Predicting Hazardous Conditions for Rock Fishing

Project Reference: 08016

Rock fishing is a popular sport in New South Wales due to the ready accessibility to deep coastal waters from the rock shelves that are characteristic of the New South Wales rugged coastline. These rock shelves are ideal locations to intercept large schools of fish traversing along the coast; and entering estuaries and tidal inlets.

However, rock fishing is also the most dangerous sport in NSW with several people per year losing their lives after being swept from rocks by dangerous waves.

Significant progress has been made in recent years to identify triggers for dangerous wave conditions at sea, as well as the depth-velocity conditions at which people become washed over under waves and strong currents.

The Water Research Laboratory is presently undertaking a research investigation on behalf of the Recreational Fishing Trust of NSW supervised by the Department of Primary Industries to better technically understand wave conditions which are likely to lead to hazardous conditions on rock shelves along the NSW coast.

A physical laboratory investigation using wave groups will be used to reveal the critical conditions that lead to significant overtopping of rock platforms by large waves. We believe that this is the first international study undertaken of this problem. During the course of this project, direct communication of the findings of the study will be made with stakeholder groups and the wider community.