North Mole Clean Up

Despite a number of large government campaigns aimed at reducing litter there appears to still be a problem with litter in Western Australia, in particular around beach/coastal sites, rivers and waterways. Although litter found around popular coastal sites and waterways is not always the direct result of recreational fishers it is generally viewed by the wider public as being 'our mess' because we are one of the major user groups. Litter around these marine areas can paint a poor image of recreational fishing which can be easily used as ammunition by conservation groups to diminish our environmental creditability.

As any responsible recreational fishers would know, discarded fishing line, bait bags and hooks can be extremely detrimental to the marine environment. While the vast majority of recreational fishers are responsible, putting their rubbish in bins provided or taking it home with them, a number still find it appropriate to simply leave behind their old fishing line, tackle and general rubbish.

I would like to think that litter is something that would not be associated with recreational fishing, as a healthy marine environment is something that we rely so heavily on to enjoy this favourite pastime. However, the reality is that recreational fishing is an activity enjoyed by such a large cross section of the community, so there will always be "idiots" that ruin it for the mostly responsible people. It is estimated that some 645,000 people participate in recreational fishing in Western Australia and it only takes a small percentage of these people acting irresponsibly with their litter for a problem to be evident.

With the thought in mind that something needed to be done about this problem, Recfishwest coordinated a community driven clean up of North Mole. Recfishwest put the call out to all interested recreational fishers to get along on Sunday 6th August and help out on this great initiative, with the overall response turning out to be a resounding success. More than 30 concerned recreational fishers from Recfishwest, Volunteer Fisheries Liaison Officers and the general public all chipped in to do their bit to help clean up the litter at North Mole.

Despite looking extremely ominous at times, the weather managed to hold out enough for the group to collect enough rubbish to fill a large multi skip. It was extremely pleasing to see that so many people were willing to give up their Sunday morning to pick up rubbish left by other less responsible people. I would hope that it would be a long while before this would have to be done again at North Mole but unfortunately their will always be irresponsible people that try and ruin it for others.

Although a large proportion of the rubbish at the North Mole cannot be blamed solely on recreational fishers, there was still a large amount of fishing line, bait bags, light stick packets and other tackle in the rubbish collected. It is important that when we fish not to leave behind any rubbish. Not only can this rubbish impact the environment it can also develop negative publicity for recreational fishers which can severely taint our image as a group genuinely concerned for the marine environment. A couple of easy points to remember when fishing are:

• Collect all litter when you leave your fishing site for safe disposal at home or in nearby litter bins. This includes fishing litter such as hooks, sinkers, fishing line, bait bags and general rubbish such as food scraps, food containers, cans, bottles and plastic.
  
  
• Don't bury rubbish or wedge it between rocks.
  
  
• Pick up litter when you see it and encourage other people to pick up their own litter.
  
  
• If you're a smoker, put your cigarette butts in the bin or carry your own personal ashtray.

These four points are fairly simple to follow and if everyone followed them the recreational fishing experience from our rock walls and marinas would be a far more enjoyable experience for everyone.

If you missed out on participating in the North Mole clean up the idea has been floated to incorporate more clean ups at other rock walls such as Hillarys, Mindarie, Ocean Reef etc. If you are interested I suggest that you keep you eyes open on the Hotbite forum or the Recfishwest website for postings of any future events.

A big thank you must go out to Recfishwest Board Member Craig Bibra, who came up with the idea for this clean up and along with Con Costa went into a lot of effort organising the event.


Recfishwest Northern Fishing Clinic Tour

Another community based project underway at the moment is Recfishwest's second annual northern fishing clinic tour. With the success of last year's tour, Recfishwest has decided to conduct another tour this year which will encompass even more schools and towns. Recfishwest's Fishing Clinic Coordinator, Michelle Jennings, has been busy planning this years tour which will run from August 23rd - September 18th with clinics to be held in Geraldton, Kalbarri, Denham, Carnarvon, Exmouth, Onslow, Karratha, Pt Headland, Broome, Derby and Kununurra. This year Recfishwest has also incorporated a dry clinic at the Strelley Regional community school.

The fishing clinics are all about promoting responsible fishing practices along with spreading Healthway's Cancer Council WA SunSmart message and the Department of Fisheries Fish for the Future Message.

The clinics are for all ages of children, catering for those experiencing fishing for the first time or looking to learn more about fishing and the marine environment. The clinics teach the importance of safety when fishing as well as how to properly handle fish for the best post release survival. The clinics are great fun but also are highly educational for all participants. I am sure this year's tour will be an even bigger success than last year.

Recfishwest has also just recently received funding from the Commonwealth Community Grants Scheme for a new program called "Addicted to Fishing Not Drugs". This program was launched by Federal Minister for Fisheries, Senator Eric Abetz on the 22 August and should be a great initiative for troubled youth in Western Australia.

If you're keen to check out some photos from last year's northern fishing clinic tour and other information about Recfishwest fishing clinics go to our Fishing Clinic Page



This page last updated on 17 January 2007.