Win one of 24 free life jackets from the Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW
Enter the RFA's Rock Fishing Safety Life Jacket Competition and win one of our 24 free life jackets! There's still 20 left.

The Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW is giving away two lifejackets every month for 12 months until August 2013. Enter on the RFA's Safe Fishing website at www.safefishing.com.au

Project Blueprint



Australian CoastSafe through the NSW Ministry for Police and Emergency Services Water Safety Black Spot Fund are currently conducting Coastal Public Safety Risk Assessments for every beach and rock platform in NSW.
 
This project will provide a ‘Blue-Print’ for NSW from which an effective drowning prevention strategy can be developed to meet the national/state goal to reduce drowning deaths by 50% by 2020*.

As part of this project they are seeking local knowledge and information from stakeholders about the beaches and rock platforms in your area. Fishers and anglers, as regular users of the coast and coastal waters, are encouraged to contribute to this project by having a say and telling us what you think could be done to help ensure every person that chooses to go fishing on the coast can do so safely and go home to their friends and families.

The team will be based in Wollongong City Council from Tuesday January 8 to Friday January 18, 2013.

Further to the risk assessment conducted by Australian CoastSafe and Wollongong City Council earlier this year, Project Blue Print will cover the remaining beaches and rock platforms in the Local Government Area.

A vital part of this project is community / stakeholder consultation. They will be holding 2 public forums to provide an overview of the project, answer any questions you may have and most importantly learn from your local knowledge and advice.

Venue: Continental Pool (Meeting Room), Cliff Road, Wollongong

Dates: Monday 14th & Tuesday 15th January, 2013

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

To have your say go to www.coastsafe.org.au/blueprint and follow the links to ‘register for consultation’ or ‘contribute to the project’. 

National Recreational Fishing Conference report released
The final report of this year’s National Recreational Fishing Conference has been released...you can read it this link. The conference achieved a lot in just its first year and the next conference is already being planned for 2014.

However the NSW CFA is concerned that by the time air travel, meals, accommodation and conference fees are added together, the cost is well out of the reach of the average recreational angler. The choice of venue (Gold Coast in 2012) and scale of the conference may be appropriate for government fisheries employees and industry representatives, but we don’t know of any recreational anglers that attended at their own expense, i.e. without financial assistance from a recreational fishing organisation or an industry body.

Another year of safe fishing alerts
During 2012 we sent more than 20 safe fishing alerts. We only send them when it’s really necessary; we don’t send them out just because of a bit of bad weather—we very carefully look at wave and swell forecasts and only send when we think conditions might be very dangerous.
 
Tragically, a number of anglers have drowned in NSW this year, highlighting the need for anglers to take more care. There is growing pressure for ‘regulation’ of our sport—we hope this never occurs but anglers can only avoid that by taking more personal responsibility for their own safety.
 
Over the holidays you need to take notice of changes in life jacket regulations in NSW. These changes are completely reasonable and are not inconvenient for anglers. If you are not aware of the new rules go to http://www.lifejacketwearit.com.au/ so you know what is now required.

Cronulla fisheries closure confirmed
Katrina Hodgkinson, NSW Minister for Primary Industries and Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner have announced that the NSW Government will only partially support the 13 recommendations in the Select Committee’s report into the closure of the Cronulla Fisheries Research Centre, and will continue with the closure of the Centre.

Jobs will be moved to Nowra, Port Stephens, Coffs Harbour and Wollongong.

“Ten of the 20 scientist positions currently located at Cronulla are expected to relocate,” Mr Stoner said.

Ms Hodgkinson confirmed the Government will not reverse the decision to close the Cronulla Fisheries Research Centre.

“The relocation project, including transferring employees, equipment and establishing new office, laboratories and storage facilities began 13 months ago and is now 80 per cent complete” she said.

Reverend Fred Nile, who chaired the Upper House inquiry into the closure is threatening to withdraw his support for the government over the decision.

A scathing report from that inquiry said the the decision to close the centre and decentralise its activities to country towns was poorly handled, made without any economic analysis and should be reversed. It found the only cost-benefit analysis that was produced on the closure, a year after the decision was made, was ''unprofessional'' and ''rushed'', and omitted a number of costs.

Mr Nile, whose party holds two critical seats on the crossbench in the upper house, said all signs were that the government had made up its mind before the committee had reported, with relocations continuing as the committee sat.

''It's a slap in the face,'' he said. ''With Paul Green [the other Christian Democrat MLC], we will review our support if they treat the community in this way.

''I will look less favourably on passing government legislation, I warned them of that. I don't think we have a mandate to obstruct the government but there has to be some give and take, and there has not been much give.'

Healthy Waterways DVD now available
The Healthy Waterways DVD "Healthy Waterways = Better Boating, More Fish" has been completed and is being distributed. Produced by the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority, this short film discusses how boaters and fishers can help keep our waterways healthy by protecting habitat, preventing the spread of aquatic pests, and volunteering.

DVDs of the video (with multilingual sub-titles) are available for fishing clubs; for more information contact Linda.Dedovic@cma.nsw.gov.au.

You can include the video in your club newsletters and websites by using the YouTube link http://youtu.be/CArVg-JcYTI

And you can watch it here...

 

Fish flocking to the latest FADs
Recreational fishers venturing out to sea should have a greater chance at fishing success over the holiday period with the deployment of fish aggregating devices (FADs) now complete at 25 locations along the NSW coast. NSW DPI Fisheries Enhancement Manager, Heath Folpp, said FADs are strategically placed at key fishing spots along the coast each year over the warmer months to improve recreational fishing opportunities.

“Deployment has been completed on the north coast with FADs in place in the Tweed, Byron, Ballina and Evans Head areas,” Dr Folpp said.

“Further down the coast FADs have been deployed at Crowdy Head, Forster, Port Stephens and Newcastle. Deployment on the south coast provides opportunities for fishers in the Batemans Bay and Eden areas. Full details of where each FAD is located can be found online at the the NSW DPI FAD website.  

FADs are yellow, spherical buoys with a flashing beacon for safe navigation, which tend to attract surface-dwelling fish such as mahi-mahi and other fast growing pelagic fish.

“Fish are attracted to the structure of the FAD, possibly for use as a resting place or geographical reference point,” Dr Folpp said.

“Anglers appreciate FADs because they create new fishing opportunities, while easing the pressure on existing popular fishing reefs and spots. FADs have proven increasingly popular with anglers since they were first installed in 2002.”

The FAD program is funded through the NSW Recreational Fishing Saltwater Trust using monies raised from the recreational fishing licence fee.

Recreational anglers meet with Deputy Premier over Crown roads issues
On 28th November delegates from the Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW (Malcolm Poole), the NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers (Don Barton), and the NSW Angler Access Project (Christopher Robertson) met with the Deputy Premier Andrew Stoner to discuss concerns about the government’s recent announcements about sales of Crown roads (see the NSW CFA's earlier bulletin). Also present were Robert Brown from The Shooters and Fishers Party,  Geoff Allan, Executive Director of NSW Fisheries, Tara Black, the Deputy Premier’s policy adviser  and Tim Scott, Policy Advisor to Katrina Hodgkinson.

This meeting followed an RFA meeting with Lands staff in mid-September and a NSW CFA email campaign urging anglers to lobby the government and their local MPs to make sure that no Crown roads that provide angler access would be sold off.

In the meeting the Deputy Premier Stoner gave a commitment that no Crown road that provides important angling access to a public waterway will be sold. We made the point to Mr Stoner that recreational fishers have invested heavily in NSW to secure our fishing future through the payment of the Recreational Fishing fee; since 1998 anglers have contributed around $120 million. Cooperation between anglers and government to preserve the value of this investment is essential.

The main points discussed in the meeting included:

• Identification and special processing of the estimated 10% of Crown roads that lead to a public waterway.
• Establishment of a Crown roads working group of staff from NSWDPI - Crown Lands, NSW Fisheries and recreational fishers that would meet 2-4 times per year, dealing with and resolving Crown road issues.
• Provision of NSW DPI government funding for the duration of the Crown roads project, to coordinate, resource and support recreational fishing and public access, allowing for desktop study and on-ground investigation where necessary.
• Additional government funding to the RFA’s NSW Angler Access Project to expand its activities from public reserves to include paper roads.
• A public website providing a list of all current paper road applications. This should allow for online, faxed and mailed comments.

The recreational angling representatives felt encouraged by the views expressed by Mr Stoner and we now look forward to further discussions as soon as possible to develop these ideas further.

Burrill Lake Caulerpa closure publicised
A recent Fishcare Update from the Fishcare Volunteers network reports that Aquatic Biosecurity has produced a flyer to be distributed in Burrill Lake during the coming summer season, to increase awareness of the presence of the noxious marine alga Caulerpa taxifolia (Caulerpa) and of the Section 8 Fishing Closure (Caulerpa). During the summer of 2011/12, Fish Care Volunteers and Education Officer Stephen Thurstan surveyed waterway users of Burrill Lake. The survey aimed to gauge the knowledge of users of Burrill Lake of the presence of Caulerpa and the Section 8 Fishing Closure that aims to minimise the spread of this noxious marine vegetation. Survey responses demonstrated that a large proportion of the waterway users were not aware of the Section 8 Closure, and that many travelled between other waterways thereby posing a risk to the further spread of Caulerpa from this waterway.

Kids’ holiday fishing workshops
Children eager to learn about fishing during school holidays have the opportunity to get tips from the experts by attending a NSW DPI fishing workshop. Workshops are planned for January at Batemans Bay, Merimbula, Lake Illawarra and Jindabyne over the upcoming Christmas school holiday period. DPI Education Officer, Stephen Thurstan, said the workshops will provide participants aged between 8 and 14 years the chance to learn basic fishing skills.

“Children attending the workshops will learn about recreational fishing rules, sustainable fishing practices, native and introduced fish species and aquatic habitats,” Mr Thurstan said.

“Participants will be taught casting, knot tying, setting up their own rod and reel, and how to play a fish in the morning session. In the afternoon, they get to practice those skills when they go fishing. After the workshop, the kids will have the skills and equipment to be able to go fishing, which is a great activity to keep them occupied over the school holidays. Local Fishcare volunteers will be on hand at each workshop to help the next generation of anglers learn about one of Australia’s favourite pastimes from experienced experts.”

Fishing workshops will be held from 10am to 2pm at:
Batemans Bay, 9 January
Merimbula, 10 January
Lake Illawarra, 15 January
Jindabyne, 18 & 19 January

The fishing workshop program is one of many initiatives implemented by the NSW Government using funds from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts to improve fishing opportunities across the State.

Each workshop costs $40 a child, which includes a quality rod and reel, hooksafe, tackle box, shirt, hat and a BBQ lunch. Parents are encouraged to ensure children participating have plenty of sunscreen, bring along a drink bottle for water and wear enclosed footwear.

Numbers are limited to a maximum of 25 children a day and bookings are essential. To secure a place please call Stephen Thurstan on 0438 245 190.

For more information on the program, visit the DPI Fishing Workshop web page .

Safe fishing videos in demand
Over the past few months, working with NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers and NSW DPI, we have given away thousands of the "Fishing Safely in NSW" DVD. We have been sending them out to individual anglers, fishing clubs and community groups. NSW DPI has also been distributing copies to anglers, at fishing workshops and other events. That brings us up to about 22,000 copies that have been handed out in past year.

The DVD covers rockfishing, freshwater fishing and underwater fishing; here's the underwater fishing segment. Any club should feel free to frame the videos in their own websites, just get the code to embed the various from our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/safefishing . Not sure how to do that? Just find a 12 year old kid.
  
 

Angler Access Project update
Malcolm Poole, the Chairman of the RFA, and I had the opportunity to address the Parliamentary Standing Committee with regards to their inquiry into Management of Public Land in New South Wales.

I feel we had a very good hearing from the committee and they asked us many questions on the subject of land management and how it affected recreational anglers. A transcript of the hearing and a copy of our submission are available here.
 
The hearing transcript is for the 4 December 2012 and our hearing starts on page 24 of that transcript. The submissions are also very interesting, number 219 is the NSW Angler Access Project submission and number 279 is the NSW Council of Freshwater Anglers submission.

During November we also had a meeting with the Deputy Premier, Andrew Stoner to discuss our concerns about the disposal of Crown roads. Mal Poole, Don Barton, President of the CFA and I met with Robert Brown from the Shooters and Fishers Party in his office prior to the meeting with the Deputy Premier, Robert was most interested in our concerns and took them all on board. This was most helpful in the meeting with Andrew Stoner. Robert Brown was instrumental in setting up the meeting and very supportive, put our concerns forward in a well-constructed manner and made sure we all had input in to the meeting. As will be detailed elsewhere in this bulletin we have since written to the Deputy Premier to detail the points covered in the meeting and hopefully the outcomes will be positive.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Christmas and if you have any access concerns over the Christmas period just give me a call on 0428 187 874.

Christopher Robertson, Project Officer
 
Changes to lifejacket safety rules
Marine safety rules in NSW are being fine-tuned so it is simpler for people to understand when the law requires them to wear a lifejacket.
 
Office of Boating Safety and Maritime Affairs General Manager Howard Glenn said changes to the Marine Safety (General) Regulation follow new laws introduced in 2010 which required lifejackets to be worn in certain conditions and situations.
 
“There’s no single more important piece of safety equipment on board a boat than a lifejacket,” Mr Glenn said.
 
“The best safety practice is that everybody on board a small boat wears a lifejacket, but there are situations of heightened risk where the law actually requires one to be worn. We’ve listened to ideas for fine tuning these laws which were introduced in 2010, and made some clarifications.”

• Pejar Dam near Goulburn and the Yass River are now confirmed as “alpine waters”
• people on board vessels on alpine waters may now wear any type of lifejacket
• removing the exemption from wearing a lifejacket which previously applied to surf skis, which now come under the requirements for canoes and kayaks  requiring people aboard vessels less than 4.8 metres to wear lifejackets at all times between sunset and sunrise
• requiring canoeists and kayakers to wear lifejackets at all times when on white water 
• clarifying that inflatable lifejackets that have been purchased or acquired new less than 12 months ago are considered to be appropriate, regardless of when they were manufactured
• amending an existing clause that requires a person to wear a lifejacket if he or she is boating alone in a small vessel without emergency assistance, to allow the company of a young person to qualify as emergency assistance if the young person is the holder of a boating licence
• increases safety requirements for divers with improvements to the display of dive flags, including that the flags must be in good condition and may be displayed on a nearby buoy

 
With the new changes, the law now requires lifejackets to be worn:

• by children less than 12 years old at all times when aboard a vessel less than 4.8 metres long and when aboard a vessel less than 8 metres long which is underway
• by all occupants of a vessel less than 4.8 metres long between sunset and sunrise, in open or alpine waters, when boating alone or when being used to transport goods/people more than 200 metres from shore
• by anyone being towed, including waterskiing, wakeboarding or parasailing and those being towed on tubes, sea biscuits or similar towable devices
• by anyone aboard a canoe or kayak when more than 100 metres from shore or on open or white water
• by a person kitesurfing alone more than 400 metres from shore
• when in an off-the-beach sailing vessel in open waters
• in certain situations of heightened risk including, but not limited to bad weather and crossing bars
• by anyone at any time when directed by the skipper

“Boating Safety Officers carry out random inspections of recreational and commercial vessels across NSW waterways,” Mr Glenn said.
 
“Their role is primarily education and safety, but they do have enforcement powers and penalties apply for non-compliance.”
 
For more information about lifejacket safety visit www.lifejacketwearit.com.au.


 

Sydney Water cuts ties with Streamwatch
Sydney Water aims to save $100,000 a year by cutting ties with Streamwatch, under which 170 NSW schools and 50 community groups provided most of the fieldwork and tested their local waterways for pollution.

The Streamwatch program, which has been running for 22 years, has been offloaded to the Australian Museum with a reduced budget, and limited involvement of volunteer community groups. The decision was driven by cost savings and offloading responsibility for the safety risks associated with having volunteers working with chemicals and testing water.

The NSW opposition obtained internal  Sydney Water documents under freedom of information laws which detail the efforts that Sydney Water made to avoid any negative publicity, including a public relations campaign to ''minimise negative community perception'' and assembling lists of community groups thought to have ''a high risk of being vocal'' about the change, and plans for protecting the agency's ''corporate reputation''.

''These documents show clearly that the O'Farrell government has little commitment to protecting the environment and is only concerned about window-dressing,'' said Labor's water spokesman, Walt Secord.

''This is the government that has allowed hunting in national parks and allowed a resumption of duck hunting in NSW. These documents show it wanted to get rid of the Streamwatch program because it generated negative publicity and highlighted potential problems involving water pollution'' he said.

In 2007, Streamwatch testing found high levels of toxic metals and arsenic being discharged in a river near Lithgow that feeds Sydney's drinking water catchment. The discovery led to coal-fired power station operator Delta Electricity agreeing to modify its discharges after a landmark court case.

Central Coast Christmas compliance crackdown
Fisheries officers will be out in force on the Central Coast during the Christmas holiday period to ensure fishers are abiding by fishing rules and regulations.

DPI Director of Fisheries Compliance, Glenn Tritton, said hotspots throughout the Central Coast would be targeted, including Tuggerah Lakes and the Avoca Beach Rock Platform.

“Tuggerah Lakes has been an extremely popular location for recreational fishers for many years due to the prevalence of large quantities of popular species like sand whiting, bream and tarwhine,” Mr Tritton said.

“Each year we find that some fishers blatantly disregard fisheries laws by taking and retaining prohibited size fish, exceeding possession limits and fishing without holding a recreational fishing licence. Patrols will be undertaken by fisheries officers in the lead-up to Christmas and beyond to ensure that size and bag limits are observed, and fishers hold and carry a current recreational fishing licence.Those found disregarding rules put in place to protect our fisheries resources will face the full force of the law. Ignorance is no excuse - it is the responsibility of all fishers to be aware of the rules."

RFA advertisements promote key angling messages
The RFA of NSW has created a series of colour advertisements for angling club newsletters, focusing on angling safety, young anglers, sustainable fishing practices, club membership and other aspects of recreaional angling. The advertisements are available as electronic artwork files in A4 or A5 size. Email us at info@rfansw.com.au if you would like us to send you a copy. The first advertisement in the series, focusing on rock fishing safety, is shown below.

 
Shooters and Fishers Party says hunting and fishing rights must be guaranteed
Shooters and Fishers Party MLC Robert Borsak says that the fact that hunting, fishing and other outdoor pursuits are a political issue, and that they do not have bipartisan support in NSW politics, is exactly why the NSW Constitution should protect the rights of its citizens to enjoy them.
 
“It is vital that we conserve our environment, and equally essential that we preserve our rights to be part of it and interact with it,” Borsak said.
 
“Hunting and fishing should not be political issues, they must be respected as the social and cultural rights and pursuits they are.”
 
“Anti-hunting and fishing agendas have been implemented by a minority who hold the ridiculous belief that humankind has evolved away from the urge to hunt, fish and gather, but the truth is these vocal activists simply do not like something that is part of our genetic history and central to our cultural heritage.”
 
Hunting is a practical and often invaluable form of conservation in situations as wide-ranging as the management of healthy animal populations to the eradication of harmful pests. Volunteer Conservation Hunters are one of the State‟s most under-utilised and least understood resources.
 
“Seventeen US states enshrine the right to hunt and fish in their Constitutions and more are looking seriously at following their example. It should not be necessary here in NSW, but the irrational and emotional opposition to our cultural heritage warns us that we may need to do the same.
 
“To this end the Shooters and Fishers Party will be pursuing the inclusion of the right to hunt and fish as an amendment to the NSW Constitution Act of 1902,” Mr Borsak said.
 
Neither Australia nor NSW have a Bill of Rights as such, but such an amendment would make sense if we are to guarantee our wild places and species for future generations. The failed Australian experiment of conservation through neglect – called “protection” – and the practice of “lock it up and leave it” have to end.

More habitat for Hat Head



The Hat Head Fishing Club has successfully completed stage 2 of their rehabilitation works on the Korogoro Creek foreshore. With Habitat Action Grant funds from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust, donated top soil, mulch and plants and over 237 hours of voluntary labour, club members are continuing the transformation of this part of the estuary. Over 1000 plants were planted along 2.5ha of riverbank and saltmarsh. The club, with assistance from Kempsey Shire Council, had also controlled weeds on the site and erected erosion controls.

RFA bumper stickers available again
We have a fresh print run of our weatherproof bumper stickers. There are three designs, each features a QR code linking your smartphone to Bureau of Meteorology weather forecasts and PFD safety information. If you would like some for your car, boat, club members or to put around any fishing spots, send your name and postal address to info@rfansw.com.au

Conservation a high priority for US fishers and hunters
For American hunters and anglers, the conservation of natural heritage is a priority issue and confronting global warming to protect the future is a shared moral responsibility. A national poll shows that hunters and anglers put conservation on par with gun rights and prioritise protecting public lands above energy production. Nearly 80 percent favour restoring the US Clean Water Act protections to wetlands and waterways, including smaller creeks and streams, to protect important fish and wildlife habitat. Over 37 million Americans took part in hunting, fishing or both, an increase of 9 percent (hunting) and 11 percent (fishing) in the period 2006 – 2011, contributing $90 billion to local economies. 

Click here to read more about the poll.

Subscribe to the Marine Radio e-bulletin
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has a newsletter to provide regular updates on marine radio matters for MF/HF, VHF and 27 MHz radio operators. Initially its focus is on VHF marine radio and the implementation of the Australian Waters Qualification (AWQ) for recreational boaters operating their radios within Australian Territorial Waters.
 
The introduction of the AWQ represents the first significant change to the Radiocommunications (Maritime Ship Station – 27MHz and VHF) Class Licence since it was introduced in 2001 so it will be important for recreational boaters and others interested in marine radio to follow its progress.
 
It also covers ACMA activity in the marine radio domain and other matters of general interest to marine radio users.

To subscribe go to this link. 

High cost for building illegal waterway crossing
A private landholder has been ordered to pay $11,000 in fines and court costs after pleading guilty in Coffs Harbour Local Court of illegally constructing a crossing over the Kalang River at Brierfield.

NSW DPI Director of Fisheries Compliance, Glenn Tritton, said the man constructed a low level vehicle crossing between two parts of his property without first obtaining any approvals from government authorities.

“Both DPI and Bellingen Shire Council had previously advised the man that approvals would be required to replace a crossing that had washed away in a flood,” Mr Tritton said.

“A development application was submitted to Council and DPI requested further information when assessing the application as the information provided was inadequate. The man subsequently constructed the crossing without approval and later withdrew the development application. Logs were placed across the river and backfilled with rock and gravel, including 19 tonnes of rock bought from a local quarry. He pleaded guilty to ‘carrying out a reclamation without a permit’ and ‘obstruction of fish passage’ and was fined $2,000 on each count, plus was ordered to pay costs totalling almost $7,000.”

The Magistrate found that the works caused an actual and potential obstruction of fish passage, and there was demonstrable harm to fish due to the obstruction and loss of fish habitat.

The defendant's submission that the works were done out of necessity and were less serious due to the presence of a pre-existing crossing or the location of other similar crossings in the area was rejected by the Magistrate. Mr Tritton said that this was an important test case for works affecting fish passage that should serve as a significant deterrent to others considering such works.

“Important fish habitat was destroyed by the construction and the crossing created a barrier to fish movement,” he said.
“A freshwater pool that had previously been around 1.5 metres deep was partially filled during construction, riverbank erosion was increased and important riparian vegetation immediately downstream was lost. More than 100 kilometres of the river and its tributaries upstream could be impacted by the crossing acting as a barrier to fish movement.”

At the time of sentencing the man had partially complied with a remediation order to remove the materials placed across the river.

“Remediation has so far cost the man $1,200. He is required to complete the full remediation of the site and DPI will ensure this occurs,” Mr Tritton said.

“He has paid a high cost and caused significant damage for failing to follow a process that would have minimised impacts on the aquatic environment. This should serve as a warning to anybody planning to undertake earthworks near a waterway that they need to obtain the correct approvals before starting work.”
 

RFA videos now on YouTube channel


The RFA of NSW now has a YouTube channel where all our safe fishing videos can be viewed. Go to www.youtube.com/safefishing to see the channel.