Recreational boat fishing participation varies across bioregional fisheries in Western Australia, with persistent patterns within fisheries and fisher typologies over time

Abstract Recreational fishing is popular worldwide and understanding variability in participation can inform policies that seek to improve sustainability of recreational fisheries and amenity for recreational fishers. However, not all recreational fishers are alike in their demographics or behaviours. This study explores temporal and spatial variability in licensed boat-based recreational fishing participation in Western Australia using data from a consistent survey design delivered 12 times from 2011 to 2024. Five fisher participation typologies were identified across four marine bioregions (North Coast, Gascoyne Coast, West Coast, and South Coast) and four fishery types (demersal, nearshore, pelagic, and invertebrate) with varied fisher characteristics (residence, age, gender, and avidity) associated with the likelihood of membership to each typology. West Coast casual fishers (32% of licensed fishers) were typically older, metropolitan residents that fished rarely or occasionally and were not associated with any fishery type, while West Coast specialist fishers (26%) were typically younger, metropolitan residents and avid fishers that were associated with nearshore, invertebrate, and demersal fisheries. The remaining groups were typically younger, regional residents that fished in South Coast nearshore (16%), North Coast demersal (14%), and Gascoyne demersal (11%) fisheries. This study contributes to global issues regarding the impact of fisher heterogeneity on recreational fisheries, particularly in the context of increasing and ageing populations, which impacts fisher representation for monitoring and management, and perceived equity in resource allocation. Improved understanding of fisher typologies can be used to address management objectives and to develop appropriate education and communication strategies.