Recfishwest Policy
General Fin Fish Licenses

Recfishwest is extremely concerned to ensure that adequate funds are available for recreational fisheries management.

Without additional funding, data collection about, management of and research benefiting recreational angling will fall even further behind and recreational angling will suffer.

Recfishwest advocates that at least $5 million to $7 million extra in addition to the amounts in recent years' funding was required to ensure quality recreational fisheries management.

If Government provides for the future of recreational fisheries management by providing these funds, then this will remove the need for a general saltwater recreational fishing licence as one of the few remaining possible means of raising this amount of funds.

Recfishwest recognises the reality of policies and public statements about licenses published by WA Political Parties.

Recfishwest will not promote a general saltwater recreational fishing licence while adequate funds are provided by government.

The long term interest of recreational fishing through the provision of adequate funding has always been the primary concern.

Recfishwest has not supported a recreational fishing licence for its own sake, although it recognises that licenses can provide participation information and opportunities for the management of unacceptable activities.

If a future Government refuses to provide adequate funds for management of recreational fisheries, then Recfishwest will reconsider this policy on General Licences because of the need for adequate funding to protect recreational fishing for the future.

This support would be conditional upon principles which would include the following:

• A guarantee that additional licence income would not be used to reduce existing Government contributions.
  
  
• Agreement on the categories of expenditure for the additional licence income.
  
  
• Agreement on effective Recfishwest and recreational angler participation in the decision making on the expenditure of licence income
  
  
• A permanent funding arrangement for Recfishwest from licence income to enable recreational fishers to participate in running their industry
  
  
• Consideration for appropriate licence relief for some of the community such as children and seniors.

This page last updated on 8 April 2005.