What have you put back into recreational fishing?

I know that you really like recreational fishing. I assume that you care enough about fishing to buy this magazine to pick up a few pointers on how to become a better angler or to work out where the fish are biting.

You care enough to read a column on recreational fishing management.

I also know that you are probably very busy. You may be the coach of your kid's footy team, or be the home handy man or have any number of important day to day things that seem to get in the way of you fishing when the weekends come around. It can be a real bummer at times, but we all lead hectic lives.

But what if there was no fishing? What if the local Council closed off beach fishing at your favourite herring spot or the radical greens movement made everywhere a closed area? Or what if pollution killed off the Swan River or if we overfished the tailor, cobbler, pink snapper or crabs that form the basis of your fishing experiences?

What would you do to protect the fishing that you enjoy today and the fishing that you hope to be able to pass onto your kids and their kids?

To paraphrase a famous quote from the great John F Kennedy - Ask not what your fishing can do for you - ask what you can do for your fishing?

And it isn't anywhere near as difficult as umpiring your kids AusKick Team or being a committee member at your local footy club as I am.

You may be surprised to hear that Recfishwest is already doing many of the things that you want!

If you fish from the jetties in the Canning River - Recfishwest worked with the City of Canning to have them installed.

Catch a decent black bream with your child, there's a good chance that it was stocked by Recfishwest, in conjunction with Challenger TAFE after the major fish kill a few years back. Spawning bream are protected by a slot limit strongly advocated by Recfishwest and we are in the process of trying to protect the aggregations at Heirisson Island.

We also worked with the Labor party on their policy of removing commercial fishing in the Swan River.

Through our efforts, the Swan River Trust have done extremely well in getting funding to study why the school prawn and cobbler have disappeared in the Swan River system.

If there were to be another fish kill, it was Recfishwest that got the government to implement a coordinated rapid response and if a prosecution results, the penalties are now much tougher because guess who lobbied for the laws to include the full damage to fish and their habitats.

Once again with Challenger TAFE and Murdoch University, we supported a stocking experiment for the Blackwood River for black bream that is turning up some major findings for this important river system. And it is Recfishwest that is leading the charge on treating acid sulphate leaching, especially in the Serpentine and Murray systems.

Thinking of fishing for snapper? The spawning aggregation in Cockburn Sound was protected following lobbying from Recfishwest and the VFLO program. It turns out that we were actually ahead of the game and the snapper are still there. In Shark Bay, we fought for management that has allowed the pink snapper stocks to recover quickly and well.

If you were one of thousands who fished for salmon over Easter, it was Recfishwest that lobbied for south-west commercial fishing closure over Easter. We couldn't guarantee you a fish, but we could make sure that when they showed up, a net wouldn't appear at the same time.

Like me, you probably dream about catching a barramundi some day in the Kimberley. This dream remains a reality due to the enormous efforts of Broome and Kununurra locals with Recfishwest and the commercial fishers to negotiate further management reforms through the Barramundi Accord. And I really hope that the enormous efforts of Recfishwest and Kununurra residents as well as local member Carol Martin can get a fishway built over the Kununurra Diversion dam - bringing barra to Lake Kununurra!

If you fish in fresh water, it was Recfishwest that got that horrible pipeline removed from the middle of Lefroy Brook and it was us that kept the trees in Harvey Dam that is now producing some excellent trout to go with the marron and redfin.

We are very hopeful of an excellent outcome with the announcement of the 'Wetline' Review. The praise must go to the Minister for Fisheries for making the hard decisions, but Recfishwest has worked tirelessly for several years, putting together numerous submissions, attending meeting after meeting after meeting and working through the issues to get a good result. My column last month discussed the Minister proposed outcomes and we look forward to a formal announcement.

We haven't won much in recent years with Marine Parks, but even here the tide seems to be turning. After a few changes of personnel, the new Department of Environment Conservation (formally CALM) are actually talking through issues rather than telling us what to do. Much of the credit goes to the new manger of Marine Planning and Policy, Peter Dans. A state wide policy group on marine planning, chaired by former EPA chair, Barry Carbon is working very hard on processes that ensure that recreational fishers aren't just the fall guy for future Marine Parks.

Through the good work of Mark Halse, Recfishwest was able to fully endorse the Walpole-Nornalup Marine Park which engendered community support rather than just closing off as much as was humanly possible.

Recfishwest worked closely with local member for Albany Peter Watson and passionate local rec fisher Robert Robinson to get the Wilson Inlet pink snapper minimum legal size limit brought into line with the rest of the state!

Look at all the things from Kununurra to the south coast that Recfishwest has been responsible for in helping you to be able to enjoy your fishing.

How can you help Recfishwest to continue? Become a member of Recfishwest.

Recently Recfishwest has been challenged on the extent to which it represents recreational fishers. We have always said that we understand that most recreational fishers would much rather be fishing than talking about fisheries management. Now however, our small number of financial members has become an issue.

And it's time to seriously ask you what you have put back into recreational fishing. It may have given you some of the best experiences of your life. That time with your Dad, or that really big fish you caught, and what about the whopper that got away?

It isn't easy representing the needs and interests of over 600,000 West Australians. We don't always do exactly what you would want, but that is not surprising when you consider how different fishing is to so many people - from game fishing to marroning!

But it is important to know that someone is out there looking after your fishing future. That there is someone willing to sit through 10 or 12 meetings to get a small boundary change in a Marine Park to allow that really good salmon spot on the south coast to be able to be fished.

While we don't win all the time, the results I have listed show that we do make a difference and we work very hard across a wide range of issues right around Western Australia.

Fishing as we know it may not be there except for the time and effort of groups like Recfishwest. We need your help.

You've looked at the Recfishwest membership application form next to this column for as long as I have been writing it. You probably even thought to yourself that I should do something about that - but we all lead very busy lives.

It only costs $22 a year. For less than the cost of a carton of beer, you can help to make sure that YOUR peak body can continue.

I won't kid you - you probably won't get too much back in glossy magazines or free offers. We can't mow the lawn for you or help paint the back room to get you more time to fish. What we can offer is the chance to win a trip on Shikari charters if you join in the next three months. And we give away a free t-shirt once a month to a member.

But what you will get is peace of mind that you are doing your bit towards ensuring your fishing future. If you ask what you can do for fishing in your state, then the answer is Recfishwest.

If you can't afford a full membership, then send in your e-mail details to recfish@recfishwest.org.au and we will register you as a free corresponding member. You will still get updates and electronic bulletins, but we would rather that you took the next step and became a full member.

That way you can still go fishing and be doing your bit for your fishing future.

Last month I received a few queries about Recfishwest's submissions to the 'Wetline' Review. For those interested in finding out more detail regarding Recfishwest's past submissions relating to the 'Wetline' Review and all other fisheries management issues please check out our website at www.recfishwest.org.au

It may surprise you how much we are doing for your recreational fishing future.

Article prepared by Kane Moyle, Policy Officer, Recfishwest, May 2007



This page prepared on 6 May 2007, last updated 23 April 2008.