Spot a Groper and win!

Ask Groper for a competition card, so you can get your first codeword.

Spot a Groper is a fun promotional competition being held in the Fremantle area between July and September, to highlight the need for increased protection of our marine environment.

Western Australia has less than 3 per cent of its marine environment fully protected, yet worldwide, scientists recommend 20-30 per cent to ensure protection of our marine wildlife.

The Spot a Groper competition is free to enter, offers some great prizes and lots of fun, as people keep an eye out for our crazily dressed Blue Groper.

The Blue Groper will be appearing on the streets of Fremantle and surrounding suburbs from July to September. You might see Groper on the train, at your local café, or wandering the markets on the weekend. Just keep an eye out, and ask for a competition card, so you can get your first codeword.

How to Enter

1. Firstly, you need to Spot a Groper. When you see Groper, ask for a competition card – it has the first codeword that you will need to enter our competition

2. Visit our website (which you’re doing now) and find the second codeword (hint: it's on this page). Have a look at our information about WA’s marine environment.

Email WA's Environment Minister David Templeman, asking him to create no-take marine parks that will protect our wildlife into the future.

3. To enter the competition, email the two codewords, along with your name, address and phone number by clicking the link below:

Enter the Spot a Groper competition now!

It’s that easy! You’re now in the running for some great prizes, including:

• $100 restaurant voucher from Clancy’s Fish Pub, Fremantle
• Whale Watching Tour for two people from Hillary's Fast Ferries, Hillary's
• Surf hats from SOS Surf Company, Fremantle

Why the Western Blue Groper?

Unique to southern Australia, the Western Blue Groper is the largest and oldest fish found along the southern ocean. It changes sex and colour throughout its life from a grey juvenile to an olive green female and finally a dark blue male.

As the Western Blue Groper grows up to 1.75 metres in length and 40 kilos in weight, this fish is prized by all fishers particularly those using spear. Yet, it is extremely vulnerable to even light fishing pressure because it is very long lived, with a lifespan of up to 70 years old and maturation at 20 years of age. Juveniles live in sea grass meadows and shallow protected inshore waters. Sadly, this species is losing its important nurseries to coastal developments.

You would think that a marine park sounds like a pretty safe place for a fish, right? Wrong!

In WA, mining and fishing is allowed in most areas of our marine parks, so our marine wildlife have few places to hide. It is only in sanctuary zones (small areas within marine parks), that no mining, fishing, or other harmful activities are allowed, that real protection occurs.

We need marine parks with large no-take sanctuary zones to protect animals like the Western Blue Groper.