New OzFish chapter takes on the Burrendong Easter Classic
Australia’s fishing conservation charity, OzFish Unlimited, has launched a new chapter for the Macquarie and Bell rivers in Wellington by establishing the OzFish Wellington Chapter, with the group set to host the much loved and long-running Burrendong Classic for Easter 2022.
The Burrendong Classic is a catch-and-release fishing competition that raises funds for waterway initiatives, including fishing education and habitat restoration.
The Burrendong Classic was previously run by the Inland Waterways OzFish Chapter, and was originally started by Inland Waterways Rejuvenation Association in 2010.
After 9 years of running the Classic and building it up to a 3000-person-strong event, the Inland Waterways OzFish Chapter decided to hand the event over to another group of fishos to run – who have become the new Wellington OzFish Chapter.
Located at the junction of the Wambuul Macquarie and Bell rivers, and only 25 mins away from Burrendong Dam, Wellington and the surrounding region is home to some great freshwater fishing.
John Ahsee, Secretary of the new OzFish Wellington Chapter, is looking forward to taking on the Burrendong Classic.
“As local anglers we established the Wellington Chapter because we have a vested interest in our fish and the local waterways. We all know healthy waterways make for much better fishing,” stated John.
“We have attended the Classic in previous years, which has had thousands of recreational anglers entering the competition. People turn up in droves to camp along the shores of Burrendong to support this event.
“Running the Burrendong Classic makes sense because it encourages sustainable fishing practices, and all funds raised will be reinvested into our local waterways,” John stated.
The chapter plans to use funds raised from the competition to help recreational fishers in Wellington promote sustainable fishing, undertake river cleanups, and increase the capacity of the rivers to carry more native fish stocks.
Chapter President Norm Wilson and his executive team will continue the tradition of holding the fishing competition over the Easter weekend, this year falling on 15 to the 18 April 2022.
The Wellington Chapter invites local recreational anglers to join the Chapter and work alongside community partners towards creating a healthy, vibrant and more productive fishery.
This chapter’s establishment has been supported as part of OzFish’s Growing River Stewardship Project assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environment Trust and BCF – Boating, Camping, Fishing.