NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Education and
Promotion

A range of projects receive funding from the Recreational
Fishing Trusts each year to promote awareness and
stewardship of our aquatic resources.

PRIORITY AREA SNAPSHOT

336

Fishcare community events undertaken

56 workshops

Free fishing workshops held across NSW involving some 1,400 children and parents

75 schools

Registered to Get Hooked… It’s Fun to Fish schools education program

Fishcare

Fishcare is one of the flagship programs of the Recreational Fishing Trusts and uses a network of six dedicated Education Officers and 200 motivated Fishcare Volunteers across NSW to provide face-to-face and hands-on education to anglers on the ground and promote responsible and sustainable fishing. Fishcare also plays a key role in the Get Hooked…it’s Fun to Fish and Fishing Workshop programs. The mission is to educate fishers and encourage fishing stewards that champion responsible fishing and a sustainable, secure fishing future.

Key Achievements:

  • 336 Fishcare community events undertaken, contacting 13,500 people in the field
  • introduction of new Try Fishing sessions, with more than 1,500 participants
  • introduction of Clean Up Your Local Fishing Spot activities, inviting local anglers to participate and take greater stewardship of local areas, and
  • purchase of two new advisory trailers, to help boost education of fishers.

Gone Fishing Day

Gone Fishing Day celebrates our love of fishing and encourages everyone to get out on the water. It doesn't matter if you haven't fished before or if you're the keenest of anglers, Gone Fishing Day is for everyone. In 2020, although Gone Fishing Day was celebrated virtually due to COVID-19, fishers still hit the water to cast a line. A free, virtual Gone Fishing Day session was held to help all newcomers to the sport get started, with lots of prizes on offer.

Get Hooked… It’s Fun to Fish schools education program

The Get Hooked… It’s Fun to Fish program introduces students to fishing and teaches the basics about sustaining aquatic habitats by practicing safe and responsible recreational fishing. The program provides in-class lessons and practical outdoor fishing workshops that are aligned to the Australian Curriculum and meet syllabus outcomes across all key learning areas.

Key Achievements:

  • 75 schools registered with 3,500 students
  • more than 900 students participated in fishing workshop and in-class fishing activities, with 16 fishing workshop excursions delivered
  • expansion of the program into high schools, with scope to deliver online resources for teachers.

Fishing workshops

Fishing workshops teach adults and children how to fish in a responsible and sustainable way, with our mission being to create the fishing steward’s and champions of tomorrow. The program provides an enjoyable experience that aims to teach the basics of fishing to new entrants, giving them the skills to continue in the sport for life. Each year, thousands of new entrants are introduced to fishing under the program.

Key Achievements:

  • 56 free fishing workshops held across NSW involving some 1,400 children and parents
  • introduction of new Try Fishing sessions, with more than 1,500 participants

The Fly Program’s Men In Flight program

The Men In Flight program provides resources to help Australian men who have been touched directly, or indirectly by post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and suicide. The program helps these men to increase their quality of life through a new pastime – participation in the natural world through recreational fishing.

Key Achievements:

  • The Fly Program ran multi-day Men In Flight recreational fishing and outdoor retreats, situated around NSW’s most beautiful waterways, to help build participants’ confidence and empathy.
  • participants were provided with remote learning modules, including mental and physical health activities (such as recreational fishing), to help their continued journey of recovery with close support from The Fly Program crew.

ACT Fly Fishers’ Casting for Recovery program

The Casting for Recovery program seeks to enhance the quality of life for women recovering from breast cancer treatment through the sport of fly fishing. Provided by the ACT Fly Fishers, this project offers free fly fishing retreats at NSW waterways, including one-on-one tuition, weekend accommodation and care for women who have breast cancer.

Key Achievements:

  • participation by 12 women with breast cancer in the three-day retreat held during March 2021.

2020-21 Annual Report

Income and expenditure from the Trusts are subject to an annual audit and regular announcements are made about licence fee expenditure. DPI also carries out periodic surveys of recreational fishing licence holders to ensure that the broad funding priorities are in line with angler expectations.

Download the 2020-21 Annual Report

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www.dpi.nsw.gov.au