Why donating your fish frames to science provides valuable data

Fisheries Queensland’s Keen Angler Program (KAP) is just one of many sampling activities involving the voluntary participation of recreational fishers to collect valuable biological data from some of Queensland’s premier fish species.

The fish frames collected from participants in the program are used to provide annual information, especially the length, sex and age of fish being caught. Estimates of the age of fish are obtained from the otoliths (ear bones), which are examined under a microscope to count the annual growth bands.

There is a great deal of variation in the growth rates of individual fish of each species. Sometimes the differences in the growth rates can be related to the years or areas they were born in, as well as their gender. It is important to know how many old fish remain in the population relative to previous years (the oldest fish are not always the largest) and how many younger fish are entering the population each year to assess the long-term sustainability of the fishery.

Need

The benefits of data collection is large and supplements our other recreational and commercial catch sampling programs. Between 2019–2022, more than 9,500 frames were donated to the KAP by recreational fishers. In that same period, otoliths, which don’t need to be removed from every single fish, were removed from nearly 4,500 of the donated fish frames.

Another great benefit of the program is the avenue for communication between the scientists carrying out the work, and the people who do the fun bit – fishing! Regular newsletters are sent to members of the program, to keep them informed about important information, as well as interesting snippets for relevant research projects.

We’ve worked with the Freshwater Fishing and Stocking Association of Queensland Inc. to develop 5 regional trail guides. Each guide provides maps and information on stocked fish species and facilities in:

• North Queensland

• Central Queensland

• Wide Bay – Burnett

• Murray – Darling

Download fisheries.qld.gov.au 13 25 23 FisheriesQueensland FisheriesQld DAFQld