Survey to help build ‘fishing economies’ in coastal and regional NSW

A comprehensive new survey gauging the socio-economic importance of recreational and charter boat fishing to the NSW economy is to commence in the first half of 2008.

The ‘NSW Socio-economic Survey of Recreational Fishing’ will provide an overall snapshot of the impact of recreational fishing on the NSW economy.   The results of the survey will provide the basis for new fishing-focused economic activity across regional and coastal NSW.

The data will allow the NSW Government, the recreational fishing industry, local councils and associated businesses to better respond to the needs of recreational fishers when making planning decisions for the future.

The study is being backed by the Recreational Fishing Trust Expenditure Committees and Advisory Council on Recreational Fishing, given the importance of obtaining accurate state-wide estimates of the socio-economic value of recreational fishing.

The Recreational Fishing Trust which invests money raised via fish licence fees back into recreational fishing is providing $150,000 towards the study.

The information gathered through the survey will complement and update other facts about recreational fishing gained from the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey undertaken in 2000/01.

Recreational fishing is an important sector of economic activity. The National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey reported that NSW had the highest number of recreational fishers (998,000) in Australia and an estimated recreational fishing expenditure of $554 million.

Collecting more up-to-date information about the social and economic activity generated by recreational fishing will guide the NSW Government in understanding the motivations for recreational and charter boat fishing, attitudes to government initiatives to provide better fishing opportunities, and the social and economic impact of recreational and charter boat fishing.