By Chris Thomson | posted on April 5, 2018
IN THE wake of Albany’s latest rock fishing tragedy, Western Australia’s peak body for recreational fishers has stopped short of supporting a coroner’s recommendation released last week that life jackets be made compulsory.
Yesterday, Great Southern Police Inspector Danny Vincent confirmed Samuel Peter Roth, 30, of Bayonet Head was fishing alone, untethered to the shore and not wearing a life jacket when he fell into the ocean while fishing off rocks near West Cape Howe on Easter Monday.
Rescuers found Mr Roth’s body about 3pm in water near an area called ‘The Deep’.
The tragedy comes just one week after a coroner’s report into the deaths of Perth fishermen Chunjun Li and Jialong Zhang at Albany’s Salmon Holes in Easter 2015 recommended that lifejackets be made compulsory for rock fishers (‘Fishing safety plea’, The Weekender, March 29).
Albany Sea Rescue operations coordinator Chris Johns – whose testimony heavily influenced the recommendations of Deputy State Coroner Evelyn Vicker – said conditions were treacherous as two rescue boats with seven crew, and two surf lifesaving jet skis and four riders were dispatched from Albany on Monday.
“A Denmark surf lifesaving jet ski got there [first] and recovered the body, which was transferred to the Denmark sea rescue boat and then the police asked us to take the man back to Albany,” he said.
Mr Johns repeated calls he has made over many years for life jackets to be made mandatory for rock fishers.
Tim Grose, communications manager for recreational fishing peak group Recfishwest, stopped well short of backing Mr Johns’ calls.
“We’re currently reviewing the coroner’s recommendations and will use the current trial happening in New South Wales to help better guide our position on life jackets for rock fishers,” he told The Weekender.
“At the end of the day, everyone is responsible for their own safety and all the authorities are doing a great job collectively educating and raising the awareness of safe beach fishing, especially on the South Coast.”
Mr Johns said sea rescue and surf lifesaving personnel were all volunteers, and that he had personally put 15 people in body bags.
“One thing I’ve been saying in these current coronial reports is that most people think this is always at Salmon Holes and always tourists,” he said.
“I get really offended by that because at least 40 per cent, probably 50 per cent of our jobs, if you look at our log books, are not at Salmon Holes, a case in point yesterday, and they are local fishers.
He said rock fishing deaths were on the rise around Albany.
“Since 1974, every 2.8 years we lose somebody through rock fishing here,” he said.
“It’s been disproportionally higher in the last few years.
“There have been nine deaths and about eight recoveries from 2015 back to 2011 from rock fishing alone.”
Mr Johns said one similarity among all deaths was that none of the fishers was wearing a life jacket.
“We understand that the family would feel shattered right now,” he said.
“So do the volunteers, and SES and the police who respond at the scene.”
Tributes to Mr Roth have flowed in over social media since news of his death broke on Monday.
