Illawarra Chapter
We bring people together to help protect and restore the places you love to fish.
OzFish is dedicated to helping local rec fishers across Australia take control of the health of their rivers, lakes and estuaries. They partner with members and the broader community to invest time and money into the protection and restoration of our waterways.
What we do:
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- Work with fishers to make local fishing grounds healthy, vibrant and more productive.
- Share ideas on how to improve, restore and protect fish habitat.
- Seek grants and support for hands-on habitat restoration.
- Provide events, resources, education and research that support fishing groups to achieve local outcomes.
JOIN OZFISH ILLAWARRA AND BE PART OF CREATING BETTER HABITAT FOR BETTER FISHING
BECOME A MEMBER NOW
We are growing our membership base and are looking for recreational fishers who are interested in the work we do to give back to fish habitat.
Meet the team
Chapter President Luke had heard about OzFish and was keen to join a local chapter, only to discover that there wasn’t one in Wollongong. After bribing some colleagues and friends with coffee and fishing trips, and relentless persistence, he secured Dan and Aaron’s engagement and positions on the Executive Committee. Now the team is all geared up and ready to tackle the local waterways, creating long-lasting changes to the habitat and fishing community of the Illawarra.
OzFish Illawarra Chapter is just getting started, so they’re taking a flexible and responsive approach as they establish the committee, co-create the Chapter’s vision for Illawarra and plan and prioritise the first projects to get them underway.
The Chapter aims to have monthly meetups to discuss projects and implementation, any local issues and new ideas, and generally chat fishing.
Geographical Region
OzFish Illawarra will be taking on projects from Stanwell Park in the north to Shellharbour in the south, and everywhere in between.
The Tharawal people are the traditional custodians of the land and sea in the Illawarra region.
The Chapter will be working with all waterways, from the well-known hot spots of Lake Illawarra and the various harbours and beaches, down to the small inlets, creeks and estuaries that harbour some of our favourite fish species. No matter if it’s sand, shore, spear, fly of just your traditional line fishing, OzFish wants to hear from others who are passionate about their local fishing and want to give something back to their waterways.
Projects on the horizon – Puckeys Lagoon
The Chapter is looking at installing fish habitat structure and doing some restoration and revegetation works in Puckeys Lagoon.
On top of this, they have already begun engaging with OzFish major partner BCF Warrawong and Wollongong Council.
The Chapter is currently in discussions with Council and various organisations as they develop their initial project ideas and scope out feasibility. They aim to have a variety of scalable projects from popular water bodies to the smaller creeks. Wherever they can create positive change for the aquatic environment and the fishing, they’ll be interested in implementing projects to improve fish habitat.
GET INVOLVED
Become a member of the OzFish Illawarra Chapter.
There is a membership for everyone.
ADULT MEMBERSHIP JUNIOR MEMBERSHIP FAMILY MEMBERSHIP
Every new member will receive an OzFish cap, sticker, facemasks and a $10 BCF Gift Card courtesy of our major partner.
Fishing the waterways of the Illawarra
Illawarra is famous for having such a variety of fishing options.
Illawarra is very lucky to have most bases covered, whether you are estuary fishing in Lake Illawarra, rock fishing off one of the many rock platforms, casting into the gutters along the beaches, flicking among the snags in the upper reaches, or boat fishing around the fads or islands, there is something for every day, no matter the conditions.
The Executive Team have their own idea of a good time fish-wise – Dan loves flicking plastics along the beaches or estuaries, while Aaron is all about trolling along the reefs and sandbars from his boat.
The Illawarra has developed a strong fishing culture. While it’s common for fishers to head out with the aim of bringing back some dinner, there is certainly an increase in the number of fishers practising catch and release. This is becoming especially important as we are seeing the decline in fish populations from both scientific data and with our own eyes.
The main concerns that fishers in the area have been focused on increasing the number of accessible fishing spots that need to be protected from large scale development, these areas need to be restored to resemble a natural ecosystem.
