My Why.

This beautiful fish is exclusive to the Western Australian (W.A.) coastline and it is a fish that I was brought up on, as my father was a commercial fisherman out of Geographe Bay in the 60s and later a crayfisherman in the mid west of W.A. As a kid my mum would cook dhufish in beer batter, served with chips and salad and there was nothing quite like it. Fishing is a huge industry in W.A. and coastal country towns depend on it for survival.

However, on 1 January 2026 the Cook government, without warning placed a ban along a large stretch of W.A.’s coastline (Kalbarri to Augusta) in a bid to “supposedly” save at risk species like Red Emperor, Dhufish and Pink Snapper. The government have decimated the fishing industry and the tourism to our country towns. Businesses such as tackle shops, fish and chip shops, cafes and restaurants are closing their doors.

What intriques me is that this same government want to put a windfarm out in the middle of Geographe Bay and start siesmic blasts off the coast of Dongara, two places right in the middle of the areas deemed “at risk” of overfishing. I think the government have some explaining to do!!!