Covid 19 - Fishcare Victoria Response
As you are aware Covid 19 has and will continue to have an impact on Fishcares ability to deliver face to face fishing clinics for the foreseeable future.
Majority of Fishcare volunteers are over the age of 60. Their involvement in Fishcare activities require them to engage with schools and communities and puts them most at risk of the effects of Covid 19.
It is a dynamic and rapidly changing environment which we will need to be flexible and adapt to. During this time Fishcare Victoria will be focusing on launching our Get Hooked on Fishing App and increasing online resources, articles & video tutorials. Some topics we already have in the pipeline are ‘Rod & Reel Basics’, ‘How to Cast’, ‘How to ethically dispatch fish’ & ‘How to prepare fish for consumption’ amongst others.
Our free app will be a great way for novice anglers to learn and watch tutorials, as well as undertake quizzes and earn achievement badges. This will be a fantastic resource for students & parents whilst Covid 19 social distancing and self isolation regulations are in place.
We will also be planning and implementing online training resources to support new and existing volunteers in safety, risk assessments, event delivery, Fishcare policies and code of conduct. Like always, continuous improvement of Governance practices as well as increasing efficiencies will also be a focus during this time.
We will be exploring options of moving our state committee and staff meetings online to ensure we maintain good & meaningful communication and we will utilise online collaboration tools to ensure volunteers, staff and the Fishcare Community remain connected and engaged.
In terms of our deliverables outlined in current funding agreements, we anticipate not meeting our clinic delivery numbers, however Fishcare Victoria sees an opportunity to bolster our online engagement to support and encourage novice anglers to learn & participate in fishing whilst adhering to health advice and government social distancing protocols during this uncertain time.
It isn’t business as usual, however Fishcare Victoria will continue to work on innovative ways to encourage interest and participation of one of Australias favourite recreational activities and when it is safe to do so, we will resume our face to face delivery of school fishing clinics and community events.
Many Thanks
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Sarah Van Stokrom
Executive Officer
Fishcare Victoria
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