NEWSCAST - Recreational Fisheries News August 2023

[mrsswordfisherman]

Gone Fishing Day Grant Applications Now Open! Put 8 October 2023 in your calendar as Gone Fishing Day is on again!  Recreational fishing clubs and organisations are encouraged to host their own events around Gone Fishing Day. Clubs can apply for a fishing package or a grant of up to $2,000 to host fishing activities such as casting and fishing workshops and information sessions as part of their event. The fishing package consists of rod and reel sets, some giveaways/prizes and advisory information. Alternatively, clubs can apply for grants to purchase items such as fishing gear, bait, food and non-alcoholic drinks, equipment hire, etc. to run their local Gone Fishing Day event   Application forms and grant funding guidelines are available here. Grant applications close 8 September 2023.  Free community fishing events will also be hosted by DPI across NSW to celebrate our love of fishing and encourage everyone to get out on the water. Locations include Port Macquarie, Davistown, Sydney, Lake Illawarra, Cowra and Narrabri.   Gone Fishing Day is run in collaboration with the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation. Activities in NSW are supported with funding from the Recreational Fishing Trusts.   This is all part of ‘Fish for Life – Building a healthy fishing future’.

 

 

Habitat Action Grants Now Open! Angling clubs, individuals, community groups, local councils and organisations interested in rehabilitating fish habitat on the coast and inland NSW can apply for grants of up to $40,000.  The Habitat Action Grant program is a fantastic opportunity to improve your local creek, river, estuary or surrounding area to promote healthy waterways and to encourage more native fish, naturally. DPI is particularly interested in concepts for rehabilitating Trout Cod and their freshwater habitats.  In the past, habitat rehabilitation projects which have been funded have included: removal or modification of barriers to fish passage  rehabilitation of riparian lands (riverbanks, wetlands, mangrove forests, saltmarsh)  re-snagging waterways with timber structure  the removal of exotic vegetation from waterways and replacement with native plants  bank stabilisation works  fencing to exclude livestock Grant applications close 29 September 2023. For more information and to apply for this round please visit  www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hag Habitat Action Grants are supported with funding from the Recreational Fishing Trusts. This is all part of ‘Fish for Life – Building a healthy fishing future’.

 

 

 

Have Your Say On The Freshwater Fish Stocking Plan 🎣 DPI is inviting recreational fishers to have their say on where they would like to see some of their favorite freshwater species stocked.   DPI works with fishers and communities to release key sportfishing species such as Murray Cod, Australian Bass, Golden Perch, Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout into public impoundments and dams each year during the stocking season.   DPI has developed a new plan for recreational stocking of impoundments and reservoirs for the 2023-2024 season and would like feedback on what is proposed.   This gives recreational fishers a great opportunity to recommend on where fish stockings take place in their favorite locations over coming seasons.   A range of native fish including the iconic Murray Cod are produced at DPI’s Narrandera Fisheries Centre. Australian Bass are produced at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute and Trout and Salmon are bred at DPI’s Dutton and Gaden Trout Hatcheries.  Last year's stocking season saw more than 5.9 million fish released into NSW waters.   Recreational fishing in NSW is a multi-billion-dollar industry and we’re hoping to see plenty of fishers active in our local waterways, contributing to regional economies and helping boost our fishing assets after a challenging few years of drought, bushfires, floods and blackwater events.   Freshwater fish stockings are another great example of recreational fishing licence fees at work.   Check out the draft plan at the link below and provide comments by 15 September 2023 The draft plan is available here. For more information contact fish.stocking@dpi.nsw.gov.au

 

 

 

Every Fisher Can Help Protect Our Prawns From White Spot Tips on how recreational fishers can help NSW prawns  Never use prawns intended for human consumption as bait.   When fishing, always source your bait from a trusted supplier local to the area you intend to fish.   If you catch your own bait, use it only in the water from where it came.   Dispose of your prawn waste (heads or shells) in general waste, never to our waterways.   Make ‘clean’ part of your routine, wash your vehicles and gear between waterways.   White Spot was detected at three northern NSW prawn farms in February 2023 and was confirmed by DPI and Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) diagnostic tests.  Consumers are assured that White Spot poses no threat to human health or food safety. NSW seafood, including prawns, remains safe to eat.  DPI is working with farms to contain and eradicate White Spot on-farm and ensure the farms have appropriate biosecurity measures in place to continue to minimise further outbreaks. A control order is currently in place and restricts the movement of raw, uncooked prawns and polychaete worms, from the Clarence River estuary. More information about the control order, what it means to you and how you can help protect NSW prawns is available on the DPI website here. Please report any unusual mortalities or suspicions of White Spot to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline 1800 675 888. For more information see www.dpi.nsw.gov.au or email aquatic.biosecurity@dpi.nsw.gov.au.

 

 

 

It's August And It's Eastern Freshwater Cod Breeding Season! Eastern Freshwater Cod, also referred to as 'Eastern Cod' or 'Clarence River Cod', are an endangered species that is totally protected under State and Commonwealth legislation. They are an apex predator inhabiting freshwater streams within their natural range across north-eastern NSW. Found only in the Clarence and Richmond River catchments, their distribution and abundance has reduced significantly since European Settlement.    Eastern Freshwater Cod face several ongoing threats ranging from aquatic habitat degradation through to illegal fishing and capture.     Eastern Freshwater Cod breed during the months of August through to October. To further protect these iconic fish from accidental capture during their spawning season, a total fishing closure is seasonally placed over a large portion of their natural range where there are self-sustaining wild populations.   From 1 August 2023 through to the 31 October 2023, the waters of Mann River and its tributaries upstream of its junction with the Clarence River are closed to all forms of fishing activity. The fishing closure also includes a prohibition on possessing fishing gear in, on or adjacent to these seasonally closed waters.    Fisheries Officers will be out monitoring for illegal fishing activity during the closure period. Officers will also be keeping an eye out for illegal dredging, reclamation and snag removal activity within rivers and streams, because damage to fish habitat is a major threat to Eastern Freshwater Cod and many other aquatic species.     Penalties for fishing during the closure period are significant and they range from $500 up to $22,000 upon prosecution. Similarly, the penalties for unlawful dredging and reclamation of waterways range from $1,000 up to $110,000 upon prosecution.    You can do your part to help protect fish and aquatic habitat by reporting suspect illegal fishing and damage to aquatic habitat to Fishers Watch on 1800 043 536 or online at https://fal.cn/3fMUz

 

 

 

Another Vic to NSW Kingfish Recapture A Yellowtail Kingfish originally tagged in Victoria has recently been recaptured. Keen angler Blake Finley recaptured the kingie while fishing offshore of Norah Head on 12 July 2023. The fish measured in at 97cm and an estimated 7.5kg.  A search of the Game Fish Tagging database revealed that the fish was originally released less than 6 months earlier (184 days) on 9 January 2023 offshore of Port Welshpool, Victoria. The fish was originally caught, tagged and released by angler Jayden Mack and skipper Jason Taylor. The fish originally measured 76cm, highlighting significant growth in a short period of time. The fish spent only 184 days at liberty and was caught more than 450 nautical miles (~830km) from its original release location. This is your fishing licence fees at work!

 

 

Fishcare Team Attends the Sydney International Boat Show The Sydney International Boat Show is one of the biggest marine lifestyle events in Australia and this year was hosted in Darling Harbour over four days. DPI staff and Fishcare Volunteers were in attendance at the popular Education Hub.  The team had over 4000 visitors stop by our stand to learn about safe and responsible recreational fishing, with many leaving with a fishing guide, ruler sticker and a goody bag for the kids. Visitors were also keen to view and learn all about our amazing artificial reef and FAD displays which highlighted the structures and how and where they are placed in NSW waters. A big thank you to all our FishCare Volunteers who assisted and to those keen stakeholders who visited us over the four-day event.   This is all part of ‘Fish for Life – Building a healthy fishing future’.

[big Neil]

Particularly interesting from the August summary from DPI is the Yellowtail Kingfish that grew 11 cm in 184 days and traveled over 830 km between captures. Also worthy of note is the still critical survival of the Eastern Cod, one of the sub-species of the Murray Cod genus, found in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Highly unlikely, same as the Trout Cod, that they will ever be taken from the endangered species listings.

Hopefully folk will take full advantage of the grants on offer to foster fishing in future generations, great for getting people outdoors and experiencing the finer aspects of the balancing act which is the natural world.

bn