Enforcement and Education
In 2011/12, Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL) Trust Account receipts contributed $2,026,900 to The Victorian Fisheries Authority's compliance budget.
RFL Trust Account receipts, when added to ongoing recurrent funding of fisheries compliance (education and enforcement) activities, contributes substantially to the delivery of recreational fisheries compliance services in Victorian coastal and inland locations.
Fisheries Officers have continued to have good contact with recreational fishers in the field during the last year. Table 1 summarises yearly totals for contacts in the recreational fishing sector. The activities are divided into categories based on species, locations or other activities. The data shows the total number of contacts of Fisheries Officers with recreational fishers exceeding 59,000 and then shows the number of offenders, verbal warnings, official warnings, infringement notices, and briefs of evidence for the year.
Table 1
| Recreational | Officer contacts with recreational fishers | Number of offenders | Verbal warnings issued | Official warnings issued | Infringement notices issued | Briefs of evidence compiled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General advisory | 3166 | |||||
| Abalone (on water) | 118 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Abalone (on land) | 1273 | 286 | 183 | 115 | 178 | 8 |
| Abalone (Inter Tidal Zone) | 473 | 177 | 53 | 121 | 233 | 2 |
| Intertidal Port Phillip Bay | 607 | 192 | 130 | 65 | 144 | 2 |
| Intertidal Pippis | 2232 | 193 | 136 | 29 | 83 | 2 |
| Intertidal Red Shore Crab | 258 | 56 | 32 | 30 | 30 | 0 |
| Intertidal Other | 167 | 47 | 29 | 16 | 18 | 0 |
| Bass Yabbies | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Rock Lobster (on water) | 108 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Rock Lobster (on land) | 185 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 1 |
| Ocean (on water) | 880 | 17 | 12 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Ocean (on land) | 4466 | 280 | 170 | 90 | 100 | 3 |
| Bay & Inlet - Port Phillip Bay (on water) | 3287 | 209 | 67 | 70 | 126 | 2 |
| Bay & Inlet - Port Phillip Bay (on land) | 14771 | 763 | 385 | 209 | 414 | 9 |
| Bay & Inlet - Western Port (on water) | 820 | 25 | 18 | 13 | 27 | 2 |
| Bay & Inlet - Western Port (on land) | 1982 | 48 | 30 | 26 | 51 | 2 |
| Bay & Inlet - Other (on water) | 1462 | 71 | 38 | 16 | 31 | 0 |
| Bay & Inlet - Other (on land) | 4662 | 216 | 131 | 38 | 120 | 1 |
| Scallops (On Water) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scallops (On Land) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Freshwater (on water) | 5152 | 263 | 152 | 67 | 144 | 1 |
| Freshwater (on land) | 10972 | 841 | 376 | 197 | 414 | 5 |
| Spiny Cray | 191 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Murray Cod | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fish stocking | 94 | |||||
| Angler Club meetings attended | 79 | |||||
| Shows, forums, clinics | 1970 | |||||
| Totals | 59402 | 3736 | 1966 | 1132 | 2139 | 41 |
All of the Fisheries Officers in the State undertake duties related to the recreational fishing sector. Fisheries Officers interact with recreational fishers through:
- contact with recreational fishers in the field;
- attending angling club meetings;
- attending recreational fishing-related shows, forums and clinics;
- attending fish stocking/liberation events;
- liaising with grant recipients regarding the successful completion of infrastructure type projects under the annual Recreational Fishing Grants Program (Large Grants);
- advising fisheries management on issues relating to recreational fishing;
- assisting the department's Fisheries Research Branch on matters relating to recreational fishing;
- responding to recreational fishing issues raised from the 13FISH Offence Reporting Line;
- producing recreational fishing-related media releases/distributing booklets, pamphlets;
- investigating recreational fishing-related crimes and prosecuting where necessary;
- collecting intelligence related to recreational fishing offences;
- participating in recreational fishing-related educational activities with school groups and the broader recreational fishing community;
- attending family fishing events; and
- engaging with culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority in conjunction with the recreational fishing community strive to achieve high levels of voluntary compliance amongst recreational fishers. By working collaboratively and by continuing to promote responsible and ethical fishing, we are better positioned to ensure both fish for now and fish for the future.
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