The document was recently presented to NSW Minister for Agriculture Dugalnd Saunders and lower and upper house candidates at an in-person meeting in the Southern Riverina.
SWAA committee member Jim Muirhead said the organisation is for all people across the NSW Riverina and Northern Victoria who enjoy recreational fishing.
Mr Muirhead said a key concern for the membership is the continued closure of the Murray River between Mulwala and Tocumwal for trout cod fishing.
“It is our belief that the entire Trout Cod Recovery Program be reviewed with greater research to establish why this species declined in the first instance, and why re-establishment programs are failing at an alarming rate,” the group’s document says.
“The double layer of protection that is current in the Murray River (Mulwala/Tocumwal), that is not imposed on any other Trout Cod population areas, should be removed and normal fishing regulations be restored.
“A detailed statutory review of the Trout Cod Recovery Plan was completed in 2017.
“The overall objective of the Trout Cod Recovery Plan was to ensure the recovery and natural viability of Trout Cod populations in their former range in the Murray-Darling Basin.
“With now about two decades of research, planning and restocking, the results show limited progress in the attempts to achieve the long-term objectives.
“The only remaining natural population is in the Murray River between Yarrawonga and Barmah State Forest - approximately 200km of river.
“Four additional stocked populations established from the early 2000s are now self-reproducing - the lower Ovens River, lower Goulburn River, mid-Murrumbidgee River and Bendora Dam.”
The group’s other key messages are:
• In relation to restrictions to access for recreational fishers and boaters in National Parks, it is our view that all public land be available for all people and not locked up or reserved for a selected few.
• It is our view that the restoration of our river’s health be made an absolute priority by any government and that includes habitat restoration, water quality and temperature as well as fish passage.
• It is our view that all Travelling Stock Reserves be repurposed as public recreational areas.
• It is our view that now crown road that leads to water or gives access to public land be offered for sale.
• It is our belief that a properly constituted fishing peak body be formed as an absolute priority.
• It is our belief that Boating Now Allocations be allocated in a far more transparent manner and not used for projects that appear more commercially beneficial to local government.
• It is our belief that recreational fishers would be more comfortable with Trust Fund committees being overseen by a properly constituted Peak Body.
• It is our belief that all Murray Darling Basin Plan/river health water usage be transparent, and that the health of our fish and indeed all the aquatic environments be paramount in any decisions.
• In regards to the proposed Animal Welfare Bill, it is our belief that all animals be treated with due respect, but these regulations are overreach and will only harm farming and recreational activities that are conducted in a humane, but sustainable manner.
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