Unacceptable Practices

The National Code of Practice also defines a number of actions and attitudes which are acknowledged as not to be acceptable recreational fishing practices. In this context the definition of ‘fish’ should be taken to include all marine and freshwater animals harvested by recreational fishers.

They are:

  • the capture of fish for sale or financial gain.
  • capture of large quantities of fish with the aim of filling a freezer to subsidise a fishing trip or pay for fuel, bait and tackle.
  • wastage of fish, or taking hauls beyond personal needs.
  • participation in illegal fishing activities or use of illegal fishing gear.
  • keeping undersized or otherwise protected species of fish.
  • use of fish as an exercise in which competitive urges are taken to the extreme and the fish become very much a secondary consideration.
  • use of unbalanced tackle or equipment which damages or exhausts fish unnecessarily.
  • treating fish inhumanely by not killing them immediately upon landing or otherwise poorly handling fish to be released.
  • destruction of fisheries habitat during fishing.
  • discarding rubbish or polluting the waters, riverbanks, rocks, beaches or any other fisheries habitat.
  • lack of courtesy and consideration towards other fishers.

The above mentioned Code of Practice is not something that you will find in any regulations. It has been designed to provide acceptable guidelines within which all recreational fishers can enjoy their fishing while contributing to the sustainability of fish stocks and the environment.

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