2017 Vic Fish App and Guide now available

20 December 2016

Anglers are being encouraged to download the free 'Vic Fishing' app for smartphones or get hold of the 2017 Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide, which is now available free from hundreds of outlets including bait and tackle shops.

Fisheries Victoria Executive Director, Travis Dowling, said the updated products outline key information anglers need to fish sustainably such as catch limits, closed seasons and permitted equipment.

"We update the 60-page Guide annually and the App as rule changes occur through the year so that people who want to do the right thing can do so easily," Mr Dowling said.

"The Guide includes more than 80 colour illustrations of commonly caught fish to help anglers identify their catch, and the size and bag limits that apply.

"We want to get more people fishing, more often, consistent with the State Government's Target One Million plan to grow participation, and we want all of them to fish responsibly.

"Funded by recreational fishing licence fees, the Guide describes rules that currently apply and any new ones introduced since the previous year."

Changes and updates in the 2017 Guide are:

• Catch limit of 5 for gemfish;
• Catch limit of 5 for golden perch (introduced in 2016);
• Year-round open season for Murray cod in Lake Eildon (introduced in 2016);
• New illustrations for black cod, longfin pike, gemfish, Hardy Head, toadfish and puffers;
• Dates for the annual closed season on trout rivers.

The Guide and App are supported by a suite of free measures and boat rulers, also funded by fishing licence fees. Fish length rulers for saltwater and freshwater are available, as are plastic measures for abalone, rock lobster and spiny freshwater crayfish.

Guides are available free of charge from most good tackle shops, many Tourist Information Centres and offices of the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.

Guides, measures and rulers can also be obtained by ringing the Customer Service Centre on 136 186.

See the new 2017 Guide online at www.vic.gov.au/fishingguide or download the free 'Vic Fishing' app for smartphones from the App Store or Google Play.