Drone Fishing Laws in WA (2026): Is It Legal in Western Australia?

Bottom line: Drone fishing is legal in Western Australia. The state has no DPIRD rule specifically prohibiting drone-deployed lines, no recreational fishing licence is required for general shore angling, and the line is treated as a standard rod-and-line. The catch — and it’s a real one for most Perth drone anglers — is the November 2023 wire-trace ban that put shark targeting off-limits within 800 m of any Perth metro beach.

What DPIRD actually says (and doesn’t say)

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s 2026 Recreational Fishing Guide does not name drones. The general gear-and-method rules cover it: a recreational angler can fish with rod and reel, the line must be attached and attended, and the standard size, bag and seasonal closures apply.

DPIRD has not classified a drone-deployed line as a “set line” or banned the method explicitly. Drone bait drops are permitted by silence — they’re not in the prohibited methods, and the gear (a rod, a line, a hook, a baited rig) is identical to a standard shore cast. Once the drone has dropped the bait and flown home, what you’re fishing is just a rod-and-line.

That said, “permitted by silence” is not the same as “explicitly endorsed”. DPIRD could classify drone-deployed line as set-line tomorrow. If you’re going to spend money on a drone-fishing setup, the Recreational Fishing Guide and rules.fish.wa.gov.au are the only references that matter — confirm both before you commit.

The federal CASA rules (apply everywhere)

CASA’s standard recreational drone rules apply to every drone fishing flight in Australia, before any WA-specific rule kicks in.

  • Maximum altitude: 120 metres above ground level.
  • Visual line of sight at all times. No FPV goggles, monitor-only flying, or binoculars. The drone can fly 1.5 km in a good tailwind; your eyes say it can’t.
  • 30 m from people, boats and vehicles not associated with you. Includes other shore anglers and any boat passing through.
  • No flying over populous areas — populated beaches, busy parks, or events in use.
  • Daylight only. No pre-dawn drops without a specific approval.
  • One drone per pilot at a time.

Recreational drone registration remains paused as of May 2026. Commercial use (paid bait-drop services, monetised content, charter operations) triggers mandatory registration via myCASA plus an RPA Operator Accreditation or Remote Pilot Licence.

The November 2023 wire-trace ban: the real constraint

This is the rule most Perth drone anglers actually run into.

From 3 November 2023, the use of wire trace is prohibited within 800 metres of shore at every Perth metropolitan beach, from Tim’s Thicket Beach (south of Mandurah) to 5 km north of Two Rocks, and across all waters of the Swan-Canning Estuary.

The ban is targeted at shark fishing. Wire trace is required to land sharks — mono cuts on the gill plate. Drone anglers in Perth most commonly target sharks, mulloway and mackerel, so the ban removes shark and large-mackerel work from the entire Perth metro stretch. Mono trace for tailor, mulloway, herring, whiting and snapper remains legal.

The ban is gear-based, not method-based — it applies whether the line is cast from shore, dropped from a boat, or delivered by drone. Using a drone does not get you around it.

Outside the metro zone — Mandurah south, north of Two Rocks, Geraldton, Augusta, the south coast — wire trace remains legal, and drone-targeting sharks is a different prospect.

Marine parks and sanctuary zones

WA’s marine parks are split between Commonwealth-managed (Australian Marine Parks) and state-managed (DBCA: Ningaloo, Marmion, Shoalwater Islands, Rottnest, Jurien Bay, Lalang-garram, Montebello and others). Both systems use a zoning hierarchy:

  • General-use zones: recreational fishing permitted.
  • Habitat protection zones: recreational fishing permitted with restrictions.
  • Sanctuary zones (no-take): no fishing at all, no drone-deployed bait, and drones are prohibited overhead in Commonwealth sanctuary zones.

Drone overflight of a Commonwealth Australian Marine Park requires a permit from Parks Australia (free, but allow about eight weeks). Most state parks require equivalent permission from DBCA. Recreational use approvals are not common.

Whales, dolphins and dugongs: WA state environment rules require drones to stay 60 m clear; the Commonwealth EPBC threshold is 100 to 300 m depending on species. Relevant if your bait-drop path crosses a migrating pod.

National parks and DBCA reserves

Launching a drone from a WA national park or DBCA-managed reserve generally requires a Commercial Operations Licence or a specific recreational approval — and the approval bar is high. Many popular WA shore-fishing locations (parts of Rottnest, sections of Yalgorup National Park, Cape Range, Coral Bay) sit inside DBCA-managed reserves with their own drone restrictions. Check the park-specific rules before launching.

The SLSWA shark-patrol overlay

Surf Life Saving WA operates a state-funded shark surveillance drone program across Perth metro beaches — City, Scarborough, Trigg, Cottesloe, Mullaloo and a rotating list of others. When SLSWA drones are airborne, members of the public are advised not to fly private drones in the same airspace.

This is enforcement guidance rather than a statutory ban, but CASA’s “no flying near emergency operations” rule applies the moment SLSWA is responding to a shark sighting or running a rescue. Practically, on a busy summer Saturday at a patrolled beach, the airspace is closed.

Where you can actually drone-fish in WA

Outside the Perth metro 800 m wire-trace zone, plenty of WA coastline is fair game. The Mid West and Gascoyne (Geraldton, Coral Bay, Exmouth — subject to Ningaloo zoning), the South West, the south coast, and Mandurah south of Tim’s Thicket all permit standard drone bait drops with no metro-specific gear restriction. Sanctuary zones still apply everywhere, and DBCA reserves still need their permits.

2024–2026 changes

  • November 2023: Perth metro wire-trace ban came into force. Still in force May 2026 — this is the headline state rule for drone fishing in WA.
  • December 2025: WA released its demersal management changes (snapper, dhufish, baldchin closures and bag limits). Not method-specific to drone fishing, but the species most often targeted by drone bait drops offshore of Perth are affected — check current rules before you keep anything.
  • No new state-level drone-method rules in 2024 to 2026.

What to check before you fly

  1. DPIRD Recreational Fishing Guide for current bag, size and closure rules.
  2. rules.fish.wa.gov.au for the live area-by-area rule lookup.
  3. CASA’s drone safety rules for the flight rules — 120 m, 30 m, line of sight, daylight only.
  4. The marine park or DBCA reserve overlay for the spot you’re fishing.
  5. Whether SLSWA drones are operating at your beach today.

This article is not legal advice and the rules change. Always check the regulator’s current page before you fly.