The Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW was formed in 2000 by a coalition of NSW recreational fishing organisations. Following are a few of our activities and achievements since then.
Representation
The RFA represents the leading saltwater, freshwater and underwater recreational fishing organisations in NSW. RFA executive committee members have held or currently hold positions as delegates to a number of state and national recreational fishing representative and advisory committees, including:
- RecFish Australia
- Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation
- NSW government’s Rockfishing Working Group
- NSW government’s Recreational Fishing NSW Advisory Council
- NSW government’s Recreational Fishing Freshwater Trust
- NSW government’s Recreational Fishing Saltwater Trust
- NSW Ministerial Fisheries Advisory Committee
- NSW DPI Trout Allocation Committee
- NSW DPI Gaden Trout Hatchery Management Committee
- NSW DPI Snowy Lakes Strategy Committee
- NSW Crown Holiday Parks Trust
- NSW Recreational Fishing Reserves Reserve Trust
- Fish Habitat Partnership
Submissions, lobbying and campaigning
- In 2008 the RFA partnered with fishing and community organisations to secure a $5 million offset for loss of fishing access in Botany Bay, enabling establishment of NSW’s largest offshore artificial fishing reef (the John Dunphy Artificial Reef) a new boat ramp and a dedicated fishing platform in Botany Bay.
- In 2016 RFA lobbied the NSW Minister for Primary Industries for a review of recreational fishing bans on Sydney water storages, resulting in 2017 in a DPI review of regulations.
- In 2016 the RFA led recreational anglers in a ‘Sydney Loves Fishing’ campaign to get better consultation and facilitate more angler responses to the NSW Marine Estate Management Authority’s Hawkesbury Shelf Marine Bioregion Assessment process.
- Since 2016 the RFA worked with the Marine Estate Management Authority to boost recreational fisher engagement with stakeholder workshops. RFA lobbied the NSW Minister for Primary Industries because consultation was inadequate and that key issues and management options were not considered in the Hawkesbury Bioregion documents and past submissions.
- In 2017 the RFA provided comment to the consultation process on the draft Marine Estate Management Strategy. The comments were based on points raised by the RFA of NSW and other stakeholders after meeting with the NSW Minister for Primary Industries in December 2017 at Parliament House.
- In 2018 the RFA made a submission to the Marine Park Site Proposal Process, challenging MEMA on willingness to address real threats to marine biodiversity.
- In 2018 the RFA lobbied the NSW Minister for Primary Industries about concerns about the Public Consultation Paper ‘Transitioning the NSW Southern Fish Trawl Restricted Fishery to Commonwealth Management’, following inadequate consultation with important stakeholders.
- In 2020 the RFA lobbied the NSW Minister for Primary Industries and other NSW ministers regarding irrigation pumps killing fish in NSW waterways.
- In 2020 the RFA and other recreational fishing organisations complained by letter to Premier of NSW regarding delayed publication of Recreational Fishing Trust committee meeting minutes and delayed approvals of funding applications.
- The RFA submitted to the NSW government supporting the Marine Estate Management Authority on Stage Two Funding of the NSW Marine Estate Management Strategy 2018-2028.
- In 2020 the RFA supported Central Tablelands Local Land Services in an application for weir removal and other freshwater habitat improvements that would restore native fish passage and recreational fishing access.
- In 2020 the RFA lobbied the Minister regarding Kingfish Stock Assessment. The RFA submitted to the Minister that the limited public consultation and available information with regard to stock assessment of Kingfish in NSW was flawed and called for an alternative public process that involved a proper expert panel, involving clearly identified ‘experts’ in the stock assessment process, and defined objectives and processes.
- In 2020 the RFA wrote to Federal Minister Matthias Cormann supporting proposals for a Reef Builder Project, an investment of between $20-45 million in shellfish reef restoration.
- In 2020 the RFA made supporting submissions on behalf of Greater Sydney Local Land Services regarding the Botany Bay Oyster Reef Project.
- In 2020 the RFA made a submission to the NSW Office of Local Government regarding the Review of the Impounding Act 1993 and the removal of legally parked boat trailers on streets.
- In 2021 made submissions on the Review of the Impounding Act 1993. The RFA, the Boating Industry Association and the Boat Owners’ Association of NSW jointly wrote to Minister regarding the collective concerns of the way the Office of Local Government had conducted the review.
- In 2020 the RFA made a submission to the Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment on the Commonwealth fisheries resource sharing framework.
- In 2020 the RFA wrote to the NSW Minister for Primary Industries seeking urgent answers on the approval of cultural net fishing on the NSW South Coast including recreational fishing havens. There had been no local community consultation on the process, continuing the erosion of the state’s Recreational Fishing Haven process.
- In 2022 the RFA made a submission to the NSW Legislative Council on Cultural Fishing and appeared before the Upper House Inquiry.
- In 2020 the RFA lobbied the NSW Minister for Primary Industries on the NSW Southern Fish Trawl response. The transition of the Southern Fish Trawl from NSW to Commonwealth management still remains unresolved.
- In 2020 the RFA wrote to the Minister about the NSW Trust Funded Data Security Response, regarding the integrity and independent oversight of research data and intellectual property generated or collected in projects funded by the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts.
- In 2020 the RFA lobbied the NSW Minister for Primary Industries about the lack of action and information around the 2018 changes made to mulloway fishing under the Mulloway Recovery Plan.
- In 2021 the RFA lobbied the NSW Minister for Primary Industries regarding DPI’s Animal Welfare Reform Discussion Paper.
- In 2021 the RFA made a submission to the NSW Legislative Council on floodplain harvesting, followed by letters to NSW and federal politicians regarding floodplain harvesting and its impact on native fish.
- In 2022 the RFA published a Recreational Fishing Policy and submitted it to political parties prior to the 2023 state elections.
Communication
- The RFA operates a website at www.rfansw.com.au and a Facebook group with around 7,000 followers.
- Since 2015 the RFA has secured funding for a Fishing Safety Officer who engages with the community at fishing safety workshops, fishing clinics, outdoors shows, CALD community events, and through social media and mainstream media liaison.
- Since 2017 the RFA has partnered with DPI on the ‘Too Good to Lose’ clean Sydney Wharves campaign.
- In 2021 the RFA developed and published a Diversity and Inclusion Policy for recreational fishing organisations.
- In 2021 the RFA developed and published an Animal Welfare and Recreational Fishing Policy.
- The RFA emails rockfishing safety alert to a database of thousands of anglers, sending between 25 and 45 alerts each year warning of dangerous fishing and boating conditions.
- In 2023 the RFA launched the next stage of its Rock Fishing Safety media campaign for 2023-24.
- The RFA operates a YouTube channel focusing on fishing safety, with multilingual versions of all our fishing safety videos.
- The RFA operates a fishing safety website www.safefishing.com.au with multilingual safe fishing resources, videos, fact sheets.
- The RFA publishes NSW RecFisher, a monthly email newsletter of recreational fishing information, sent to over 4,000 subscribers.
- The RFA produced and distributed over 400,000 free DVDs ‘Don’t Put Your Life on the Line’ with videos on rockfishing, freshwater fishing, boating and underwater fishing safety. The RFA has distributed these to fishing clinics, individual anglers, fishing clubs, fishing competitions, schools and community groups.
- The RFA trademarked the slogan ‘Don’t Put Your Life on the Line’ for rockfishing safety communications.
- RFA officers are frequently contacted by media for comment, radio interviews and media appearances on important recreational fishing issues.