Fish Tales – Lining up for fishing futures at Bingara hatchery, club secretary Brian Riley, left, Jacob Walton, Donna Walton, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, club president Stuart Lanagan, Steve Apthorpe, Stan Fletcher and Alex Lucke receiving almost $5,000 from the Habitat Action Grants Program last year.
Wednesday, 2 August 2017
FOR great fishing, you need great fish habitat, which is why grants up to $40,000 are now being made available to fishing clubs, community groups, local councils and individuals wanting to improve fish habitat in the region, through the NSW Government’s Habitat Action Grants Program.
“Improved fish habitat in our waterways is a win across the board – for fish, fishers and the quality of our rivers and streams,” said Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall.
“And for my Northern Tablelands electorate, which boasts some of the best river and stillwater fishing to be found in Australia, these grants offer a chance to build the foundations of future angling in the region.”
Mr Marshall said the latest round of the Habitat Action program is offering large grants of up to $40,000, and small grants to kick-start a project of up to $2,000, to fishing clubs, community groups, local councils and individuals.
“With over half a million dollars available statewide in this funding round, this is a great opportunity to improve fish habitats in our local creeks, rivers or estuaries, and encourage more fish as a result,” he said.
“This program is another excellent example of how recreational fishing fees are helping to support a productive local fishery.
“The NSW Government wants to ensure that quality habitats are available to ensure native fish thrive into the future.”
Since 2009, funds from the NSW Recreational Fishing Trusts have been invested into more than $4 million into the Habitat Action Grants program which has attracted significant additional investment of around $11 million in in-kind and cash contributions, delivering substantial outcomes on-ground for native fish habitat in NSW.
Previous funded projects include:
• Removing invasive weeds and re-establishing native vegetation on our riverbanks;
• Restoring and stabilising eroded river banks;
• Re-snagging waterways; and
• Removing barriers to fish movement by opening floodgates and improving road crossings or weirs.
Applications for Habitat Action Grants are now open and close on Monday, 18 September.
For more information about the program, application forms and examples of past projects visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hag or contact a Department of Primary Industries Fisheries Manager on 02 6881 1216.