Fishing and conservation go hand in hand

Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling’s tips to help you strike the balance when fishing

With the Easter long weekend approaching, many of us are heading to our favourite fishing spots along the NSW coast. Sometimes, recreational fishers will encounter a threatened or protected fish in our coastal waters. If we all do our part, these fish could become abundant once again.

So how do you recognise a fish that is threatened or protected? And what should you do if you come across one while you’re out fishing?

With funding from the Marine Estate Management Strategy, the Department of Primary Industries (Fisheries) has released a short video narrated by well-known sports fishing media personality Steve ‘Starlo’ Starling to help answer these questions. The Quality of our Fishing Experience Hangs in the Balance has tips for identifying the threatened and protected fish that you’re most likely to encounter while fishing on the coast and gives practical advice about what recreational fishers can do to minimise their impact on these species.

Threatened and protected species detailed in the video include the Black Cod (or Black Saddled Rockcod), the Giant Queensland Groper and the Greynurse Shark.

Some tips to minimise the injury to threatened fish species that are accidentally caught include using lures or in-line circle hooks to reduce the risk of deep hooking, and cutting the line as close as you safely can to the fish’s mouth if the hook cannot be removed.

We can all play our part in helping to rebuild populations of these beautiful fish species.

For more information, go to the DPI Fisheries webpage.