EDITORIAL: After the latest rock-fishing tragedy on the south coast, we have one question — what will it take?

Relaxing with your mates in the great outdoors, with little on your mind but the tug on your line as another one takes the bait — the highs of fishing can be addictive. And the lows — well, those barren days of bad weather or bad luck are what make the highs stand out. But for all of the fun you can have with a rod or speargun, no fish is worth your life. Our coastline, where the Southern Ocean pounds into ancient granite headlands, is the deadliest in WA. To go fishing from the rocks near the water’s edge is a risk that demands mitigation. Since Saturday, police have been searching for an 18-year-old Albany man, who was swept into the sea near Mermaid Beach in the hunt for a blue groper. It is the same species of fish a young Northam couple were trying to catch when they were swept off rocks to their death in Torndirrup National Park in 2019. Police say these three young people, like most fishers killed off our coast, were not wearing lifejackets. Personal responsibility is key, but the government could and should do more to prevent deaths. Albany Sea Rescue volunteers have backed a 2018 coroner’s recommendation for compulsory lifejackets for rock fishers. These volunteers are the people who race out in often rough conditions in a bid to save a life — like they did on Saturday. But Recfishwest does not support mandatory lifejackets and the State Government has not committed to it. As our community deals with yet another rock-fishing tragedy, we have one question: What will it take?