General News
12 July, 2024
Rubbish concerns among fishers
REDUCING litter and rubbish around waterways remains the top priority among fishers across the state.
A recent survey conducted by VRFish, the peak body for recreational fishing in Victoria, revealed that rubbish – and the provision of bins or fishing gear disposal facilities – was the greatest concern among the almost 5,000 respondents.
The advocacy priorities survey received a record-breaking response from nearly 5,000 recreational fishers.
VRFish chair Rob Loats believes the response shows that recreational fishers want to have their say on issues that impact their fishing.
“This survey will help continue to shape the advocacy work VRFish does to make fishing better in Victoria,” Mr Loats said.
“Overall, reducing litter and rubbish around our waterways remains the top state-wide priority and provision of bins or fishing gear disposal facilities has a marked impact on improved fisher satisfaction and the quality of urban fishing experiences.”
Inland recreational fishers identified trialling new ways to stock fish as their top priority, skyrocketing to the top spot from fourth position in the previous survey.
Remaining in the top priorities for coastal and marine fishers is future-proofing the snapper fishery, and the restoration of vital fish habitat including living shellfish reefs and seagrass, mangrove and salt marsh.
“The data shows more than 70 per cent of recreational fishers go land-based fishing, which emphasises the importance of ensuring we have safe and ongoing access to our piers and jetties, as well as our shorelines and riverbanks,” Mr Loats said.
When it comes to the most popular recreational fish species, the crown remains with King George whiting as the most targeted fish.
“We found that freshwater fishers are most often targeting trout and our iconic Murray cod,” Mr Loats said.
“The advocacy survey is used to inform VRFish advocacy planning by ensuring we understand the issues that are most important to the recreational fishing community, and we are effectively representing their views when providing advice back to Government.
“We thank the record-breaking number of recreational fishers who took part in our latest survey. The more support VRFish has, the stronger the recreational fishers voice when advocating for better recreational fishing in Victoria.”
