2024 Feature Writing Short (Under 4000 Words)

Inspired by reports from The Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania, freelance writer Ben Walter wrote a clear, research-backed and stylish feature about declining flathead numbers in Tasmania. Flathead are easy to catch, easy to fillet and great eating – and if you’re a Tasmanian going fishing recreationally, “there’s a 68 per cent chance that’s the fish you’re going to be reeling in.

Bookended with personal narrative, Walter’s feature weaves together the cultural significance of fishing for Tasmanians with the broader environmental context and policy around fisheries. As the piece went to print in Island, the Tasmanian government announced a new set of regulations for sand flathead fishing, retaining the minimum size, establishing a maximum size limit, lowering the bag limit quantity anglers can take home, and banning commercial fishing completely.