Fishing licence fees to increase from july 8

Did every body see the big announcement about the fishing licence fees to increase by $5.00 as from July 8.

No

Well you would have to have looked hard to find the notification about the increase in all fees, it was hidden away towards the back of my local news paper this brings up the cost of each licence to $45.00 and a fishing from boat licence to $35.00.

This is the first increase in 7 years so I guess that's not to bad.

I think it's just a shame that this increase wasn't given a more prominent place in the paper and I haven't seen anything in the West Australian news paper about the increase. I don't have a gripe against the rise, 7 years without an increase isn't doing to bad I think.


Jackfrost80's picture

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Date Joined: 07/05/12

Whilst $5 per annum isn't a

Wed, 2017-06-28 22:57

Whilst $5 per annum isn't a lot it does up if you have multiple licences and you pay for your wife and kids. I don't really mind too much as long as it doesn't go into consolidated revenue.

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Officially off the Pies bandwagon

Posts: 5981

Date Joined: 17/06/10

Agree 100%

Wed, 2017-06-28 23:18

I agree that if you are paying for family licences the increase would add up to a bit if all the family have multiple licences.
And I also agree strongly that the money should be allocated to the recreational fishing sector via RECFISHWEST or something directly beneficial to recreational fishers.

Posts: 315

Date Joined: 07/05/11

Great

Thu, 2017-06-29 06:49

 no matter how you hold it up it's nearly a 30% fee increase

All adds up

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 Baron Sportsman

Just the depth that Varies

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Date Joined: 16/05/09

More like 12% and 20% with a

Thu, 2017-06-29 07:13

More like 12% and 20% with a 5 dollar increase, time to get the license fees removed from throw nets I reckon.

Jackfrost80's picture

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Date Joined: 07/05/12

We're getting dudded here in

Thu, 2017-06-29 08:29

We're getting dudded here in WA.

I wrote the then Fisheries Minister Ken Baston back in 2015 after I posted here about the Freshwater Fishing licence's and the need to introduce a weekend licence to make it fair for those who may only do it one weekend a year and to encourage domestic tourism i.e. I know a few people that would plan a weekend trip to Pemberton etc and got back a blah, blah response about fish stocking. He obviously missed the point around potential increased takeup of the licences (I won't be paying $135 for my wife and 2 boys for a weekend of freshwater fishing) and a tourism cash injection into our rural towns. I did get a positive response from Mick Murray who said he planned to make it an election issue and I can see that he did make domestic tourism one of his issues and I have followed up with him to no effect.

This is the state of play in WA when compared to other states as of July 1:

Western Australia
Marron fishing $45
Rock Lobster $35
Net fishing $45
Recreational fishing from boat $35
South-west freshwater angling $45
Thinking about fishing $25
Concession at 50% for under 16
 
New South Wales
$7 - 3 days
$14 - 1 month
$35 - 1 year
$85 - 3 years
People under the age of 18 are exempt 
 
Victoria
3 day licence for $10 (previously a 2-day licence)
28 day licence for $20
1 year licence for $35 ($33 if purchased online)
3 year licence for $95 ($90 if purchased online).
People under the age of 18 and over 70 are exempt 
 
Queensland
Anglers do not require a licence to fish recreationally in Queensland, except if fishing in some stocked impoundments.
 
Tasmania
Standard Licence: $53.55 - first licence. Each additional licence type - $7.65.
Concession Licence: $30.60 - first licence. Each additional licence type - $7.65.
 
South Australia
No licence required
 
Northern Territory
No licence required
 
Australian Capital Territory
No licence required
 
 
Where I remain conflicted is that I do not believe that there should be a landbased fishing license as we want to encourage kids to put a rod in their hand and enjoy this amazing coatline we have so I am happy to pay for multiple license to make sure our youth can experience this cost free. I would like to see two key changes that I don't believe will affect the Dept of Fisheries' bottom line:
  • children under 16 are exempt
  • the introduction of a 3 day license
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Bucko's picture

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Hey Jack, Freshwater license

Thu, 2017-06-29 08:47

Hey Jack,

Freshwater license not require for under 16's.

Look out Pemby .... :)

Jackfrost80's picture

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Date Joined: 07/05/12

Sweet. Didn't realise that

Thu, 2017-06-29 09:18

Sweet. Didn't realise that had changed. Just need a weekend licence for me and the Mrs now. 

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Officially off the Pies bandwagon

little johnny's picture

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What gets me with freshwater

Thu, 2017-06-29 10:02

 Is closed season . Trout I understand very well( what few wild ones left). Best time to flog Redfin (big breeders). Is closed season in rivers. Prob to hard to patrol I gather?. Trout stocks in wa are crap . Droughts no dought had massive impact. Reddies and carp main things now days. I was amazed when I went to Snowy mountains last year. Schools of 20 to 30 rainbows in some sections of rivers I walked. Massive browns unreal. Not ex brood stock( concrete trout). Real wild trout no dought some grown from realeased fingerlings. 

choc's picture

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 Most of the major rivers

Thu, 2017-06-29 11:20

 Most of the major rivers that contain reddies are open all year as well as their tributaries.

Faulkner Family's picture

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 just paid up on ours. safe

Thu, 2017-06-29 10:56

 just paid up on ours. safe for another year. 1 more iced coffee i can buy 

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RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together

Posts: 1336

Date Joined: 05/05/06

Im not into it at all. Does

Thu, 2017-06-29 16:19

Im not into it at all. Does this mean the year after it goes up again to $40.  I wish my work pay went up to match all these 'little price hikes' we get slugged as a consumer.

 

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Bend over

Posts: 159

Date Joined: 03/12/13

I recon the Victorian and NSW

Fri, 2017-06-30 10:11

I recon the Victorian and NSW models are the way to go as every fisherman (except under 18s) pays something rather than the unfair current model where some pay nothing yet others thru the nose. At present most of my fishing is chasing Redfin in Wellington Dam over the winter and Whiting in the estuary from my tinny over the summer months. This is now going to cost me $80 per year to catch what Fisheries WA regard as an introduced pest and a common bread and butter species. Yet others get to fish for stocked Barra in Lake Kunnunurra, stocked Snapper in metro area plus all the many species from the shore for free. How is this a fair licencing system??

 

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stocked barra and the snapper

Fri, 2017-06-30 13:17

stocked barra and the snapper would be from a boat so would be paying a RFFBL. Barra was stocked because people got off their arses and made it happen, if you want to change something talk to Recfishwest.

Posts: 159

Date Joined: 03/12/13

Plenty of Metro snapper

Mon, 2017-07-03 09:53

Plenty of Metro snapper coming from the beaches, moles and jettys in Cockburn sound and im sure its possible to catch Barra in Lake Kunnunurra from the bank.

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We better start charging a

Wed, 2017-07-05 07:20

We better start charging a land based license then to make it fair on all those benefitting from this restocking.

Marineboy's picture

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Licensing fees

Mon, 2017-07-03 11:34

our licensing fees are still fairly cheap considering the amount of food you can put on the table with just one license ! A night at the pub or a feed at a restaurant would cost more than a fishing license that lasts for a year ! 

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 My spots are so secret even the fish don't know about them !

Jackfrost80's picture

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Date Joined: 07/05/12

It'd be lovely if my RFFB

Wed, 2017-07-05 08:12

It'd be lovely if my RFFB licence was my only annual cost of boat ownership. Lucky for me I do it for the enjoyment and don't think of it as $/kg of fillets.

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Walfootrot's picture

Posts: 1385

Date Joined: 23/07/12

Stop ya bi$ching, think we

Wed, 2017-07-05 08:37

Stop ya bi$ching, think we have it good over here, without the $ raised where would our fishery be?
Think I wouldn't be happy here..
http://fishinglicence.eu/uk/england-and-wales

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More drum lines, kill the bloody sharks!

little johnny's picture

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Roach

Wed, 2017-07-05 08:54

Fishing . :):)

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Date Joined: 25/05/10

Yeah come on lads. Just

Wed, 2017-07-05 16:47

Yeah come on lads.

Just because most the other states with much bigger populations and smaller coastlines can manage their fisheries with much smaller licence fees, doesn't mean we are being ripped off.

How the hell would the boat ramp police be able to target innocent people with a never ending supply of money (ours) through the courts, even when they lose, if we didn't give it to them.

Now if the money went to something like volunteer sea rescue that actually do something that's a different story.

Absolute crock of shit based on principle rather than the actual $5.