Fish aggregating devices Guide

Fish Aggregating Devices
Fish aggregating device

Fish aggregating devices (FADs) are human-made structures anchored offshore that attract fish, making them easier to catch so you can have a great fishing experience.

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is installing FADs off the Queensland coast as part of the FADs program.

During the first stage of the program, 25 surface FADs were deployed off South East Queensland—from K’gari (formerly Fraser Island) to the Gold Coast. These FADs have been popular with fishers, with great catches of mahi mahi reported.

As part of the next stage of the program, FADs have been deployed off these locations:

Additional FADs are also being considered for other parts of Queensland.

Fish attracted to FADs

Most fish attracted to the FADs are seasonal pelagic fish, which travel in the warm water delivered by ocean currents. Species caught around the FADs include mahi mahi, wahoo, tuna, cobia, mackerel and billfish.

Mahi mahi are the most common species of fish caught around the FADs and are the perfect sport fish:

Safety around FADs

Monitoring programs

You can help monitor fish numbers around the FADs by:

Read the results of the FADs boat ramp surveys 2019 to 2021.

FADs are also fitted with acoustic receivers that detect and track acoustic-tagged animals. They form part of the Integrated Marine Observing System national receiver network for animal tracking around Australia.

Fish aggregating devices, 13 Nov 2023, [https://oss-uat.clients.squiz.net/recreation/activities/boating-fishing/rec-fishing/fish-aggregating-devices]

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