‘No salmon is worth your life’: dangerous fishing at Salmon Holes prompts fresh wave of safety warnings

Shocking footage of anglers risking their lives on the rocks at Salmon Holes at the weekend has prompted outcry from locals and emergency services, with authorities pleading for those fishing to put safety first. Salmon season is in full swing in the Great Southern, but not everyone appears to be taking safety seriously, despite campaigns by Recfishwest and the State Government to stay safe and fish from the beach. Local Michelle Borchert headed out to Salmon Holes with a group to go fishing on Sunday afternoon, but decided not to put their lines in when they got a better look at how big the swell was, saying it “didn’t seem like very good conditions”. Ms Borchert captured an alarming video of several angers on the dangerous rocks as swell crashed in and ran up to where they were standing. She said her group watched from the lookout above the beach and saw the fishermen in the video go out on to the rocks. “It was honestly scary to watch,” she said. “We kept wondering what we’d even do if one of them got swept away. “There was a group of us watching from the lookout in disbelief. “They did manage to pull in one salmon, but hardly seems worth the risk.” The Advertiser shared her video to social media and by Wednesday it already had more than 96,000 views and hundreds of comments. Recfishwest reposted Ms Borchert’s video to its Facebook page on Tuesday, writing that by fishing at Salmon Holes in such rough conditions, people were “putting their lives on the line”. “Even wearing a lifejacket, one slip here with this swell and it’s probably your last ever fishing trip — is any fish really worth risking your life for?” the post’s caption read. Recfishwest fish and survive co-ordinator Levi De Boni said lifejackets could create a false sense of security. “Fishing off rock platforms like Salmon Holes in periods of high swell is extremely high risk,” he said. “If you get swept off the rocks fishing in those kind of conditions, your chances of survival are very low even if you are wearing a lifejacket. “If you find yourself in a situation where you have to deploy your lifejacket, you’ve probably first made several wrong decisions or not factored in the weather and swell conditions before setting out. “That’s why we strongly recommend for fishers to keep the sand between their toes and fish from the beach where you’ll have a better, safer fishing experience and catch just as many if not more salmon without the risks of fishing off the rocks. “Everyone should come home safely after a day’s fishing.” Han Nguyen and Frank Saraceni were both fishing at Salmon Holes on Wednesday morning. Mr Nguyen is a former Albany resident and brought Mr Saraceni to fish at one of his old haunts while they were visiting from Perth. He said in his younger days, he would venture out on to the rocks to put a line in, but since moving away from Albany and now having a family, he said he hadn’t even considered doing that this time. “I would only ever fish off the beach here now,” he said. “Safety has to come first, and the beach is better I think now anyway; it’s great if you’re bringing your family down, there’s space for the kids to run around on the sand. “Fishing is meant to be something that’s fun, it’s not meant to be dangerous, it’s only a fish at the end of the day and it’s not worth risking your life.” Andrew Hammond, a former chief executive officer of the City of Albany, was also down at Salmon Holes on Wednesday, the first time he had tried the spot for salmon fishing. “It’s a no-brainer fishing from the beach,” he said. “I hadn’t come fishing at Salmon Holes before, but everyone who is local knows how dangerous this beach can be if you’re not careful. “We went well this morning, we had to put a few back and we’re taking a couple of good fish home, so we were certainly successful off the beach.” According to the State Government, 13 people have died at Salmon Holes since 1983 after being washed off the rocks. Mandatory lifejackets were implemented at Salmon Holes by the State Government in 2021 after a successful two year trial period, and anyone caught on the rocks without one can be fined as much as $1000. During the trial, which began in 2019, almost 3000 people were observed fishing at Salmon Holes, 2405 from the beach and 449 from the rocks. When anyone is swept off the rocks, a multi-agency rescue effort is triggered, and Albany officer-in-charge Sen. Sgt Carlos Correia said anyone fishing off the rocks should consider not only the danger they are putting themselves in, but the impacts on their families and emergency responders. “Be aware of the dangers, if you are swept off those rocks, the swells and currents there are not kind,” he said. “Unfortunately there have been fatalities at Salmon Holes, where people have been pulled off the rocks and were unable to be rescued, and in those situations emergency services are out risking their own lives to try to rescue the person, and their loved ones who were left behind have had to deal with their deaths. “Our first ask is that you fish off the beach, but if you’re going to fish off the rocks, tie off and wear a lifejacket. “If you’re not going to heed the advice, at least take all the precautions you can to keep yourself and everyone else safe.” Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development executive director of fisheries and aquaculture Nathan Harrison said school holidays were a popular time for people to head to the south coast with the hope of catching some salmon. He noted that many people would be visiting fishing locations they were unfamiliar with, and encouraged those heading out to take extra safety precautions including checking swell and weather forecasts, watching the ocean for 15 minutes before putting a line in to gauge ocean conditions and wave patterns, fishing from the beach, and telling someone about your fishing plans and when you plan to come back.