$122,000 boost to Bondi Marine Discovery Centre

The NSW Government and the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust today announced more than $120,000 in funding to help promote the unique NSW marine and coastal environment, through the Bondi Marine Discovery Centre.

The Centre is a non-profit charitable organisation that runs practical education programs for schools and the broad community, in association with NSW Fisheries.

The funding will include:

$100,000 from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust, to be allocated over two years, to help develop the Centre's education programs; and
$22,000 from the State Government to upgrade the Centre, including touch tanks and aquariums.

Combined, the Bondi Marine Discovery Centre and NSW Fisheries already teach about 7000 young people each year about marine and coastal related issues, including conservation and responsible fishing.

Adults also take part in snorkelling and rock platform walks run by the Centre and are more closely linked into marine conservation.

The aim is to promote the protection of Sydney's marine environment by bringing its underwater wonders to the world.

The $100,000 funding will build on the Centre's schools program and link it with successful NSW Fisheries programs, including family fishing clinics, community events and the new primary schools' education kit Get Hooked - It's Fun to Fish (see details following).

The 370 NSW Fisheries Fishcare volunteers will be given access to the Centre, to use as a base for their popular information walks.

NSW Fisheries will also run Aboriginal cultural awareness training for Centre staff, to enhance the focus on Aboriginal cultural associations with marine life.

The Centre's Executive Director, Will Jones, said he was thrilled with the funding.

"The Marine Discovery Centre is an environmental charity organisation, and this will help us achieve our mission of changing the way we look, feel and act towards our precious marine & coastal environment," Mr Jones said.