Tuross fishing community celebrates new jetty and pontoon  

Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips, Max Castle and Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Mat Hatcher cut the ribbon at the launch of the new Tuross jetty and pontoon. 

Members of Tuross Marine Rescue, Tuross Progress Association and the Eurobodalla Shire Council celebrated the opening of the new jetty and pontoon at Tuross Head with Member for Gilmore, Fiona Phillips MP on Friday, August 5.
 
The Tuross Jetty and Pontoon Project was funded through an Australian Government Community Development Grant of $200,000 and was delivered by the Eurobodalla Shire Council. 

Gilmore MP Fiona Phillips said the new jetty will be an asset for the community and draw more visitors to the area. 

"Everyone has worked so hard to get this project off the ground over so many years; I'm delighted that the new jetty is finally open for all of the community to enjoy. The new and improved jetty and pontoon will make access easier and safer for our community and for visitors, helping us all to spend even more time enjoying this beautiful waterway. Thanks to the Tuross Head Progress Association, Marine Rescue and Council for helping to make this possible," Ms Phillips said.

Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Director of Infrastructure Warren Sharpe said the placement of the new jetty was no easy task. Over time, surveyors inspected sand movement and aerial photography helped map the best outcome for accessibility.

“The shape of the fixed jetty gives the best outcome for boaters and recreational users with the pontoon positioned at the end of the fixed jetty moving up and down with the tide,” he said.  

Recreational Fishing Alliance Vice President and Tuross Progress Association member, Max Castle, said the new jetty was better than he envisioned. 

“The old jetty was slipping into the water and the timber handrails gave people splinters – it was well past its used-by-date,” Mr Castle said. 

Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Mat Hatcher thanked the Tuross Head community for their input to the project as well as Ms Phillips for advocating funding to achieve such a significant facility for the Shire.

“Without these grants and people like Max in the community with members of the Tuross Progress Association, these projects wouldn’t happen,” Mr Hatcher said.  

“Max has done so much for the boating and fishing community and is an asset to the community for the work he does.

“The Council looks forward to continuing to work with the Tuross Progress Association on more projects such as beach access and pedestrian pathways which will be delivered later this year.” 

Habitat Action Grants available

The annual NSW Department of Primary Industries Habitat Action Grants are now open. Applications close 5.00 pm Friday 23rd September 2022.

All info including guidelines and application forms is at this link.

Controversial floodplain harvesting approved by NSW Environment Minister

The NSW Environment Minister James Griffin has approved the licensing system that allows irrigators in Border Rivers and Gwydir River catchments to capture floodwater on private properties. Licences are to be issued by 1 September, and licences for the Macquarie, Barwon-Darling and Namoi valleys will be determined and will come into effect in late 2022 and early 2023. 

Griffin has ratified water sharing plans that allow irrigators to obtain licences to collect the floodwater that runs over their land by floodplain harvesting, i.e. construction of channels, levees and dams to collect and hold the water on their own properties. Floodplain harvesting was the subject of a NSW Parliament Upper House enquiry established last year. In February, Labor, the Greens and crossbenchers united to disallow water-capturing licences despite the minister already moving to issue them.

At the time, Cate Faehrmann, the Greens MP who chaired the Upper House inquiry into the practice, said: “It should now be clear to the government that they do not have a social licence to gift $1 billion worth of water licences to their corporate irrigator mates.” She said that licensing should allow and be applied to 64GL of water take, not the 346GL that the government intends to license.

Floodplain harvesting is currently allowed and common, but it is a grey area legally. There is general cross-party agreement that it should be licensed so that it can be monitored and regulated. But the upper house has now voted three times to block proposed licensing schemes because targets were set too low, and also because irrigators in northern NSW catchments would capture floodwater before it reached lower sections of the Darling.

Just 10 out of 158 licence holders in the Barwon-Darling control 86 per cent of water extracted from the river, a 2019 report by Australian Rivers Institute professor Fran Sheldon found.

Southern Riverina Irrigators vice-chairman Darcy Hare said too much water had been licensed for the practice, reducing inflows downstream and putting water security at risk. He said they planned to challenge the legislation in the Supreme Court, arguing the amount of water licensed exceeded legal limits. 

Member for Murray Helen Dalton has also launched a disallowance motion in Parliament in an attempt to block the licensing regulation, saying that the current floodplain harvesting laws left the Murray-Darling system in the lurch as water is taken before it can reach the river and flow downstream.

Aboriginal men found guilty of fishing offences
Kevin Nye, a Walbunja Aboriginal man from the NSW South Coast found guilty of fishing offences says he was practising his culture. In a Sydney court in August Nye has been ordered not to fish, dive or possess abalone for the next two years after being found guilty of fisheries offences. Nye was ordered to pay $4,500 in fines and 200 hours of community service, and his vehicle will be seized.  

Nye was originally arrested in Sydney in 2017 with 439 abalone in his car with another 128 seized in a restaurant freezer. Fisheries officers found he had sold abalone to the restaurant in Sydney on January 20, 2017. The Fisheries Management Act 1994 defines an indictable quantity of abalone as 50. The offences carry a maximum of 10 years imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay $4,500 in fines and perform 200 hours of community service. 

Mr Nye does not hold a commercial fishing licence and had been convicted previously for abalone possession.

Nye says he has a right to cultural fishing. Outside the court he said "I have been found guilty of practising my culture, something I have done my whole life … but thank God the judge, I believe, took our culture on board and recognised who we are – it could have been much worse," he said.

Mr Nye said he has a right to cultural fishing, and has done so since childhood. "The government expects me to walk away from that," he said.

In a similar case last month, a magistrate dismissed an appeal by Walbunja man John Carriage to overturn his conviction after he was found in possession of abalone at South Durras in December 2017.

In October last year he was given a 12-month intensive correction order and ordered not to dive for or possess abalone for two years. He appealed on the grounds that he was practising cultural fishing.

On 1 June, Judge Buscombe in the Parramatta District Court, dismissed the appeal.

Lawyers for NSW Fisheries then asked the judge to award them $25,000 in legal costs against Carriage. But Judge Buscombe told the court Fisheries' decision to ask for Mr Carriage to pay costs "troubled" him. "This man is a descendant of people who have fished in these water for a millennia. As an ordinary Australian I find it repugnant, quite frankly," he said.

A parliamentary inquiry into cultural fishing is currently underway in NSW, looking at why legislation passed in 2009 to protect cultural fishing has not been enacted. An inquiry hearing was held in Narooma on the South Coast last month, with a second hearing set to take place in Sydney on August 19.

RFA to appear at “Commencement of the Fisheries Management Amendment Act 2009 Inquiry”
This inquiry was established on 25 November 2021 to inquire into and report on the commencement of the Fisheries Management Amendment Act 2009. A hearing will be held in Sydney on the 19^th of August 2022.
 
The inquiry and its outcome are of interest to recreational fishers. Many fishers believe that the notion and practice of cultural fishing issues have been distorted to the point of being divisive amongst stakeholders and more transparency and communication between all parties is what is needed. We all need to acknowledge that the entire fishery is under stress and that we all share the same principles around fishing to feed our families, and that we all pass this culture down from generation to generation. Accordingly, we hope this inquiry considers the issues raised by the RFA against the bigger picture of how the NSW Government and NSW DPI have handled the issue of cultural fishing in NSW.

Reminder - new dusky flathead and lobster recreational fishing rules effective from 1 August 2022
A reminder to all recreational fishers that the new recreational fishing rules for dusky flathead and lobster in NSW are now in effect. The new rules for recreational fishers are:

Lobster – increase in combined bag limit from 2 to 3 per person (comprised wholly of any single species or a combination of species of eastern rock lobster or southern rock lobster).

Dusky flathead – introduction of a maximum size limit of 70 cm (previously only 1 over 70 cm). This means only dusky flathead between 36 cm (minimum size) and 70 cm (maximum size) may be retained, all others must be released.

The daily bag limit for dusky flathead has also been reduced from 10 to 5 per person. The possession limit however will remain at 10 per person to enable travelling fishers to store and freeze up to 10 fish for future consumption.

A bag limit is the maximum number of fish you can collect per person per day, where a possession limit is the maximum number a person can have in their possession at any one time i.e. in your freezer.

For more information on bag and possession limits in NSW, head to the DPI website - https://bit.ly/3PLzsAD.

New Eurobodalla reef bringing the baitfish and the kingies

The latest artificial reef installed off the Eurobodalla coastline last summer is already home to a number of fish including huge schools of juvenile yakkas and Eastern nannygai. Large schools of kingfish have also recently been encountered.

The Eurobodalla reef is located 3.5 km north-east of Moruya heads in a depth of 41 to 43 metres – check out the DPI website or the FishSmart app for coordinates.

Planning is now underway for the next artificial reefs to be installed off Forster and the Central Coast next year.

2020-21 game fish tagging annual report 

Since 2006, an annual report on the NSW DPI game fish tagging program has been prepared by gamefishing guru, Julian Pepperell. These annual reports summarise the tagging and recapture efforts for each season, highlighting significant recaptures, trends and biology of some species.

Some of the key highlights of the 2020/21 season include;
• 10,207 fish were tagged in 2020/21.
• The 500,000th fish was tagged in the program’s history
• The first recorded movement of a striped marlin from Australia to New Zealand
• New time-at-liberty record for a samsonfish – 12 years
• A kingfish recaptured twice, once after 629 days, the second after another 330 days. That fish had travelled approximately 3,000 km during its 959 days at liberty.

If you would like to learn more about the 2020/21 tagging season or would like to check out any previous season reports, please head to the DPI website -
https://bit.ly/3IN6WeK.

RAP report shines spotlight on mulloway

The latest edition of the 'RAP Report' (DPI’s Research Angler Program newsletter) has been released. Ageing, growth rates, tagging and even some exceptional recaptures are all covered in this edition. You can also find out about the great catches from monthly winners, as well as some important program updates. 

See the report at bit.ly/3vDJN9f.

The RAP report is produced from information provided by rec fishers. If you’re interested in learning more, including the location of your closest drop-off points, check out the DPI website. Be sure to donate frames from your mulloway, snapper, kingfish, pearl perch, dusky and blue spotted flathead, Spanish and spotted mackerel catches to be in for a chance to win some great prizes including RAP merchandise or $50 gift vouchers.  

Sydney Water guilty of polluting Prospect Creek with 280,000 litres of sewage
Sydney Water has been convicted of polluting a Western Sydney creek by discharging hundreds of thousands of litres of untreated sewage into the waterway.

The overflow from a pumping station caused significant environmental damage to the Prospect Creek in Carramar. Tankers were supposed to remove the waste but could not keep up with the flow.

The incident happened on January 15, 2019. Prospect Creek is a major tributary of the Georges River and is used for recreational activities like fishing.

The contamination occurred after a sewer main at Carrawood Reserve in Carramar failed.

The EPA brought three charges against Sydney Water for the incident, but the government-owned corporation was only found guilty on one count.

The authority pleaded not guilty to all charges, and will be sentenced on September 6.

Read a detailed report on the ABC News website at this link.

Kamay Ferry Wharves development approved by State Planning Minister

The controversial Kamay Ferry Wharves plans have been approved to go ahead, despite strong opposition from the community over environmental concerns. State Planning Minister Anthony Roberts signed off on the project on July 21.

The Kamay Ferry Wharf project involves the construction of ferry wharves - a 180 m wharf at La Perouse, and a 200 m wharf at Kurnell, which will connect the two suburbs across Yarra Bay with ferry services.

As the planning for the Kamay Ferry Wharves has been classified a ‘controlled action’ under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, approval from the Federal Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek is needed as well as the NSW Planning Minister, before construction can begin.

More info at this link.

The RFA of NSW says it’s time to call out the bullshit of NSW Planning on the Kamay Ferry Wharves.

Just about every NSW Government infrastructure project has failed to deliver any environmental benefits to Botany Bay and once again the Kamay Ferry Wharves will destroy critical habitat, including seagrass beds that are fish nursery areas, and all in the name of a fist full of dollars to a promised few. For years the Recreational Fishing Haven that is Botany Bay has had its guts ripped out, and these Kamay Ferry Wharves will do it again. Thousands of hours on and under the water on the Bay backs up our claims and calls out the lies of NSW Planning. The Port expansion destroyed seagrass and we are still waiting for the “rehabilitation and improvement” that we have yet to see. You only have to read the rubbish below to see through the spin, and major stakeholders like recreational fishers can see through these lies...
 
“The rehabilitation and improvement of seagrass in Botany Bay through transplantation and creating new areas of growth to provide improved habitat and environment for existing Posidonia australis seagrass meadow. The creation of independent artificial structures such as seahorse hotels.” “The final Marine Biodiversity Offset Strategy will be developed in consultation with relevant government agencies.  This will ensure the project fulfills its obligations under the relevant approvals”
 
Seahorse hotels, more like take away diners for snapper and octopusI What fool would think that destroying natural habitat that offers multiple places to shelter for the endangered seahorse could be replaced by “hotels” that aggregate seahorses and make them easier targets to predators like snapper and octopus.

Talk about bullshit, and shame on those who believe this rubbish that this will be a good outcome for biodiversity. Everyone will put their hand out for these offset dollars and then run for cover when it fails once again. History always repeats when the NSW Government says trust us, we will meet the “obligations under the relevant approvals”.

Spare Angel Rings for Catherine Hill Bay

Recreational Fishing Alliance made a quick trip to the meet the staff at Lake Munmorah State Conservation Area this afternoon, to drop off some much needed spare Angel Rings, a spare Base Mount Post,  installation bolts and chemset glue, stainless steel angle and bar, to carry out some repairs to a bent Angel Ring Post on the Catherine Hill Bay Moonee Beach rock platform.

These silent sentry orange life buoys, located near many high risk NSW coastal rocky fishing locations have saved over 100 document lives since the first post and ring was installed back in 1994 by ANSA NSW volunteers. Funded back then through a grant from the NSW Sporting Injuries Insurance Scheme, and more recently funded by our NSW Recreational Fishing Licence Fees.

If you happen to see one of these distinctive orange life buoys with its ANSA and Trust Fund logos in a place it should not be, then please call the Freecall 1800 079 009 or report such to your local Police Station, or the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.

Gone Fishing Day is on again

Sunday 9 October 2022 is NSW Gone Fishing Day.

Fishing Clubs and organisations are encouraged to host their own event on and around 9 October and can apply to DPI Fisheries for a Gone Fishing Day package, which includes rod and reel sets to assist with your event, some giveaways/ prizes and advisory information.

Grant funding of up to $2,000 is also available for clubs to help run their events.

Application forms and grant funding guidelines are available at https://bit.ly/3cU4J5G.

5.3 million fish stocked in past year

July saw the completion of the 2021-22 stocking season which resulted in more than 5.3 million fish released across NSW. The Narrandera Fisheries Centre produced and released a record 1.26 million Murray cod along with golden perch, silver perch and the endangered trout cod during the successful season.

Other species produced and released by DPI hatcheries included Australian bass, mulloway and dusky flathead at Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, various trout and salmonid species at the Gaden and Dutton Trout Hatcheries (Jindabyne and Ebor) as well as a number of threatened species – including the iconic eastern freshwater cod – at the Grafton Fish Hatchery.

This past season also saw community groups and organisations participate in the popular Dollar for Dollar Native Fish stocking program with Murray cod, golden perch and Australian bass released as part of this program.

The 2022-23 season has recently commenced with broodstock collection and stocking already underway.

DPI’s freshwater and marine stocking programs are funded by recreational fishing fees.

Aboriginal Fishing Trust Fund – 2021/22 Funding Application LAST CHANCE

Artwork commission © Bindarray Maagun (River Feast) by Gumbaynggirr artist Lavinnia Inglis.

Aboriginal communities are reminded that the closing date for applications to the NSW Government’s Aboriginal Fishing Trust Fund is 24 August 2022.

Aboriginal people, businesses and community groups are encouraged to apply for grants or loans from the Trust for projects that relate to fisheries resources.

Enhancement and protection of Aboriginal cultural fishing, along with supporting fisheries related business opportunities, are the overarching aims of the Aboriginal Fishing Trust Fund.

This is the fifth year of operations of the fund. Previous initiatives funded by the Trust include support for marine cultural tour ventures; commercial fishing businesses and aquaculture operations; enhancing cultural fishing grounds; education programs; and cultural fishing workshops.

Applications for the 2021/22 Aboriginal Fishing Trust Fund funding round will now close at 5 pm on 24 August 2022.

For information on eligibility, funding categories, the assessment process and how to apply, visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aboriginal-fishing/AFTF

Artwork commission © Bindarray Maagun (River Feast) by Gumbaynggirr artist Lavinnia Inglis.

Closed season for fishing in the Mann River and tributaries

The annual three month fishing closure on the Mann River and its tributaries commenced on 1 August 2022.

The annual closure is in place to provide an increased level of protection to the endangered eastern freshwater cod (eastern cod) during its spawning season and across an important portion of its natural range. At spawning time the eastern cod becomes particularly vulnerable to capture by hook and line due to the aggressive manner in which it protects its eggs.

The fishing closure runs from 1 August through to 31 October each year. All fishing activity is prohibited in the Mann River and its tributaries upstream of its junction with the Clarence River. This also includes the Nymboida River and all of its tributaries from its junction with the Mann River upstream to its junction with Wild Cattle Creek.

The possession of fishing gear in, on or adjacent to closed waters is also an offence. Penalties for fishing or being in possession of fishing gear on closed waters ranges from fines of $500 up to $22,000 upon prosecution.

Because of the endangered status of eastern cod, deliberately fishing for or targeting them is illegal. Offending involving the; taking, or harming or retention of Eastern Cod at any time can result in fines of $2,500 up to $220,000 and/or 2 years imprisonment upon prosecution.

If you accidentally catch an eastern cod in other areas, you must release it immediately back into the waters from which it was taken, ensuring that you cause the least possible harm.

Fisheries Officers will be out monitoring the closed waters and that patrol activity will include both high profile and covert activities.

Fisheries Officers will also be monitoring for illegal dredging and reclamation activities on rivers and streams across North East NSW. Landowners are reminded that earthworks that impact on the bed or bank of a waterway require approval via permit from NSW Fisheries. This process seeks to limit the damage that is caused to fish habitat and to arrest the decline in the health of waterways and water quality which directly impact on threatened species such as eastern cod.

If you accidentally catch (outside of the closure) or you see an eastern freshwater cod, help DPI better understand this species and its distribution by recording as many details as you can, get a photo if possible and complete the online reporting form at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/species-protection/report-it.

You can do your part to help protect the State's fisheries resources by reporting illegal fishing activity to Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536 or online at https://fal.cn/3fMUz.

Major floods on inland rivers
Up to 90,000 megalitres are being released from Burrinjuck Dam following heavy rain in parts of New South Wales. Farmers on the Murrumbidgee River are preparing for flooding in the Gundagai area.

The dam began spilling on 5 August as more than 230,000ML – a quarter of its full capacity – flowed in from the heavy  rain that fell in recent days. Water NSW said that flows from the Yass River into the dam were the "highest ever recorded".

The Murray-Darling Basin Authority's (MDBA) Murray River annual outlook, released on 8 August, showed southern basin storages are at unusually high levels for this time of year, with the Hume Dam sitting at 95 per cent capacity. Dartmouth Dam records 97 per cent capacity, the Menindee Lakes sits at 115 per cent capacity and Lake Victoria at 62 per cent. Water flowing into South Australia has hit a six-year high at 53 gigalitres a day. 

Controlled outflows are set to continue for weeks until levels go down, with peak flows still four to six weeks away.

World Recreational Fishing Conference themes announced
The headline theme for next year's 10th World Recreational Fishing Conference in Melbourne is “Keeping pace in a dynamic and challenging world with changing fisheries”. 

The International Scientific Board has announced that it will be accepting abstracts across 10 themes: 
• Climate change impacts and adaptation measures
• Harnessing recreational fishing stewardship, leadership, and advocacy
• Resource monitoring, data acquisition, assessment and adaptive management
• Technology use in citizen science and engagement
• Fostering community support and tourism in an increasingly urbanised and nature disconnected world
• Effectiveness of fisheries management interventions
• First nations peoples-interactions with recreational fisheries and opportunities
• Resource sharing – meeting the needs of recreational, commercial, subsistence and indigenous stakeholders and rights holders
• Catch-and-release fishing and the intersection between fishing, fisher behaviours and community attitudes
• Recreational fishing participation and diversity, promotion and education.

There is still a chance to get abstracts for your talks in for the 10th World Recreational Fishing Conference. The deadline for abstract submissions has now been extended to 31 August 2022.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get your abstracts in and reconnect with old colleagues and friends, forge new connections and take advantage of all the once-in-a-lifetime fishing, tourism and outdoors experiences Australia has to offer. We hope to see you in Melbourne in 2023!

Abstracts can be submitted via the portal at www.wrfc10.com/submission/call-for-abstracts

And please follow on socials, join our mailing list (https://wrfc10.com/join-the-mailing-list) and share!

Death of John Tingle, founder of Shooters Party 
John Tingle, the founder of the Shooters Party (now the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party) has died at the age of 90. Tingle founded the Shooters Party in 1992 and was its vice-chairman until 1995. 

His career started in 1949 as a broadcaster and news editor for a Deniliquin radio station for a few years, before joining the ABC, where he stayed until 1968, and then worked in various Sydney radio stations until the mid 1990s.

Boats galore at the local servo in NZ

This is photo from our Kiwi fishing mates when the forecast says ..."5 knots and variable all day"...Then think about the fuel excise we pay over here in NSW and then think about the terrible and crowded boat ramps we have to put up with.

Something has to change to get more, bigger and better designed boat ramps here in NSW.


Coffs Harbours $14m boat ramp at low tide…

Having returned from Coffs Harbour and seen the Port Stephens boat ramps it makes you wonder if the people who are responsible still have jobs....the RFA thinks they have most likely been promoted judging on how the NSW Government handles things these days.

The Great Swordfish Race Update - Al's third satellite tagged swordy on its way!

On 24 July well-known fishing identity Al McGlashan deployed his third satellite tag (PSAT) into a swordfish of approximately 20 kg while fishing the offshore grounds of Bermagui NSW as a part of the Great Swordfish Race.

After initially trolling for other offshore species, Al sounded up some productive looking structure and the call was quickly made to have a deep drop for a swordfish. It didn’t take long for son, Cooper McGlashan, to come up tight on a fish. After a quick fight on heavy tackle, Cooper had the fish boat side. The fish was in excellent condition and had no signs of barotrauma…a prime candidate for the Great Swordfish Race! The sat tag was then deployed and the fish was swum alongside the boat for a few minutes (to allow for recovery) before it kicked away and powered off back to the depths. With Audi Croft onboard capturing some cracking footage, it was a great day out for the pelagic specialist team!

PSAT tags are very much like a mini-computer. They log information such as water depth, light levels, temperature and enable location to be determined. Sat tags are used to track the movement of marine animals and highly migratory fish such as sharks, tuna and billfish. These tags are programmed to detach or “pop-off” after 12 months. Once the tag reaches the surface the data is streamed to passing satellites and then onwards to DPI.

Sat tagging provides valuable data on this exciting relatively new recreational fishery, including information on the timing and availability of swordfish in NSW, swordfish behaviour and their suitability for catch and release.

DPI is undertaking this project in collaboration with the Australian National Sportfishing Association (NSW) and NSW Game Fishing Association and have also partnered with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) which has a similar swordfish program.

Stay tuned for exciting updates from this tagged fish!

EOI open for fish screens in the Northern Basin 

Modern fish-protection screens are self-cleaning and available to suit any size or type of water pump or channel.

NSW DPI Fisheries is helping water users access this best-practice technology. Over $20 million is available to install modern screens on the Barwon–Darling and Gwydir rivers.

Water users can submit an EOI to get involved. EOI is open until 31 August.

All details are at www.fishscreens.org.au/eoi. 

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T