The vast sea grass paddocks of both Shark Bay and the Exmouth Gulf are extremely fertile breeding grounds for prawns and in Shark Bay for scallops also. Thus the Gascoyne is able to provide most of the State’s prawns and scallops.
The WA Department of Fisheries manage all aspects of the fisheries and maintains data on all facets of the fisheries including fish stocks.
Crabs, snapper, whiting and mullet are also commercially harvested in the region.
Seafood processing is the region’s principal manufacturing activity with factories in Exmouth Carnarvon and Denham. Several producers supply export as well as local markets.
Aquaculture continues to develop in the Gascoyne with finfish and pearling operations based in the Shires of Exmouth, Carnarvon and Shark Bay. In 2006/07 the fishing industry contributed $56.7 million to the Gascoyne economy.
Please download a Gascoyne Fishing and Aquaculture investment profile published in 2010.
Note: Content sourced from Gascoyne Development Commission