Know the rules before you cast a line
Confusion over the rules and regulations relating to recreational fishing in the various states and territories still appears to be rife.
Grey nomads and other travellers who are constantly moving between ‘jurisdictions’ are among those most likely to be caught out.
In Victoria, fisheries officers patrolling the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park have recorded a 20% rise in infringements this year, with people either inadvertently or deliberately flouting the law.
There has been a jump in the number of people illegally fishing in all the state’s marine national parks … and the Victorian National Parks Association has called for more resources and capacity to tackle people who fish in the parks.
“The majority of people don’t know they are doing the wrong thing,” senior Fisheries officer David Burgess told the ABC. “I am surprised because the markings of the marine national park have been improved over the past two years.”
Victoria’s 13 marine national parks cover about 10,000 square kilometres and are home to more than 12,000 species of aquatic plants and animals.
According to the state’s peak body for recreational fishing, VRFish, compliance rates in marine protected areas are high.
“It is the responsibility of fishers to know the rules and regulations within marine national parks,” VRFish general manager Dallas D’Silva told the ABC.
Too many juristictions, too many laws. Why can,twe just standardize , one licence, one set of laws for ALL states.
As a keen recreational fisherman who has been fishing both fresh and salt water nearly all my life I find it the most confusing issue ever!! It is also a very complex issue as what is good practice in Tassie may not reasonaby be the case in (say) Queensalnd so to suggest a National ‘code’ would not be appropriate. I usually try to gather the appropriate information via the internet prior to crossing state borders but sometimes it can be very confusing or contradictory especially when angleing colse to the borders. I am really not sure whjat the answer is other than to suggest that someone puts together a ‘rules’ booklet that covers the whole country!! i for one would certainly purchase one for my ‘tackle box’!!!
Ill informed governments allow pros to rape the seas to flog our fish off to other countries while denying us the right to dangle a line to maybe catch a couple of fish.
Very confusing. Just completed a 5month trip; Tas Vic NSW and home to Qld. Everything different! Did you know that the Murray River is NSW and to fish from Vic side you need a NSW licence?? Lucky we checked as we had an patrol check us.