The Fisheries Management Act 1994 was amended in December 1997 to provide for re-introduction of the recreational freshwater fishing fee. The amendment also provided for proceeds of the fee to be managed by way of dedicated trust funds, for trust funds to be spent only on additional services for freshwater anglers and for the trust to be administered in consultation with RFNSW. The fee was reintroduced on 1 July 1998 and the Recreational Fishing Freshwater Trust Expenditure Committee (RFFTEC), made up of freshwater anglers from 8 different regions from around the State (see attached map), was formed to assist the Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council (RFNSW) in setting Trust expenditure priorities, by providing expertise on regional freshwater fishing issues.
Coastal freshwater regions are east of the Great Dividing Range to the upper limits of tidal waters, and the western regions are west of the Great Dividing Range. The dividing line between the inner west and the far-west regions is east of the Newell Highway until Dubbo and then west of the Newell Highway from Dubbo south. The dividing line between Regions 7 and 8 runs just north of the Barrier highway, that is, towns on the Barrier Highway are included in Region 8.
Committee member | Representation |
---|---|
Mr Bruce Schumacher AM | Chair |
Mr Max Graham | Region 1 - North Coast |
Mr Ron Butler | Region 2 - Central Coast |
Mr Ron Croker | Region 3 - South Coast |
Mr Michael Davey | Region 4 - North inner west |
Mr Paul Mullen | Region 5 - Central inner west |
Ms Debbie Lennon | Region 6 - South inner west |
Mr Jasen Ramien | Region 7 - North west |
Mr Troy Bright | Region 8 - South west |
Mr Brett Richards | NSW recreational fishing organisation representative - Professional Fishing Instructors & Guides Association |
Peter Turnell | NSW DPI Representative - Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture Management or nominee |