On the desert coast of Western Australia a handful of fishers are bucking the trend towards commercialisation by deliberately keeping their fishing operations small and simple.

Key points: Fishers in Shark Bay use a net fishing method to catch whiting, bream and mullet

Fishers in Shark Bay use a net fishing method to catch whiting, bream and mullet The fishers set up nets in shallow waters and haul in their catch by hand

The fishers set up nets in shallow waters and haul in their catch by hand Declining fish stocks have made it harder to make a living and fewer people have been drawn to the vocation

Net fishers in Shark Bay, 800 kilometres north of Perth, believe maintaining simple fishing operations is the key to preserving the area's fish stocks — and their lifestyle.

Long-time Shark Bay local, Glen Hoult, is among the declining number of people who still fish using nets.

Like most fishers in Shark Bay, Mr Hoult learnt the craft from his father.

"I left school in 1975 and went straight [to] fishing with my father," he said.

"We'd been out on the boat since we could walk so we knew what to do, it was just a matter of putting it into action — with a bit of effort."

Net fishing is not just a job but a way of life for Shark Bay's fishers. ( ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Samille Mitchell )

Hauling in a catch by hand

Using eyes honed by a lifetime at sea, fishers like Mr Hoult cruise the nature-rich shallow waters in their jetboats, looking for schools of whiting, bream and mullet.

If they spy a suitable school they set up nets and began hauling in their catch by hand.

Shark Bay's net fishers haul in a netful of fish. ( ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Samille Mitchell )

"It depends on the tides and the weather, but you just hop in your jetboat and go looking for fish until you can find some," Mr Hoult said.

"If you've got enough, you come home and if you haven't you stay out for a night or two.

"You can't textbook it. You can't go and read a book and say 'Well now, I know how to fish'.

"The practical side of it will tell you what you can and can't do."

Shark Bay net fisher Glen Hoult hauls in his catch. ( ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Samille Mitchell )

An ocean way of life

Net fishing is hard physical work and rising prices mean it is harder to make a living. But in Shark Bay, fishing is not so much a job as a way of life.

"We're in the wrong game if we want to become millionaires, but we've got a pretty good lifestyle so we put a fair value on that," Mr Hoult said.

Retired Shark Bay fisher Jimmy Polland remembers his fishing days fondly. ( ABC Midwest Wheatbelt: Samille Mitchell )

Early Shark Bay fishers remember their days at sea fondly and retiree Jimmy Polland said he loved his days on the ocean.

"I enjoyed the fishing because I was young and fishing was just like playing," he said.

"We used to run the nets and enjoy fishing because it was not hard work."

Declining fish stocks

Despite the enviable lifestyle, the younger generation have not yet been following in their fathers' footsteps.

Rising prices and a decline in fish stocks from a marine heatwave in 2010 has meant it has been harder to earn a living.

It may not be long before this style of fishing dies out.

"There's a couple [of the next generation] that are interested because they want to come back for the lifestyle that they grew up with as kids," Mr Hoult said.

"But right at the minute let's hope we can build up the stock a bit before they come back.

"I think most of them are better off where they are right at the minute."