New marine park zones 'slap in the face' for WA fishers

Fishers frustrated by new zoning restrictions in WA marine park Sun 19 Jul 2026 at 9:58am In short: There will be new zoning regulations for recreational and commercial fishers at Bardi Jawi Gaarra Marine Park in Western Australia's north from today. Some fishers have raised concerns about restricted access and possible infringements. What's next? The Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions says efforts will continue to educate the public on the new rules. New zoning rules for the Bardi Jawi Gaarra Marine Park in Western Australia's north will come into effect today, prompting concerns from avid local fishers who could face fines amounting to thousands of dollars. The park covers more than 200,000 hectares of water, from the northern part of the Dampier Peninsula to the western islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago. It is home to an array of marine wildlife such as whales, dugongs and snubfin dolphins. The new regulations will ban recreational fishing in about half the park, with fines ranging from $400 to up to $5,000 if people breach the rules. Recreational fisher Sara Hennessey said it could feel like a "slap in the face" for residents who had been fishing in the areas their whole lives. "You're used to going there, especially if you may have been born in Broome or on the peninsula [then] suddenly you're not allowed to go fish and camp places you've been going for the past 40 years," she said. "It is going to be hard because we do love the area, that's why we chose to live up here in the Kimberley." Zoning logistics The controversy around approving zoning regulations for the area dates back years, as the authorities tried to strike a balance between conservation, recreation, cultural and commercial interests. An environmental group in the Kimberley celebrated the establishment of the marine park in 2022, calling it a win for conservation. The park is jointly managed by the Department of Biodiveristy Conservations and Attraction (DBCA) and Bardi and Jawi traditional owners and rangers. DBCA said the park's new zoning would be divided into four types: general use, biocultural conservation, cultural protection and sanctuary zones. Fishing and collecting are banned in the sanctuary zone, which accounts for 25 per cent of the marine park. Then 26 per cent of the park will be a cultural protection zone, where fishing is only allowed through a paid licensed tour operator. Recreational fishing will be permitted in the remaining zones, collectively 49 per cent of the marine park area. 'Restricting access' Ms Hennessey said a "well-positioned and designed" sanctuary zone could preserve and protect the marine environment for everybody to use into the future. "But this marine park, I don't know how much protection it is going to do, and it's going to restrict access for a lot of people," she said. Ms Hennessey said authorities should have started advertising and reminding people of the changes earlier. The park's zoning was gazetted in mid-2025, followed by "a 12-month education and grace period to give fishers time to understand" the new arrangements, according to a spokesperson from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. DBCA's marine parks coordinator Kevin Bancroft said much of the marine park would remain open to recreational fishers. He said fisheries management officers had strong legislative powers to enforce the new zoning rules. "Fisheries regulations, it's pretty well black and white, if you're doing something illegal and unlawful you'll be infringed," Mr Bancroft said. "Depending on the infringement of the activity, they can confiscate vehicles, boats, tools, anything used to actually illegally gain that fish." Ms Bancroft said the balance had been appropriately struck between the various stakeholders. "The fishing sector probably sees marine parks as not favourable for their activity," he said. "But signs have shown having sanctuary zones and no fishing, no take areas as being very useful for replenishment of fish life." Marine rangers and authorities will continue educating people about the zoning, which Mr Bancroft said came about through extensive community consultation.