By Samantha Beckmann, winner of a 2021 ACSA Seed Grant
We are so grateful to have won an ACSA Seed Grant to help promote the use of the 2 Bent Rods free fishing app, where recreational & professional fishers can upload photos and contribute data about the size and health of fish in their catch. Currently we have about 500 fishers using the app. We also use the app to help in the management of our fishing competitions, which encourage fishers to take a photo of native fish and release them, or in the case of pest fishing competitions, help to keep track of pest numbers before disposal.
With users sharing their catches, we will be able to gain an understanding of the main fish caught from shore based fishers. This includes undersize fish, approximate locational data as well as information for different species. It will help to give a more localized understanding of juvenile fish movements, including pelagics such as tuna and queenfish. We are hoping to gather more data over the coming years to share with relevant authorities, and encourage the casual fisher to sign up and use the app no matter where they live.
