Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide 2007-2008

Recreational Fishing Guide Contents I Product information for free measures, rulers and pocket cards

Welcome to the Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide 2007-2008 More than 500,000 Victorians wet a line at least once a year. Some are chasing a feed for the table, while others are just sharing time by the water with friends and family in the great outdoors, away from the stresses of everyday life. While the drought and bushfires have adversely affected many of our inland fishery destinations, there remains a long list of waters that are well worth a visit. Many of them are annually stocked with trout by Fisheries Victoria. Others receive native fish such as Murray cod and golden perch. Last year saw better times for saltwater fishing. Another terrific snapper season in Port Phillip Bay entertained thousands of anglers last spring. The terrific run of gummy sharks has continued right along our coast and the big bluefin tuna returned to Portland, attracting sporting anglers from right across Australia. This year’s Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide is the biggest yet. We have expanded the section on Your Licence Fees at Work so you can get a better understanding about how your licence fees are funding projects that improve fishing opportunities. We have also added a page to the abalone section to simplify the layout for divers. As the Minister Responsible for Fisheries I am very proud of the Victorian Government’s track record with recreational fishing. At the 2006 election, the Government committed $42 million to improve facilities and services for boaters and anglers and to get more Victorians outdoors. For more information about these election commitments, to be rolled out over the next four years, refer to page 71 of the Guide.

Joe Helper MP

The Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide remains the primary means by which Fisheries Victoria communicates regulations to anglers. A survey of 350 licensed anglers last year revealed that 85 per cent were aware of the Guide, 73 per cent had used it in the preceding 12 months and 87 per cent were very satisfied with it in its current format. With positive feedback like that is it little wonder the Guide finds a home in most anglers’ tackle boxes. I hope it finds a home in yours.

Joe Helper MP Minister for Agriculture Minister Responsible for Fisheries Want to Get a Hard Copy? The Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide is available in hard copy, free of charge, so that you can take it fishing with you or leave it in your tackle box or boat. Hard copies can be obtained from most fishing tackle shops that sell recreational fishing licences, Department of Primary Industry offices or by ringing the Customer Service Centre on 136 186. To view the attached PDF documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link). Recreational Fishing Guide 2007-2008 (in three parts): Part One: (PDF 3.4Mb) Part Two: (PDF 2.49Mb) Part Three: (PDF 2.85Mb)			Front Cover of the Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide 2007 - 2008
Page Top Recreational Fishing Guide 2007-2008 (by chapter):

Contents (pages 1-9) Message from the Minister About the Guide Changes to Regulations Go Fishing in Victoria	(PDF 1.47Mb)
Recreational Fishing Licence (pages 10-16) Licence Information Your Fishing Licence Fees at Work Regulation Enforcement (page 17) Fisheries Officers Fines and Penalties Reporting Offences Offence Reporting Service (13FISH)	(PDF 709Kb)
Restricted Areas or Closed Waters (pages 20-24) Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries Boundary Markers Aquaculture Fisheries Reserves Intertidal Restrictions Scallops – Port Phillip Restrictions Freshwater Restrictions	(PDF 1.1Mb)
General Fishing – Rules and Tips (pages 27-29) Bait and Berley Measuring Your Catch Cleaning/Filleting Your Fish Definitions Responsible Fishing Behaviours Protected Fish (page 30)	(PDF 639Kb)
Limits and Closed Seasons (pages 32-39) Total Scale Fish Bag/Possession Limit Marine and Estuarine Scale Fish Sharks, Skates and Rays	(PDF 1.04Mb)
Limits and Closed Seasons (pages 40-51) Freshwater Scale Fish (native) Freshwater Scale Fish (introduced) Trout and Salmon Regulations	(PDF 2.02Mb)
Limits and Closed Seasons (pages 53-62) Crustaceans Molluscs Other Invertebrates Equipment (pages 63-66) Permitted Use of Recreational Equipment Recreational Equipment Not Permitted Equipment Marine Waters Equipment Inland Waters Spearfishing (page 67)	(PDF 1.42Mb)
Aquatic Pests (page 68) Fish Habitat and Fishcare (page 69) Fishing Safety (page 70) 2006 Election Commitments (page 71) Contacts (page 73)	(PDF 621Kb)