Industry in NSW gearing up for business boost

The New South Wales (NSW) fishing industry is gearing up for a boost in business as the season for Australia’s largest freshwater fish starts today (December 1st).

Hopes are high following the annual three-month close season for the Murray Cod and a recent record number of stockings in the state’s lakes and rivers.

“The Murray Cod is an icon of our inland waterways and now they have completed their breeding, experts predict a big season,” said Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall. “Recent inflows following rain across most of NSW means inland impoundments and rivers systems will provide great cod fishing and many anglers are expected to wet a line.”

More than half a million Murray Cod were put into 80 locations across the state last year, thanks to the $10 million Native Fish Drought Strategy. Now the investment is reaping rewards with record numbers of juvenile fish pointing to a bumper fishing year.

• Meanwhile, Minister Marshall has released the inaugural Recreational Fishing Annual Report, hailed as a new benchmark in accountability and transparency for projects and services funded by fishing licence fees. Marshall said the report showed $19 million in projects had been funded through the Recreational Fishing Trust in 2020-21.

“Every single one of those licence dollars goes back into hundreds of projects and initiatives to support and promote the recreational fishing industry,” said Marshall. “In 2020-21, 89 projects were approved. These projects are as diverse as building fish cleaning tables, fishing platforms, fishing safety infrastructure and access upgrades. They also fund some of our most popular ongoing programmes such as fish aggregating devices, offshore artificial reefs and hundreds of community fishing events.

“The release of the inaugural Recreational Fishing Annual Report is part of our commitment to ensure fishers know exactly how we spend their licence fees, and can see the value in their investment.”

Marshall said the online, interactive report provided multiple ways to show how licence fees were spent. “I would encourage our more than one million fishos who have a recreational fishing licence to jump online and learn more about how their fees are put to work.”

The Recreational Fishing Trust Annual Report will be released annually and is now available here