Whether it be fishing clubs or local businesses – community groups can easily tick off all their goals when they are backed in with adequate support and resources.
That is why over the last 12 years Recfishwest has supported funding for 260+ community-driven fishing projects including fishing clinics, events and competitions, equipment upgrades, safety training, habitat restoration, education and research.
Funded through the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund (RFIF) and supported by DPIRD, Recfishwest’s Community Grants program helps fishing clubs and other groups achieve their goals in making fishing better in their area for the benefit of fishers in their community.
Check out the 22 different organisations below that have received funding through Round 14 of the Recfishwest Community Grant Program.
2024 Community Grant recipients and their projects
Recipient: Apex Club of Kununurra
Project: 2024 Apex Kununurra Barra Bash
The 2023 Apex Kununurra Barra Bash went down as the biggest fishing competition in WA history with a staggering 1,125 competitors, and with Recfishwest’s support, funds will be used to purchase more fantastic prizes for the 2024 competition to see it return even bigger and better. Since barramundi stocking began In Kununurra a few years ago, fishing around Kunurra and the lower Ord has never been better. The Barra Bash is a great celebration of barramundi fishing in Western Australia.
Recipient: Ashburton Anglers Inc
Project: Release Me Fishing Competition
This non-demersal catch and release competition for local kids teaches them the importance of sustainable and abundant fish stocks. The competition encourages catch and release and is a chance for families to all enjoy the benefits of fishing in the State’s North.
Recipient: Australian Trout Foundation
Project: Trout Fishing Guide
Funding from this Community Grant will go towards covering the costs of developing a trout fishing guide for the Donnelly River. This will add to fishing guides the Australian Trout Foundation have previously made for the Murray River, Blackwood River, Warren River, Collie River and Wellington Reservoir. Fishing in WA’s picturesque South-West is a celebrated part of our culture and these free guides help aid people to go fishing in more places and catch more fish.
Recipient: Australian Underwater Federation
Project: 69th Annual Spearfishing National Championship
Funds will go towards the Australian Underwater Federation’s promotion of the 69th Annual Spearfishing National Championships which is being held in Western Australia in 2024. In addition to promoting the great fishing on offer in WA and supporting tourism and our regional economies, the competition promotes best practice via safe, sustainable, selective fishing to ensure abundant fish stocks for everyone.
Recipient: Bluewater Freedivers of Western Australia & WA Undersea Club
Project: Visibility Safety Check
The funds from this Community Grant will be used for the installation of a self-cleaning underwater video camera that will be used by both clubs. This camera will collect valuable scientific information and allow real time condition reporting, allowing fishers to understand visibility before choosing whether to head to sea.
Recipient: Cockburn Power Boat Club
Projects: First Aid Training, female boat and radio training
Keeping all fishers safe while wetting a line is paramount and these funds will go towards supporting first aid, boat and radio training for partners of skippers so if something happens at sea they will be able to call for help and navigate the vessel back safely. In addition to saving lives, this great initiative also promotes female participation in fishing which is simply fantastic.
Recipient: Denmark Boating & Angling Club
Project: Rainbow Coast Fishing Competition
This grant is a true celebration of fishing and these funds will help this southern-based fishing club in promoting the Rainbow Coast fishing competition, which is a mainstay of the southern fishing calendar. The 2024 Rainbow Coast competition also coincides with the 100-year anniversary of the Denmark boating and Angling Club which has been a central part of the Denmark community for generations.
Recipient: Fremantle Amateur Angling Club
Project: FAAC Swan Flathead Competition
There are not many capital cities anywhere in the world that have a river on its doorstep which supports great fishing. This is why the Swan River deserves to be celebrated. This grant will support the Fremantle Fishing Club run a Swan and Canning River fishing competition that encourages everyone to have fun and celebrate our fantastic river. The competition will promote catch and release and will be open to people of all ages.
Recipient: Fremantle Sailing Club
Project: Fremantle Sailing Club Kids Clinics
Fishing is fantastic and ensuring it can be enjoyed by future generations across WA is core to the value of Recfishwest. This grant will assist the Fremantle Sailing Club run their popular kids fishing clinics along with the purchase of a lifejacket rack, knives and landing net. These clinics provide children with the experience of fishing from a boat where they can learn about the wide variety of great fish that can be caught on the city’s doorstep.
Recipient: Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club
Project: Kalbarri Kids Whiting Competition
The Kalbarri Offshore & Angling Club (KOAC) annual school whiting competition held on the white sands next to the Murchison River during the October school holidays is a cherished community event. With many families traveling to Kalbarri during the holidays just for this competition it also has an important role in supporting tourism and regional economies. Recfishwest will once again attend the competition in 2024 and we are glad to once again be able to support the KOAC as they are an essential part of the Kalbarri Community and do fantastic work promoting everything that is great about fishing.
Recipient: Lancelin Angling & Aquatic Club
Project: John Bray Junior Fishing Clinic
The Lancelin Angling & Aquatic Club is another club who is a foundation of their community. Each year the Club hosts the John Bray classic for children during the Festive season. This annual kids fishing competition is always buzzing with an excited crowd of youngsters who can learn about the great fishing on offer in and around Lancelin setting themselves up for a summer full of great fishing adventures.
Recipient: Mandalay Holiday resort
Project: Mandalay Holiday Resort Family Fishing Competition
This annual event always sees the beach in front of the Mandalay Holiday Resort in Busselton brimming with hundreds of families wetting a line. The Mandalay family fishing competition is a mainstay on the South-West fishing calendar, attracting hundreds of families to Busselton while supporting tourism and regional economies. Recfishwest look forward to once again joining the community at the 2024 Mandalay family fishing competition in January 2024.
Recipient: Mary Island Fishing Club
Project: Kids Fishing Derby Day
Fishing is the lifeblood of Derby and Recfishwest is proud to assist the Mary Island Fishing Club with their kids fishing day at the Derby jetty. In addition to promoting fishing the day is also a celebration of jetties which have underpinned fishing experiences all around WA for generations. To see more of the Derby jetty watch this short video from our Derby fishing ambassador Katlyn Yeeda.
Recipient: Ozfish
Projects: Kids Busso Jetty Bash and Pimp My Jetty (Stage Two)
Great fishing experiences rely on great fishing environments which is why we are once again teaming up with Ozfish to promote fishing and restore habitats. This grant will see OzFish host their popular kids fishing competition on the historic Busselton jetty and help them install mussel habitats in the canals of the Peel Harvey estuary, significantly improving water quality and bream fishing experiences. To learn more about the mussel seeding project visit the Pimp my Jetty page on the OzFish website.
Recipient: Perth Game Fishing Club
Projects: FADs t-shirts, Junior Tuna Competition, South-West Skeletal Snapper Competition, 2024 Marlin Cup, WA Open 2024 and Metro FADs deployments
The Perth Game Fishing Club (PGFC) has played a pivotal role in championing game fishing in Western Australia. From first promoting game fishing in Perth more than 70 years ago to deploying FADs in our Metro region more than 40 years ago, the Club has grown to be a central pillar of the Western Australian fishing community. The funding provided to PGFC through the Recfishwest Community Grant Program will assist in promoting several important fishing events primarily focusing on their Junior Tuna Competition and the WA Open. Every fisher knows recreational fishers are leaders in fishing conservation protecting fish stocks that underpin their great fishing experiences. This is why the funding will also assist the PGFC promote FAD fishing and great alternatives to demersal fishing.
Recipient: Scubanautics Diving Academy
Project: Seeds for Snapper
Everyone loves seagrass and as a founding supporter of the Seed for Snapper program, Recfishwest is excited to support Scubanautics Diving Academy to provide free air fills to Seeds for Snapper volunteers. With the seagrass seed collection program already underway and with a target of more than a million seeds to collect we are sure Scubanautics Diving Academy will be kept busy this summer! Seeds for Snapper is a crucially important initiative aimed at restoring seagrass meadows in Cockburn Sound which act as a nursery habitat for many species Metro fishers love to catch.
Recipient: South East Coast Recreational Fishing Council
Project: Family Fun Fish Day, Education and Safety Day
Esperance has some of the world’s best beaches and has supported sustainable family fishing for generations. The South East Coast Recreational Fishing Council (SECRFC) does amazing work educating and protecting fishers to ensure everyone can come home safe from a days fishing. With funding from the Recfishwest Community Grant Program the SECRFC will once again be able to undertake family fishing fun days, safety inspections and children’s education so everyone will be able to continue exploring and wetting a line along Esperance beautiful beaches.
Recipient: Southern Forests Freshwater Angling Club (SFFAC)
Project: MacCallum Smith Trout Ponds in Pemberton
WA’s trout fishery generates an estimated $37 million annually to our state’s economy, with fishers visiting the regions to fish, enjoy southern hospitality and support local businesses. The first successful shipment of trout into Western Australia occurred in the 1870’s and trout have been the mainstay of WA’s freshwater fishing scene ever since. To support the development of trout fishing in WA, a series of holding ponds were constructed in the 1940’s at One Mile Brook. To provide some historical context to the role these historic ponds played in developing our freshwater fishery, Recfishwest is supporting the Southern Forests Freshwater Angling Club to create information signs at these ponds in Pemberton.
Recipient: Western Australian Coarse Angling Club
Project: Golden Ponds Fishing Club Upgrades
Coarse angling (angling for fish species traditionally considered undesirable as food or game fish) is a form of fishing that continues to grow in popularity and these funds will help the Western Australian Coarse Angling Club promote coarse fishing through a fun family fishing day.
Recipient: Western Australian Game Fishing Association (WAGFA)
Project: West Coast Interclub Game Fishing Event
Fishing clubs have been a part of our communities for more than a hundred years and just like with cricket, footy, swimming and netball clubs, there has been some great comradery and good-natured rivalry between clubs. The Western Australian Game Fishing Association is looking to build on this good-natured rivalry establish an interclub fishing event. In addition to capitalising on the joy of fishing, this event is also designed to promote positive fishing practices that can be passed on to all other club members. The event will encourage fishers to target species other than demersal and promote best practice amongst fishers.
Recipient: Youth Futures Community School
Project: The Next Cast
For over thirty years Youth Futures have been empowering young West Australians to take control of their future by offering them the holistic support and opportunities they need to thrive. Recfishwest is thrilled to once again team up with Youth Futures Community School to provide fishing clinics in 2024.
It is scientifically proven that fishing improves wellbeing and by providing young Western Australian with the opportunity to wet a line and learn about fishing we can help the school continue to empower and engage young people into the future.
