Tag: licence

Recfishwest Disappointed in Fishing Licence Increase

In June, the Minister for Fisheries announced that all of your fishing licences will increase by $5 as of July 8, 2017.

This is an outcome of a Government review of Fees and Charges, which has also seen other increases in day to day expenses for West Aussies. Recfishwest is disappointed with this increase and that we were not consulted on it.

After discussions with the Minister seeking assurance that programs such as the RFIF (Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund) are not going to be lost as an outcome of this review, with Minister Kelly confirming funding to the RFIF and Recfishwest will not be impacted.

Recfishwest will be working hard to ensure every cent of the additional $1 million the government will receive from this increase delivers maximum benefit to the fishing community who are paying.

It’s important that the community has clarity on government expenditure we expect that the Premiers promised “gold standard of transparency” as continually spruiked by the new Government, is also applied to fishing licence revenues.

New Pricing for recreational fishing licences (as of July 8, 2017) below:

Fishing from boat (statewide) $35

Rock Lobster  $45

South-west freshwater angling $45

Net fishing (haul, set, throw) $45

Abalone $45

Maroon $45

You still do not require a licence to fish from the shore in WA.

Current concession discounts will remain, for more information visit http://fish.wa.gov.au/Pages/Home.aspx

Recfishwest Disappointed to Learn of Licence Increase

We have just heard from the Minister for Fisheries that all of your fishing licences will be going up by $5 as of July 8.

This is an outcome of a Government review of Fees and Charges, announced today, which has also seen other increases in day to day expenses for West Aussies.

RFW are disappointed with this increase. This is the first we have heard of it and were not consulted on it.

We have spoken directly to the Minister this afternoon seeking assurance that programs such as the RFIF (Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund) are not going to be lost as an outcome of this review, with Minister Kelly confirming funding to the RFIF and RFW will not be impacted.

Recfishwest will be working hard to ensure every cent of the additional $1 million the government will receive from this increase delivers maximum benefit to the fishing community who are paying.

It’s important that the community have clarity on government expenditure we expect that the Premiers promised “gold standard of transparency” as continually spruiked by the new Government, is also applied to fishing licence revenues.

What this means:
Fishing from Boat Licences will increase to $35, with all other licences increasing to $45.Current concession discounts will remain.

If you renew your fishing licences before July 8 2017, you’ll avoid the increase.

Recreational Fishing Licence Money Continues to Give Back to Fishers

Every year 25% of your recreational fishing licence fees are placed in the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund (RFIF) to be spent on improving your fishing experiences. This year there are some fantastic new projects to enhance recreational fishing that have just been announced through Round 5 of the RFIF. These projects include three new artificial reefs, south coast habitat restoration and crab restocking, just to name a few.

The RFIF has provided our great state with approximately $7.7million of recreational fishing projects since its inception in 2011 with tangible outcomes for fishers and the environment. These projects have included artificial reefs, fish stocking, habitat restoration, research on important recreational species and improved safety outcomes.  This year’s announcement comes as the two steel artificial reef towers funded in Round 4 of the RFIF are ready for deployment in Perth metropolitan waters.

In Round 5 of the RFIF $600,000 has been awarded for shallow-water reefs in Esperance and Exmouth to provide reef fishing opportunities for family and small boat fishers in protected waters. Artificial reefs have already proven successful in Geographe Bay and Mandurah, and Recfishwest is excited about expanding artificial reefs into the North West and down on the South coast.

In addition to the Esperance and Exmouth reefs, The City of Karratha will also receive 1/3 of the funding required for a reef near Dampier. This funding will help the city to leverage the remainder of the funds needed to complete this exciting project.

An interesting new project has been funded on the expansion of current oyster reef restoration trials in Albany’s Oyster Harbour. Four hundred square metres of restored reef will be seeded with aquaculture settled juvenile oysters to hopefully restore large scale living oyster reefs that were once numerous in Oyster Harbour.

Funding for a tag and recapture program in Roebuck Bay, Broome was allocated to help assess the Threadfin Salmon populations in the recreational only Marine Park fishery, as a community partnership involving Broome Fishing Club and local fishers.

This round of RFIF also funded grants for Blue Swimmer Crab restocking in Perth and a shark bite-off and deterrent video study around the Ningaloo coast.

In addition, Round 5 RFIF funding has also been provided for:
• Improved fishing access for fishers of all ability through a grant to Fishability (formally Fishers with Disabilities).
• Quantify the economic importance of recreational fishing in WA.
• Revitalise and empower fishing clubs to ensure they continue to play an important part in their local communities.