State Government management plans set guide for future of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands

Striking a balance between protecting the Abrolhos Islands’ environment, the commercial viability of the fishing industry, and introducing more tourism opportunities are key to the WA Government’s plans for the island chain over the next decade.

The plans, announced last week, have been praised by stakeholders for protecting the islands’ ecosystems while balancing commercial concerns.

The plan sets guides for environmental protection as well as the development of tourism and fishing industries on the islands, and is the first since the Houtman Abrolhos Islands National Park was created in 2019.

The plan has laid out guidelines for the monitoring of many species in the region such as seabirds, sealions and many plants, the protection of the coral reefs, and the development of biosecurity plans.

The plan also aims to make the area more accessible for tourists, with overnight camping accommodation, improved mobile telecommunications and new infrastructure such as public moorings and a jetty on Rat Island.

Another priority is keeping the region a low impact, low take fishing area, with specific zones for charter fishing, according to the Department of Primary Industries.

“The vision is really to promote sustainable tourism growth on land and water while protecting the natural values and amazing cultural heritage, the fishing heritage, the community values as well,” DPIRD senior management officer at the Abrohlos Islands Nikki Sarginson said.

Ecologist Dr Chris Surman praised the plan and said conservation management was extremely important because of the Abrolhos Islands’ high level of biodiversity.

“I think it’s the first time we’ve seen a proper, considered management plan for the terrestrial areas of the Houtman Abrolhos, all the previous plans didn’t really focus on the important conservation,” he said.

“The commitment to monitoring animals ... that’s a key benefit to everyone who values the Abrolhos Islands.”

Dr Surman said it was important to balance the wants of the various stakeholders of the islands.

“There’s a lot of conflict with different groups, Pelsaert Island for instance is a very popular location but it can’t really handle high amounts of visitors because it’s one of the most (populated) seabird breeding grounds in Australia,” he said.

Blue Juice Charters owner Gary Mitchell said a thorough plan for the management of the islands was welcome and long overdue.

“Infrastructure for tour operators is something we’ve wanted for a long time for instance,” he said.

“On the whole, they are heading in the right direction.”

Anthony Haygarth, director at Western Australian Fishing Industry Council and president of the Easter Group Abrolhos body corporate, said the plans met a good balance between protecting the sustainability of the Abrolhos Islands without unnecessarily hurting the fishing industry.

“I think it’s a pretty good compromise,” he said.

“It provides a strong foundation to support deliverable tourism outcomes while at the same recognising the importance of the islands as a logistical base for the commercial fishing and aquaculture industries.”

Mr Haygarth added he felt DPIRD had engaged with fishers in good faith and was pleased their concerns were considered.

There are a number of details to be determined in the coming years, including fishing restrictions.

Mr Mitchell said he expected fishing restrictions to soon come in, which would lead his company to significantly reduce the number of fishing charters it hosted.

He said it would be necessary in order to maintain a sustainable ecosystem as the number of visitors to the islands grew.

Mr Haygarth said he felt confident the Government would continue to work reasonably with fishers to find a solution.

“The plan lays out a framework for moving forward, but there’s obviously still a lot of work to be done to facilitate the implementation,” he said.