Rec fishers’ input to fisheries management MELBOURNE
Ross Winstanley
Casting around the fisheries agency websites around Australia reveals substantial differences in the arrangements giving recreational fishers a direct and ongoing role in fisheries management decision processes. Most states and the Northern Territory have formal committees or councils set up to advise the Fisheries Minister on recreational and broader fisheries issues. Some also directly involve recreational fishers as representatives or knowledgeable members, alongside other sectors, in formal ‘co-management’ bodies, which advise ministers and governments on high level management and policy matters. And two states – Queensland and Victoria – have neither. NEW SOUTH WALES The Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council (RFNSWAC) provides advice to the Fisheries Minister on key recreational fishing issues in NSW. To ensure that State-wide fishers’ views are considered, the Council includes members drawn from eight regions of the state, plus spearfishing, fishing charters, and other interests. A Cabinet-appointed Ministerial Fisheries Advisory Council advises the Fisheries Minister with “high level strategic policy advice on issues relating to the management of fisheries resources in NSW”. This is a statutory body, that is prescribed in legislation, to include as one of its
five members, one who has “expertise in recreational fishing and represents recreational fishing interests”. The Council’s role is to provide high-level advice on the management of the fishing sectors, plus fisheries-wide areas such as resource sharing. Established in 2000, the Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW’s mission is “to be recognised as the peak recreational fishing body in NSW”. As such, it works closely with Fisheries NSW and other agencies on behalf of the State’s recreational fishers, and engages in a range of education, information and other programs. In reality, the RFA of NSW is among a number of bodies working for NSW recreational fishers. NORTHERN TERRITORY The NT’s Recreational Fishing Advisory Committee (RFAC) advises the Minister, providing high level strategic advice on key matters relating to recreational fishing. This includes delivery of the Government’s Recreational Fishing Development Plan 2012-2022. The Committee is a statutory body, with members “with a wide range of skills and experience in recreational fishing”. In the Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the Northern Territory ( A FA N T ) , N T ’s recreational fishers have the benefit of a representational and advocacy body that is recognised by the NT and Commonwealth governments “as the peak body representing recreational fishing” in the Territory. Working on behalf
STATE ARRANGEMENTS PROVIDING REC FISHER INPUT TO FISHERIES MANAGEMENT Jurisdiction
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of recreational fishers, AFANT lists many key achievements through its membership of the RFAC and a number of fishery and water management advisory committees. It influences decisions across a broad range of issues, working with Government agencies, Ministers and NGOs, and – at a national level – as a member of the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation. QUEENSLAND Unlike NSW and the NT, Queensland has no statutory body to advise the Minister on behalf of recreational fishers. What it does have is the Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel, a wholly independent advisory body made up of experts in fisheries management, stock assessment, economics and social science. This Panel’s purpose is to advise the Minister on “best practice fisheries management” and related strategic actions. But there is no involvement of members with practical fishing experience or standing in the recreational fishing sector. Sunfish QLD, the peak recreational fishing body, continues to operate. Members are active on joint fisheries working groups
Fishing mad 5yo Lexton had an awesome day catching some big fish in the Mooloolah River. This mulloway measured 52cm and was quickly released in good condition.
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and in delivery of angler education, citizen science and other programs. The decades old ‘pleasure craft levy’ (PPV) funds have grown from $1M annually in the 1990s to $5.7M in 2020. Along the way, the annual revenue has gone from a fund dedicated to recreational fisheries programs – in consultation with fishers – to being absorbed into the Fisheries Queensland core budget, spent in line with government priorities. SOUTH AUSTRALIA The M i n i s t e r ’s Recreational Fishing Advisory Council (MRFAC) represents and serves the needs of SA’s recreational fishers, providing “feedback and advice on recreational fishing development, initiatives and policies”. The departmental (PIRSA) and MRFAC websites show no indication of a multi-sector co-management body, and there is no peak body representing all of SA’s recreational fishers. TASMANIA The management of marine and inland recreational fishing, and representation of marine and inland fishers, are handled quite separately in Tasmania. The Recreational Fishery Advisory Committee (RecFAC) advises the Minister on recreational sea fishing policy and management matters. The Government-recognised, fully independent peak body, TARfish, represents Tasmania’s marine recreational fishers and their interests. Under separate legislation, the Inland Fisheries Advisory Council (IFAC) advises the Minister on inland fisheries issues, provides a forum for consultation, encourages community support and reviews management plans. As well as regional anglers and freshwater angling associations, membership includes commercial fishing, conservation, tourism representatives. This builds on arrangements operating for many decades, where freshwater
anglers have enjoyed direct representation in the management of their fisheries. VICTORIA There is no recreational fishing advisory body to represent recreational fishers’ interests and advise the Minister or the Victorian Fisheries Authority. Nor is there a cross-sectoral standing committee to advise the Minister on fisheries matters, including recreational fisheries management and policy. While originally established and recognised as representing all Victorian recreational fishers, the former state-wide peak body, VRFish, now represents affiliated clubs, associations, allied interests and individual members. Instead, the Statewide Recreational Fishing Roundtable operates as a stakeholders’ “forum for the exchange of ideas and the facilitation of interactions between leaders in the recreational fishing sector”. Recreational sector members participate as self-nominated volunteers, either as interested individuals or members of fishing-related clubs or associations. In the absence of a recognised peak body or an advisory body, the Roundtable members are often drawn on for consultation and advice, and as a source of members for issuespecific committees and working groups. Previously, recreational fisheries advanced through the direct involvement of fishers through the minister ’s Victorian Recreational Fishing Advisory Council, and the Amateur Fishing Consultative Committee of Victoria. With the proclamation of the Fisheries Act 1995, these arrangements were folded into the establishment of: • VRFish as the statutory peak body, officially representing all Victorian fishers (until 2007); and • the Fisheries Co-Management Council, as a ‘model’ of the emerging era of ‘co-management’, placing recreational, commercial and other
sector members together in developing joint advice to the Minister on fisheries policy and management matters (until 2008). WESTERN AUSTRALIA WA’s recreational fisher consultation and advice-togovernment arrangements have been streamlined in recent years. The former Recreational Fisheries Advisory Committee (RFAC) and regional RFACs have been replaced and the former Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee disbanded. In 2009, faced with differing advice from various sources, the then-Minister opted to strengthen ties with the peak body, Recfishwest. The resulting ‘co-management’ arrangement built on the consultation and advisory relationship, formalised in a funding agreement that now recognises Recfishwest’s primary role in fisheries management and policy development. This role includes representation and leadership of all WA recreational fishers and the fishing charter industry, and negotiation of ‘consensusbased solutions’ with other resource users that minimise government intervention. Providing all WA fishers and non-fishers with the opportunity to be involved in planning and decision processes, the Government also offers a ‘public consultation’ site offering links to fisheries matters open to public comment ( w w w. f i s h . w a . g o v. a u / About-Us/public-comment/ Pages/default.aspx. ARFF The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) is the peak representative body to the Australian Federal Government. Its broad objectives include fisher and community education, advocating ethical and sustainable fishing, promoting accessibility to fishing for all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Members include all state and the NT representative bodies, several national recreational fishing associations, and tackle and boating bodies.
