The NSW Government has announced a new Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council to oversee the spending of the funds from the Recreational Fishing Trusts, i.e. NSW fishing licence money. (In 2023-24, over 400,000 NSW recreational fishing licences were issued.)
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The new Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council will be responsible for providing advice to the NSW Minister for Agriculture on all expenditure from the Recreational Fishing Freshwater and Saltwater Trusts.
Revenue raised from recreational fishing license fees, around $16 million annually, is placed into the Recreational Fishing Trusts and spent on improving recreational fishing experiences, opportunities and habitats in NSW.
In addition to members with expertise in recreational fishing, the new Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council will look to have members with expertise in other important areas, including fisheries science and infrastructure construction, to assist with the review of the many diverse types of funding applications that are received each year.
The existing advisory council on recreational fishing will continue to focus on advising the Minister on recreational fishing issues, while the new council will focus on how expenditure is allocated to projects.
Appointment to the Recreational Fishing Trusts Advisory Council will be made following a recruitment process that will get underway following the change to the regulation.
