Tag: rock fishing safety

WA Needs More Fishing Heroes!

Our Purpose is to ensure Great Fishing Experiences for all in the WA community forever.
Our Commitment is to Protect, Promote and Develop Sustainable, Accessible, Enjoyable and Safe fishing for the benefit of the community.

Thanks to our current supporters, Recfishwest can continue the fight to keep fishing great in WA.

Our role is to: 
– Be your voice that would not otherwise be heard
– Be the voice of the fish that otherwise goes unheard or ignored
– Keep you informed of all thing affecting your fishing, 24/7; we believe you need to know!
– Strive to ensure you and your family return home safe after a day’s fishing
– Defend your fishing rights when your local fishing spot is under threat
– Fight when access to fishing areas is put at risk
– Roll up our sleeves and find a solution when no one else will.

Contribute to what we do and support us, become a member and let us do the hard yakka on your behalf.  We don’t make profits here at Recfishwest and we make sure all our resources go directly towards our action to protect, promote and develop our fishing environments and to keep you fishing.

To give you an idea of where your support helps us make fishing better:
• Stocking of important recreational fish species around WA, including Pink Snapper, Barramundi, Prawns, Mulloway and Freshwater Trout
• Development, design and deployment of Artificial Reefs in Western Australia
• Development of important fishing research and conservation programs
• Development of WA’s ‘Fish and Survive’ program, to ensure all fishers come home safe after a day’s fishing
• Delivery of WA’s only state-wide fishing clinic program to thousands of kids in both metro and regional areas

A strong membership base allows us to pursue matters that affect your fishing with added confidence knowing you’ve got our back, just like we’ve got yours!

For just 50c per week, you can help us protect and develop fishing experiences in Western Australia, for the community forever.

Angel Ring Saves Lives in Esperance

The recent investment in rock fishing safety initiatives is starting to make a real difference in WA and lives are being saved as a result. Initiatives such as Angel Rings (life rings) are proving genuine life savers, as was the case recently at Esperance.

A father of two was fishing from the rocks at Hellfire Bay while his children, aged 11 and 15, swam from the nearby beach. While he was fishing he saw his children being swept out to sea by a strong rip current.  His quick thinking had him grab the near by Angel Ring and he attempted to get it in the water as quickly as possible. Unfortunately he was hit by a large wave and swept in himself, placing all three of them in danger in what could have been a major tragedy. Fortunately he kept hold of the Angel Ring and was able to use it to support all three of them while they swam back to shore. The alarm was raised by others, but the trio made it safely back to dry land without assistance.

This is the first time it has been confirmed an Angel Ring has been used to save lives along the south coast of WA, although we believe it has happened on other occasions from local reports including Quobba and Albany. There is no doubt the immediate availability of the Angel Ring played a huge part in the positive outcome, potentially saving three lives. This story highlights the importance of continuing to invest in safety initiatives across the state.

Recfishwest CEO Andrew Rowland said the work done by community partners in Esperance to ensure Angel Rings were installed shouldn’t be forgotten.

“The Department of Parks and Wildlife, the Shire of Esperance and the South East Coast Recreational Fishing Council all played huge roles in installing Angel Rings in and around Esperance and the recent incident and the positive outcome is a testament to their work to keep the community safe,” Andrew said.

“This incident is a reminder of the importance of on ground safety equipment installations supported by local expertise and the need for the government to continue financial support for this initiative.”

Although Angel Rings are installed at many of the popular rock fishing destinations around WA, we still highly recommend the use of a life jacket while fishing, especially the new era of compact, self-inflating life jackets available which can be worn rock, boat or kayak fishing. Check out how popular these jackets are here.

Recfishwest wants you and your family to return home safe after a day of fishing, and because of that we are proud to work with our community partners, government and the public to make that a reality through safety initiatives around WA.

Safety Technology to Improve Emergency Response Time at Salmon Holes

Safety Technology to Improve Emergency Response Time
– Emergency phone for regional mobile black spot
– Funding provided by Colin Holt, Minister for Housing, Racing and Gaming
– Personal responsibility remains best safety precaution
– Educational and awareness campaigns are essential to behaviour change

The Albany community recently received a boost for fishing safety, with the instalment of an emergency telephone at Albany’s notorious rock fishing location, Salmon Holes.
The Minister for Housing, Racing and Gaming Colin Holt, received a recommendation from the Gaming Community Trust to fund and install an emergency telephone at the well-known high-risk fishing location.

Recfishwest Chief Executive Officer Dr Andrew Rowland said the support from the Government to improve public safety should be commended and as the recipient of the grant, Recfishwest were more than happy to assist in delivering improved safety outcomes.
“This telephone runs on a 3G network in a location with limited to no service. It will provide access to emergency services in a reduced time and complements existing safety infrastructure in a continued effort to keep fishers safe in Albany,” Dr Rowland said.

‘While the emergency phone is a welcomed addition to the state-wide Rock Fishing Safety Strategy, Recfishwest still urges fishers to not become complacent as personal safety is always an individual’s responsibility when fishing.’

The ongoing commitment from Albany’s Department of Parks and Wildlife, local Police, Albany Sea Rescue, Department of Fisheries, Albany Offshore Boating and Fishing Club, the City of Albany, the Life Jacket Loan stores and local volunteers to drive positive change in their local community has been fantastic.
To read the Minister’s Media Release click here.

It is as simple as following these safety steps:
– Know the conditions
– Wear a life jacket
– Wear the correct footwear
– Wear suitable clothing
– Know how to swim

ENDS
Media Contact: Tim Grose 9246 3366, tim@recfishwest.org.au

An Avoidable Tragedy

Recreational fishers have been urged to take more responsibility for their own safety after yet another rock fishing fatality. A 30-year-old man was washed to his death last month while fishing in rough weather, after two fatalities at the same location 12 months earlier. Having taken many steps to educate anglers about rock fishing safety, particularly in Albany (where there are extensive signage and several safety initiatives such as Angel Rings and anchor points), Recfishwest and community partners have again reinforced the folly of rock fishing for salmon during the annual run of this great sportfish.

There are many fantastic spots throughout the South-West where Salmon can easily, and safely, be caught from the beach, even in rough weather. Maps are available that indicate safe fishing spots for salmon around Albany which you can get from local tackle outlets. Anyone who is considering rock fishing should take all the necessary precautions, including wearing personal floatation devices (PFDs) and specialised rock fishing footwear. PFDs are available on loan from 21 locations state-wide at no cost, please see bottom of Broad Cast for the locations. A new emergency telephone will soon be installed at the Salmon Holes as well, to improve emergency response times in another initiative to make fishers safe. However, even with the correct safety gear at their disposal under no circumstances should people risk rock fishing in obviously inclement weather.

Keep the sand between your toes knowing you’ll come home safe from a great day’s fishing!

Easter Campaign a Safety Success

Once again this year, Albany’s popular Salmon Holes was the scene of a fantastic rock fishing safety initiative over Easter, with the Albany Offshore Boating and Fishing Club coordinating a safety stand at the popular fishing location.  This year’s stand was an unprecedented success, offering fishers the chance to borrow life jackets (PFDs) for free and enabling volunteers to pass on the crucial messages regarding rock fishing safety to many inexperienced anglers.

In previous years there has been a general reluctance to take the PFDs, which are also available to loan for free from retail outlets across the state, but the rock fishing safety message appears to be getting through and this year fishers were actually queuing up to receive them.

It was the first time in two years all the lifejackets had ever been loaned out. Organisers, including members of the AOBFC, were delighted with the unprecedented response from recreational fishers.
At the end of the weekend, the life jackets were donated to local migrant resource centres.

The stand was also supported by Recfishwest, with staff in attendance over the weekend, the Department of Parks and Wildlife, which controlled parking and limited visitor numbers when necessary at the Salmon Holes.

There were a couple of near misses over the Easter weekend but fortunately there were no fatalities.  Special mention needs to be made of local youngster Cowan Wise, who manned the stand across the entire four days and did a tremendous job of spreading the rock fishing safety message and assisting recreational fishers.

To purchase a life jacket, visit the fish and survive website.
We strongly recommend anyone going salmon fishing to fish from the beach and keep the sand between your toes.