces the myth that catch data is used to punish fishers when really it's used to ensure the fish are there for the future.

What if I didn't catch anything?

Even if you did not catch anything, we still want you to report your recreational fishing trip through the app.

These 0 catches are very important to show us effort and catch through time.

But for yourself, it also gives you a historical record to go back through and compare times when you've caught nothing with tides and wind against times when you have caught fish.

And this can be useful for planning future fishing trips.

Can I record sharks taking my fish?

You can record sharks taking your catch under the depredation field.

You can record number of fish wholly or partially taken.

This info on depredation helps us to understand where it's occurring across Queensland and how often, which will help us manage this problem into the future.

Does the app work offline?

The app works offline so you can record your fishing catch while you're offshore with no phone reception, or alternatively, you can record your catch after your fishing trip when you're at home.

If you have any feedback on how we can improve the app, we'd love to hear from you.

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