Marron fishing is a uniquely West Australian experience.
More than 10,000 people purchase a licence each year and head down south with friends and family to enjoy catching them.
These delicious crustaceans are an icon to many WA people and as such are carefully managed by the Department of Fisheries.
While many were enjoying the Christmas break, Recfishwest staff and volunteers were busy assisting with a local project that has trialled the stocking of marron into Harvey Dam.
The team were knee-deep in mud removing thousands of marron from ponds at the Pemberton Hatchery.
The marron were then cleaned, packed and transported to Harvey Dam for release. More than 5500 juvenile marron were released into the dam, with the help of the local Harvey community.
This stocking is part of a project which has been investigating new and innovative ways of future-proofing marron stocks.
A spokeperson for Recfishwest said it was important given a drying climate would almost certainly place increased pressure on marron stocks in the future.
Stocking is one option that could relieve some of the pressure in the long term. While this most recent stocking effort was a trial, stocking marron on a larger scale in the future is something that would be considered.
The marron season opened on Tuesday, January 8 and runs until February 5. A starter’s guide to catching marron is available here.