Guy Barnett,Minister for Primary Industries and Water
Tasmania has some of the best recreational sea fishing in the world with over 100,000 recreational fishers, and the Government is committed to ensuring a sustainable future for this much-loved part of our way of life.
To shape our recreational sea fishing future, we are developing the State's first Recreational Sea Fishing 10-year Strategy and Tasmanians are invited to have their say through a new discussion paper released today.
The paper will seek feedback on the proposed vision, outcomes and strategic initiatives for recreational fishing in Tasmania, and incorporates feedback from over 3,200 Tasmanians who responded to the 'For a Better Fishing Future' Survey in June and July this year.
We know from the 2017-18 IMAS survey of recreational fishing that almost one in four Tasmanians cast a line, fishing an average of five days per year, with flathead the main target species.
Recreational fishing is part of our way of life and much-loved by many Tasmanians and this will give us the information we need to inform the long-term vision for recreational sea fishing in Tasmania.
The Strategy is being developed in consultation with fishers and the community and aims to identify issues and opportunities and meet future challenges for recreational sea fishing in the State.
The Strategy demonstrates our strong support and recognition of the importance of recreational marine fishing to our State and I encourage Tasmanians to jump online and let us know their thoughts.
With your input, it will help us strike the right balance between providing access for today's fishers and ensure we have fish for future generations.
Public Submissions can be made until Sunday 25 October 2020. The discussion paper and a summary of the results from the 'For a Better Fishing Future Survey' are available on the DPIPWE website at: www.fishing.tas.gov.au/rec-strategy
Small public meetings will also be held across the State to share results from prior public engagement, to seek fisher and community views and discuss priorities for action. The meeting schedule is also available on the DPIPWE website.
The draft Tasmanian Recreational Sea Fishing Strategy will be released for public comment in February 2021.
