Fishcare Australia

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:46): Recently, representing the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, the Hon. Leon Bignell, I attended the celebration of Fishcare volunteers' 20^th anniversary at the Semaphore Palais Hotel. Established in 1994, the Fishcare program aims to raise community awareness of sustainable fishing practices and the importance of protecting our fish stocks.

It achieves this through giving advice and assistance to the public, educating recreational fishers about South Australian fishing rules and regulations, handing out fisheries information brochures and educational devices and attending community events throughout the state. The first group of 10 to 15 volunteers began their training in February 1995, and a few of those who undertook that training were there at the 20^th anniversary and are still active volunteers, which is a great achievement.

In the past 20 years the Fishcare program has gone from strength to strength. During this time there have been in excess of 400 volunteers involved with the program, ranging in age from 18 to 80 years. From small beginnings, Fishcare has grown to include eight teams across the state, being the Limestone Coast, Victor Harbor, Metro South, Metro North, Yorke Peninsula, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and the Riverland. You will find them at jetties, beaches, boat ramps and rivers—anywhere that fishing takes place.

I had the pleasure of handing out a number of awards to Fishcare volunteers. Two recipients in particular were noteworthy and received the Premier's Certificate of Recognition for Outstanding Volunteer Service. They were Rex Saunders and Rob O'Brien. Rex Saunders has been a Fishcare volunteer for 20 years, with over 1,400 hours of volunteering. He has been team leader and assistant team leader for the Metro North Fishcare team and is now part of the Yorke Peninsula team. Rob O'Brien has been a Fishcare volunteer for 19 years and nine months, with over 1,100 hours of volunteering. He is a team leader in the Riverland Fishcare group. Both Rex and Robert have been highly involved with training.

Today there are more than 85 active Fishcare volunteers participating in the program. These volunteers have contributed over 460 years of service to the program and in excess of 50,000 volunteering hours—an impressive contribution of time, energy and effort to help fishers understand the rules and regulations applying to recreational fishing in South Australia.

Fishcare volunteers are a vital part of PIRSA's education and awareness program. They complement the valuable work of fisheries officers and fisheries managers in providing an important line of contact with the recreational fishing community. Anybody over the age of 18 with an interest in conserving our fishery resources and willing to provide information to the public can become a volunteer.

On weekends and holidays you will often find Fishcare volunteers at popular fishing spots providing fishers with advice and assistance on recreational fishing issues and promoting the need to protect and preserve our aquatic resources for future generations. In addition to regular patrols, volunteers attend countless community events around the state including field days, local shows and markets. They have become well known amongst the recreational fishing community and within local communities as a valuable and knowledgeable resource on fishing matters.

Over the past six years, Fishcare has also started presenting educational programs to year 4 and 5 students in schools right across the state. I understand this program is highly successful, with sessions presented to more than 60 schools from the West Coast to the Limestone Coast each year. The Fishcare schools program is a vital step in reaching some of our youngest fishers and helping to instil in them the respect for our aquatic resources and an appreciation for the need and importance of fishing rules. I commend Fishcare and its volunteers for their dedication and tireless efforts in spreading the sustainable fishing message and for the generous contribution to the community in which they live to help protect and preserve the health of our fishing stocks.