Recfishwest Safe Fishing Ambassador Scott Coghlan and members of the Albany fishing community joined the Fisheries Minister Peter Tinley in Albany today to announce the State-wide Safe Fishing Strategy’s funding will be extended for four more years.
The McGowan Government will provide $560,000 to support Recfishwest to continue delivering our successful State-wide Safe Fishing Safety Strategy.
The announcement honours the McGowan Government’s 2017 election commitment to provide safer fishing experiences.
As the peak recreational fishing body representing 750,000 recfishers, Recfishwest will continue to lead the State-wide Safe Fishing Strategy and work closely with fishers, land managers and volunteer organisations to ensure fishers return home safe after a day’s fishing.
Over the next four years, Recfishwest will build upon the work undertaken through the State-wide Safe Fishing Strategy which has brought fishing safety into the public spotlight and has seen considerable progress made in changing behaviour and raising community awareness about the need for safety to be a part of every fishing experience.
Earlier this year, Recfishwest put forward a safe fishing package proposal to Government which was adopted and announced by Minister Tinley today. The announcement will see:
- Recfishwest work alongside the Bureau of Meteorology to develop a hazardous swell and weather conditions alert system for recreational fishing in high risk areas;
- The expansion of the State-wide loan lifejacket program;
- The expansion of the existing angel ring program;
- The installation of more rock anchor bolts at key locations;
- Annual safety campaigns tailored to particular fishing seasons, species and methods.
“Recfishwest works tirelessly to promote the need for safety to be part of every fishing experience,” Recfishwest CEO Andrew Rowland said. “We work closely in partnership with local communities to drive behaviour change that has safe fishing at its core and invest in safety infrastructure across the State.
“The funding commitment made today will allow us to continue to work closely the community in ensuring the State’s 750,000 recreational fishers come home safe, whether they be rock fishers, boat fishers, kayak fishers, or spearfishers.
“We thank the Minister for Fisheries Peter Tinley and the McGowan government for honouring the election commitment and for once again entrusting Recfishwest to deliver positive on-the-ground outcomes for fishers.”
