OzFish to lead Lake Macquarie fish habitat restoration
OzFish Unlimited, Australia’s leading fishing conservation charity, has announced Lake Macquarie as the home of its newest chapter protecting and revitalising recreational fishing in the region.
OzFish is a growing national not-for-profit that protects and restores fish habitats.
Dan Guilfoyle, local angler and Lake Macquarie Chapter executive, says that the Lake has needed a group like OzFish for some time.
“The last 20 years has seen a boom in how many people are fishing the Lake, which is great, but this pressure hasn’t been accompanied by a level of awareness that is needed to make sure we protect, restore and revitalise it as well,” Mr Guilfoyle said.
“We want the OzFish Lake Macquarie Chapter to be a powerful force in habitat restoration, while limiting the toll we have on the environment when fishing.
“Our local comps will be catch and release, we’ll do waterway clean-up and restoration work, and our message will be around creating a better fishery for the future. It is an exciting time for the local fishing community.”
Michael Guest, Lake Macquarie local and OzFish Ambassador, has been fishing the area for over 40 years and says that the Lake needs a hand now more than ever.
“If I compare what the Lake was like 20 years ago in comparison to today, a lot has changed,” Mr Guest said.
“The local Posidonia meadows are slowly disappearing and the water quality at some of the upper reaches has dropped.
“I am all for fishing growing in popularity – it’s a great pastime – but we equally need to make sure what we are giving back is growing too.”
The OzFish Lake Macquarie Chapter has a range of projects planned for the next 12 months.
These include working alongside local universities to conduct dietary sampling of fish, assisting local councils in waterway clean-ups and planting aquatic vegetation. They also plan to boost established projects like Operation Posidonia that aims to replant dislodged Posidonia fragments on Swansea sand flats.
The new chapter is calling on local anglers to join them and help in the restoration work.
Being the largest saltwater tidal lake in the southern hemisphere, the area is a fishing haven, with anglers chasing popular fishing species such as mulloway, whiting, bream, flathead, tailor and kingfish.
While commercial fishing was banned in 1999, there have been concerns about the lack of education among anglers regarding sustainable fishing practices and the state of the aquatic habitat.
The chapter is hosting a free community information evening on Thursday 14 April at Warners At the Bay Hotel and is has an open-door policy for anyone that wants to be involved.
Interested attendees should click the link below to register. Finger food will be provided and drinks can be purchased from the bar.