Share Your Fishing Spot and Help Protect It

Freshwater anglers in NSW are being encouraged to share their knowledge as part of a project to identify and protect access to fishing spots.

Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Recreational Fisheries Manager, Alistair McBurnie, said the project came about as a direct result of anglers requests.

“What we were hearing from anglers is that access is their number one priority. The Angler Access Program aims to secure ongoing access to the lakes, rivers and streams of NSW for recreational fishers.

“Access to water can be through crown and council reserves, travelling stock routes or road corridors. This project will identify both existing and potential access points and work with management authorities and landholders to secure access whilst protecting the interests of relevant land managers,” Mr McBurnie said.

Once all of the information has been gathered an access guide will be produced.

“The guide will become a very handy resource tool for the hundreds of thousands of people who throw a line in each year. It will identify good accessible fishing spots, and outline best practice.

“The Angler Access Program is funded by fishers through the Recreational Freshwater Fishing Trust and is run by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) in conjunction with peak NSW angling bodies,” Mr McBurnie said.
 
“Funds raised from the sale of the licence fee are placed into two trusts, one for freshwater and the other for saltwater. The Trusts, which are overseen by a committee of expert anglers, can only be spent on projects to improve recreational fishing in NSW.

“This project is angler driven and has been designed with angler participation in mind. The benefits of the project go directly to the fishing community and it is a key step in securing and protecting access for generations of fishers to come,” Mr McBurnie said.

Fishers can participate in this very important project by following the link www.fisheries.nsw.gov.au/recreational/nsw-angler-acess-survey and completing an online survey or by calling the Recreational Fishing Manager on (02) 6042 4214