Fishing fees fund Wooli fish cleaning table upgrade

NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) today announced that $1900 from the NSW recreational fishing trust will be used to upgrade the well-used fish cleaning table at Wooli.

The funding, to be matched by the Wooli-Minnie Water Fishing Club and the Clarence Valley Council, provides for a shelter to protect the existing cleaning table and its users, for a solar light, and for improvements to the boat washdown facilities.

The Wooli River and surrounding ocean is part of the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Wooli is a safe boat launching location and the boat ramp is very popular with recreational fishers.

Work should begin soon on the shelter over the existing fish cleaning table which will ensure the table’s stainless steel surface and the recreational fishers using it are not exposed to the sun. The solar light will allow fishers to use the table after dark.

This is a good example of recreational fishers’ fees at work.

All money raised by the NSW recreational fishing licence is placed into saltwater and freshwater trusts overseen by fishers and used to improve recreational fishing.

Fish cleaning tables provide an important, direct service to anglers. They also promote a tidy environment and help prevent littering.

Funding for this project comes from the Recreational Fishing Trust’s Small Grants Program. Under the program, community groups are invited to apply for grants of up to $5,000 on a matching dollar-for-dollar basis.

This year $50,000 is available for projects to improve recreational fishing under the saltwater trust’s small grants program, with a further $30,000 available for freshwater projects from the freshwater trust.

An application can be obtained from the NSW DPI website at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au.