AFTA Policy

AFTA Policy Declaration

The Australian Fishing Trade Association (AFTA), as the national representative for Australia’s recreational fishing sector, encompasses a broad range of recreational fishing stakeholders, including manufacturers, wholesale distributors, retailers, media outlets, and charter & guide operations. As such, we are connected to every recreational fishing participant across Australia.

The recreational fishing tackle industry supplies fishing gear to Australia’s 4.2 million anglers, contributing over $11 billion annually to the Australian economy and supporting over 100,000 jobs. Source: The National Social and Economic Survey of Recreational Fishers: https://www.frdc.com.au/project/2018-161

Several critical issues affect the fishing trade industry and the broader angler community, including:

• Development of government sustainability policies; 
• Proposals for National & State marine parks;
• Fishing restrictions and lockouts due to planned Offshore Wind farms; and
• State regulations impacting bag & size limits and other rules.

AFTA is committed to basing its arguments on robust scientific evidence and factual information, benefiting both the Australian community and the environment.

In March 2012, AFTA launched a National Policy Platform, outlining the fundamental principles that the Federal Government should follow when developing the national marine reserve system. This platform was presented at a Parliamentary Breakfast attended by recreational fishers, industry representatives, Government officials, Ministers, and MPs.

AFTA National Policy Framework: 

• The Government is encouraged to clearly define the environmental values it aims to protect through the creation of additional marine parks or sanctuary zones.
• The Government must explicitly state its reasons for wanting to limit or ban any existing activities in the proposed areas.
• If there is a proposal to prohibit recreational fishing in a proposed marine park or sanctuary zone, then a peer-reviewed, scientific & economic study must be conducted to examine the impact of recreational fishing on the environmental values the Government seeks to preserve.
• This scientific study should consider whether adaptive management strategies such as size and bag limits, catch and release, and no anchor zones could be implemented to mitigate any negative impacts on environmental values.
• A Triple Bottom Line assessment of the economic, environmental, and social impacts must be carried out to evaluate and articulate the consequences of prohibiting recreational fishing activities from the proposed Marine Park or sanctuary zone.
• As a responsible Peak Body, if it is scientifically, economically, and socially validated that recreational fishing activities should be prohibited from a proposed marine park or sanctuary zone, then AFTA will actively support this stance and advocate for the creation of the marine park or sanctuary zone. AFTA would also look to advocate for the establishment of a recreational fishing-only zone that provides similar recreational fishing opportunities to the marine park or sanctuary zone exclusion area as a form of compensation.

In summary, recreational fishing should only be restricted from a marine park or sanctuary zone if there is robust, peer-reviewed, comprehensive scientific evidence to support this decision.

Any decision must also consider the triple bottom line assessment of economic cost and the social impact on local communities of prohibiting recreational fishing from the proposed areas. Banning recreational fishing from marine parks and sanctuary zones is akin to banning bushwalkers from terrestrial national parks. This should only be done if there is a solid scientific reason for doing so.

It’s crucial to remember that recreational fishers often act as vigilant observers on our seas and across our oceans. There have been numerous instances where recreational fishers have reported illegal fishing activities or environmental incidents to the authorities.