Robust data is critical to ensure sustainability and demonstrate the social and economic benefits of recreational fisheries. Traditional data collection methods can be cost-prohibitive, especially for fisheries operating across large scales, or those requiring real time information. Challenges associated with data collection have been highlighted during COVID-19, where travel restrictions have changed the dynamics of regional tourism and associated recreational fishing. Increased domestic travel is delivering economic benefits to many regional locations, however, there have been concerns about increased effort and the longer-term impact of increased catches on stock sustainability.

Federal and State Governments have implemented a range of policy responses during COVID-19, with support measures and stimulus packages for businesses, including tourism. Many jurisdictions have implemented measures to assist commercial and recreational fishing sectors, while few jurisdictions have implemented changes to recreational fishing regulations. In Western Australia, recreational fishing rules were revised to address sustainability concerns for valuable stocks of demersal finfish. This policy shift was supported by evidence from ongoing monitoring and stakeholder engagement. Further reviews will be conducted following the current state-wide survey (September 2020–August 2021), which will provide estimates of participation, effort, catch and expenditure in regional Western Australia attributed to local and non-local residents and to recreational fishing.

While intensive survey methods are repeated periodically, the adoption of indicators between these intervals can inform ongoing assessments. Social and economic indicators, such as those obtained from administrative data or record of sales, have the potential to provide rapid assessment of changes in participation, fisher demographics and catches. While benchmarking these data against traditional surveys may be required, there is a need to investigate a range of data sources that could measure change and inform rapid assessments.