AROUND THE COAST
Fishing log book
unlocks history
By Ben Carlish
On first glance, it looks like some
kind of meticulous military store
stock ledger.
But on closer reading, entries such
as four silver whiting (medium), two
skippy (medium), and five crabs caught
using handlines and drop nets reveal the
yellowing ring-bound pages as something
with an altogether more fishy bent.
The pages are in fact a remarkable
recreational fishing log book compiled by
life-long fisher Mr Rob Bartley, chronicling
his regular fishing trips in first Albany and
then Geraldton between 1977 and 2002.
The expansive and detailed log book,
kindly donated to Department of Fisheries
researchers by Mr Bartley, is one of the
most thorough and meticulous ever seen at
the Department.
A random flick-through of the log sheets,
provided by the Department of Fisheries
and filled in with Mr Bartley’s neat
handwriting, reveal a recreational fishing
‘career’ that would be the envy of any
shore fisher in the State.
For instance, turn to log sheet number
63 and we see Mr Bartley had a pretty
productive three months’ fishing.
It shows that in 1982, while the country
was experiencing one of its worst
droughts, Mr Bartley was enjoying a
deluge of fish.
Between September and November
of that year, over the course of seven
fishing trips around the Greenough
River mouth and Geraldton Wharf
areas, Mr Bartley landed a total of 29
silver bream, 33 yellow bream, 29
‘yellow tail’, 33 skippy, 20 herring,
three sand whiting and two pilchards.
L o g-h a n d
–e
w r it te n in xam p le s o f M r Ba
rt le y’s me
h is o w n im
ticu lo usl y
m acu late
k ep t lo g sh
h and.
ee ts,
Mr Bartley recorded that he fished
either mornings or evening to
sundown during this period, with generally
favourable light winds, using his tried and
trusted prawn bait.
Going back to the months of June and July
in 1977, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year,
a trip up north was also something of a
fishing bonanza for Mr Bartley.
18 Western Fisheries DECEMBER 2009
He was
able to celebrate the
Queen’s 25th year on the throne with
a haul of 15 sweetlip emperor, one
Spanish mackerel, four flag fish, three
baldchin groper, two mulloway, one
gold trevally, 14 silver bream, five tailor,
five ‘yellowtail’, eight sand whiting,
eight silver
whiting, four pilchards,
two bony herring, eight blowfish and one
‘unknown’. Not a bad haul for a total of
just eight-and-a-half-hours handlining!
Pa r ro t fa
sh io n – M
r Ba rt le y
co lo u rf u l
la n
S chle ge l’s
p a r ro tfish d s a
.
bell many a fine
day’s fishing.
“I can remember
catching a
20-pound blue
groper on a
handline at ‘the
Slide’ near the
Salmon Holes in
Albany. I could see
him in the one big
track in the rocks, so I
found a crab and baited
up with it.
“I cast out to him and
he took the crab, but I
struck too quickly and
pulled it out of his mouth.
He took it again on the
Mr Bartley has pretty much
lived, ate, breathed and slept
fishing all his life – going to
sea on a whaling boat in the
early 1960s, when whaling was
one of the mainstays of the local
Albany economy. He has also at
various points in his life fished for
a living for tuna (before the tuna
fishery was closed off the coast
of Albany), long-lining for sharks
(setting gear some four miles long)
and crayfishing, before retiring
through ill health.
Albany coast and now they’re gone and,
instead, you get loads of blowies. Yes,
there’s been quite a few changes over the
years,” reflected Mr Bartley.
While, such a record makes fascinating
reading for enthusiastic fishos, it also
represents very valuable and illustrative
information for fisheries scientists trying
to build up a picture of the change in catch
trends in an area over a number of years.
Dr Kim Smith, Department of Fisheries
Senior Research Scientist, said Mr
Bartley’s records were a genuine asset in
adding to researchers’ understanding of the
stock status history of these areas.
“It’s the level of detail and the length of
time over which Mr Bartley has kept these
log sheets that make them so special,” she
said. “As well as his catch, the log sheets
tell the story of Mr Bartley’s fishing effort
– that is, the number of hours and time
fished, which is a critical element for us to
interpret the statistics.
“What is also extraordinary about these
log books is the consistency with which
Mr Bartley fished in the same areas. This
really does help us to build up a picture
of how the quality of the fishing and
therefore the stocks of inshore species
have changed in these areas over time.
a lo usl y
p e t c at je
Ba rt le y’s o o k e d c atch .
r
M
–
g
C at f ish in shly c augh t a n d c
re
e ye s h is f
He’s full of fascinating tales with an
irrepressible personality and, despite
battling his poor health, is keeping himself
busy writing his autobiography.
next cast and
he was on. It was a terrific scrap and
it ended up with me hauling him up the
rocks – but the line snapped, and I had
to rush down and dive on him before he
flipped back in the water – fantastic stuff!”
Of his whaling days, Mr Bartley recalled,
“It was a great living both on the ‘chasers’
[whaling boats] and on shore doing the
‘cooking’ [boiling down the whale carcass
for by-products].
Mr Bartley first started filling in the log
sheets after he was initially sent them by
the Department of Fisheries. But he found
them to be very useful records for his own
fishing purposes.
“You could make $10 an hour at sea and
$8 for cooking, which was bloody good
money in those days. Problem was, you’d
do 12 days at sea and one day in the pub,
and end up spending the lot!”
“It’s a great way of building up a picture of
catching certain species, in certain places
and certain times. A log book can help you
become a better and more knowledgeable
fisherman, I believe. But it also shows up
changes in the fishery – for instance, we
used to catch leatherjackets all along the
Recreationally he has fished since he was
aged nine and still remembers as clear as a
“Mr Bartley should really be proud of his
dedication to keeping these records so
precisely – it’s a really great contribution
and sets a benchmark for others to follow.”
Dr Smith said the Department of Fisheries
was reliant on recreational fishers to
voluntarily fill in fishing log books to help
build up a picture of recreational catch and
effort across a number of fisheries.
In turn, this information helps the
Department manage fisheries much more
effectively and efficiently, ensuring fish for
the future for all.
Filling in log books provided by the
Department of Fisheries is just one way
conscientious fishers who love their sport
and their quarry can contribute to the
Department’s Research Angler Program. g
For more information about becoming a
research angler, contact the Department
of Fisheries on 9203 0111 or visit
the Department’s website at
www.fish.wa.gov.au and click on the
‘Community & Volunteers’ section.
Western Fisheries DECEMBER 2009 19