Educational workshops for Sydney: Fishing is fun in any language

Keen fishers of non-English speaking backgrounds will be given a chance to learn the rules and regulations of angling in NSW with a series of community engagement fishing workshops to be held across Sydney.

Industry & Investment NSW (I&I NSW) Community Relations Manager George Mannah said the workshops would be a fun, informative and interactive way to educate people about responsible and enjoyable fishing.

“Fishing is a passion that crosses language barriers and cultural boundaries,” Mr Mannah said.

“Wetting a line is a healthy, relaxing, family friendly activity and we want the anglers of NSW to enjoy their sport safely and sustainably.

“The fishing workshops are designed to appeal to everyone from grandma and grandpa to the grandkids.

“Four workshops will be held across the Sydney region targeting Chinese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese and Indonesian communities.

Mr Mannah said in addition to general education about how to responsibly share the limited fisheries resource, the series of workshops will specifically address safety.

“Asian communities have been identified as a high safety risk among fishers on our coastlines.

“A 2003 survey found rock fishing is considered one of the more dangerous pastimes in NSW, accounting for 74 fatalities between 1992 and 2000.

“Of those fatalities, the Asian countries combined to represent 51% of rock fishing deaths, while Australasian and Pacific countries represent 37% and people from European countries account for 13% of fatalities.

“It’s important to inform people, who may otherwise be unfamiliar with local rules and conditions, about how to fish safely and responsibly.”

The NSW Recreational Fishing Trust is funded by licence sales to recreational fishers.

Funds raised from the sale of licences are placed into two trusts, one for saltwater and the other for freshwater, which must be spent on projects to improve recreational fishing in NSW.

Further reading

Recreational fishing rules and regulations