Participant Information Summary – NSW Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program (RFMP)
Recreational fishers in NSW are periodically invited to participate in the NSW Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program (RFMP). This is an important survey that collects data about recreational fishing trips to inform fisheries science and management. This webpage tells you about the program—please read the information carefully and feel free to get in touch with the program team on the details below should you have any additional questions.
Participation is voluntary, and consent is sought verbally by RFMP interviewers prior to the interview commencing. If you do not wish to take part, you don’t have to. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the survey at any stage, and if desired, withdraw any information you have provided up to that date. Just let your RFMP interviewer know if you wish to withdraw, and the interview(s) will cease.What is the RFMP?
The RFMP is a comprehensive citizen science program that engages with thousands of recreational fishers who voluntarily provide information on their fishing activities within a rigorous scientific framework. The RFMP monitors catch and effort of fishers in NSW, and provides essential data to support development and management of recreational fishing in NSW. The program runs every two years, and includes an Off-site telephone diary survey of long-term (1 and 3 year) Recreational Fishing Licence (ltRFL) holders, which is conducted over the telephone, and an On-site boat ramp survey, which is conducted in-person at selected coastal boat ramps. For more information, and to download previous reports by the RFMP, please visit this website.
Who runs the RFMP, and who can I contact for more information?
The RFMP is funded by the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts, and run by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) Recreational Fisheries Research group, which includes a team of experienced scientists and technical staff, and specialist interviewers, who are tasked with research on all aspects of recreational fisheries in NSW. You can contact the team at any time through the RFMP Extension Officer at recreational.fishing.survey@dpird.nsw.gov.au. The ethical aspects of the survey have been approved by the DPIRD Human Research Ethics Review Panel (HRERP, human.ethics@dpi.nsw.gov.au), under project 25-826, and adhere to the principles outlined in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2023).
What does participation in the Off-site telephone diary survey (TDS) involve?
If you hold a long-term RFL, your name may be drawn at random from the database of licence holders held by Service NSW. If your name is selected, a specialist RFMP interviewer will call you on the phone number provided when you purchased your ltRFL, and conduct an initial Screening Survey of prior and intended fishing in your household, along with some high-level demographic information. If eligible, you will be invited to participate in the 12-month TDS, where the interviewer will interact with you over the year to collect information on recreational fishing activities undertaken within your household, including high-level information on where you fished (e.g., the estuary, river or dam), how long you fished for, and what you caught and released. At the conclusion of the TDS you may also be invited to offer your opinions and perspectives on your recreational fishing in NSW over the diary period.
What does participation in the On-site boat ramp survey (BRS) involve?
RFMP interviewers will be present at selected coastal boat ramps at random days during each 12-month survey period. You can identify that interviewers are present by signage indicating that DPIRD-Fisheries are conducting recreational fishing surveys on that day, and you can identify RFMP interviewers by their official shirt which 
includes a NSW Government and Recreational Fishing Research logo. If you retrieve your boat from one of these boat ramps on a day that interviews are taking place, you may be approached by the interviewer, provided with a Participant Information Sheet, and invited to participate. If you agree, the interviewer will ask you about what licence category you have (or exemption), some high level demographic information that is necessary to calibrate the data collected (e.g., gender, post-code of residence, age bracket), and details about your fishing trip (e.g., approximate fishing locations, how long you fished for, and what you caught and released). The interviewer may also ask to measure the size of some of the fish that you have retained. Each interview should only take a couple of minutes, and the interviewer will enter any information provided on digital tablet. All data collection is anonymous, has no compliance value, and is not used for any purpose other than research—the interviewer will not ask for your name or any contact information. You can refuse to answer any of the questions, or refuse the interview altogether.
What happens to the information I provide through the RFMP surveys?
Information that you provide is joined with data from 1000s of other NSW recreational fishers to estimate catch, effort and participation in recreational fishing within NSW for the survey period. All information is anonymised (i.e., so that it cannot be linked with survey respondents), and is summarised in the biennial report series Survey of Recreational Fishing in NSW (previous reports can be found here). Data collected during the survey is stored in perpetuity within the DPIRD Recreational Fisheries Database, with each survey year contributing a valuable reference point on recreational fishing in NSW. The DPIRD Recreational Fisheries Database does not store your name or any other contact information (e.g., phone number, address), and any information stored cannot be linked to any fisher in any way.
