WELCOME TO ECOFISHERS!

[CEO]

                      Welcome family fishers to the family friendly ECOfishing website.
ECOfishers incorporating Recfish and the RFA (not to be confused with the Regional Forestry Alliance)
  Maybe Recfish and the RFA don't have their own websites, or nobody is using them, so they choose to use ours. So welcome again to your ECOfishers website incorporating Recfish and the RFA. Good on them. They recognise quality when they see it! As many of you have been saying for years, ECOfishers, the peak NSW recreational fishing group. And ECOfishers, you make us all very proud of our record, in serving NSW recreational fishing families.
  ECOfishers, now incorporating Recfish and the RFA. (not the green extremists from the forests)
  Looks like we will also have to design a new logo now to accommodate the joiners. Our motto will always remain the same however, "Fishing Sustainably. Conservation Thru' Sustainable Use. Making People Part of the Solution."  ECOfishers right across the state would never give up that logo. So welcome to the newbees. Play by the rules and you won't be sin binned.

[CEO]

   CRIKEY! They really do want to join us for the common good over a common cause. Now who were those sceptics who said it could never be done??? Too many egos, too many brittle egos, too many little egos wanting to be big egos, too many wannabees etc etc.. It can't be done! Piffle I say to that.
    From my quite lengthy and extensive experience I can assure you all that the only place you will find success coming before work is in the dictionary!! In the real world it doesn't happen that way.

[CEO]

  See our Mid North Coast ECOfishers column for media clips of the ECOfishers South West Rocks marine park rally. http://www.ecofishers.com/fishing-board/index.php?topic=1057.0

The RFA has been good enough to supply ECOfishers with those clippings. Now that's working together.

[CEO]

  Yes ECOfishers, we have  taken up your suggestions that we invite other fishing organizations to share our website. So we have issued "formal" invitations to some of the more noteable people representing NSW recreatioal fishers to come and share all the ECOfishers facilities via a common link, with their and our websites.  Another great idea from our ECOfishers. Those that are intereted in improving the lot, rights and responsibilities of recreational fishers and enhancing recreational fishing, right across the state, will get the most value from this joint initiative. And welcome to those new members from Dubbo, Tamworth and Broken Hill. We trust we can meet your expectations. You keep us informed and we undertake to make you part of the solution.

[CEO]

  ECOfishers welcomes regular postings and exchanges of information from our colleagues on the NAROOMA PORTS COMMITTEE. Thank you Dr Phil. Your contributions are always highly valued.

[CEO]

 Do be sure to catch up with the latest couple of enquiry letters from Anglers Action Group, concerning the minister's ACoRF club and licence fee expenditure. They are posted under the ACoRF page and your Ministers Achievements. Anglers Action asks some very important and relevant questions, that you should all be aware of.

[CEO]

  ECOfishers does extend a warm and friendly welcome to the many fishing families from the Mid North Coast who have just renewed, or joined ECOfishers for the first time . Welcome aboard! We invite you to stay with us through-out this marine park campaign. We will win it. Sound science, common sense, a fair go and social justice will prevail over extreme green ideology, eventually. Just you wait and see!
  We are also pleased you enjoyed the Mid North Coast ECOfishers rally. We did too! Thank you all for your positive comments and contributions. It's that sort of positive feedback that keeps our troops going. Isn't that Maurie a true Briton? Shake his hand and say "thanks," next time you see him.

[CEO]

   ECOFISHERS ETHICS:  Speaking of ethics, we have updated our letterhead but not our "ECOfishers Ethics" for a number of years. The Catchment Management Authority has the responsibility for protecting the ocean waters to three nautical miles from the coastline. The Authority has sought a copy of "ECOfishers Ethics." We are happy to supply them with it. However it hasn't been reviewed / revisited / revised, since the heady days of 2004. These are our "general" principles. We have more specific guidelines for offshore, rock beach and estuary use, and freshwater fishers.
  Any member wish to contribute some additional material for the use and benefit of all ECOfishers? If so, kindly post below for all to discuss, comment and share.

[ACTAngler]

Ladies,

I'm not a member, but I suggest adopting the Recfish Australia Code of Conduct for Recreational and Sport Fishing.  There is some commonality already with the ECOfishers Ethics statement.  It would make sense for ECOfishers to adopt, or at least endorse, the national Code, in the interests of unity and common purpose.

I posted some details a while ago here http://www.ecofishers.com/fishing-board/index.php?topic=1050.0

Regards
Shane

[CEO]

 ECOfishers policies are determined by ECOfishers members. We certainly aren't interested in "adopting" something that hasn't been developed, discussed and ratified by our vast grass roots membership. Again thanks - but no thanks. ECOfishers policies are for ECOfishers. We don't need any help from any other group, least of all recfish.  And we only seriously consider "suggestions," from our members and we have plenty of them!
   If recfish wants to "adopt" ours we wouldn't care. At least it has been developed by real fishers for reel fishers.

[ACTAngler]

No relevance?  I see a few similarities actually:

1)  ECOfishers don?t harvest the limit. They limit their harvest. = Taking no more than our immediate needs and Quickly and correctly returning unwanted or illegal catch to the water

2)  ECOfishers harvest/collect only what they need and only leave footprints. = Taking no more than our immediate needs and Quickly and correctly returning unwanted or illegal catch to the water

3)  ECOfishers work co-operatively at all times with NSW Fisheries staff. We are custodians of the resources and they manage them for us. = Understanding and observing all fishing regulations and reporting illegal fishing activities

4)  ECOfishers have and demonstrate, a caring respect for our marine and aquatic environments. Healthy habitats ensure a healthy fishery. = Supporting and encouraging activities that preserve, restore and enhance fisheries and fish habitat

5)  ECOfishers avail themselves of every opportunity to publicly and privately highlight the environmental, social and economic short comings, of NSW government marine parks.

6)  ECOfishers happily and cheerfully share the environment and resources, with other users. = Respecting the rights of others and Practising courtesy towards all those who use inland and coastal waters

7)  Our environment is our home and we own it. Treat it with the respect it deserves. Don?t rubbish it. All forms of plastic including nylon and braid fishing lines, are environmental hazards. Don?t leave them there. = Preventing pollution and protecting wildlife by removing rubbish

8 )  ECOfishers always fish sustainably and safely. Todays undersize fish, mollusc, or crustacean, is tomorrow?s meal.

9)  Most recreational fishers now pay for a licence for the right to fish. With rights come responsibilities. Defend your rights and be a responsible, sustainable and safe ECOfisher, at all times.

10)  All ECOfishers are positive role models, for fishers of the future.

[CEO]

 Thank you all, for your initial responses to our 2004 edition of ECOfishers Ethics. Yes, we agree that we include "scientific," along side "environmental, social and economic." And in light of Bob's subsequent contributions to our campaign, which is purely scientific, we have already included your request. It does make sound sense for ECOfishers. Thank you all for your contributions. Keep them coming. And yes we do understand and appreciate your reluctance to post here.  It does seem as tho' one non-member has completely taken over our site with his non-member personal views. We have listed it on our executive agenda in Coffs (5000 members)  Thursday of next week.

[row]

If you have a personality clash with a particular member, then this is not the place to vent your differences, rec fishers defending rec fishers is what we need here, if this does not happen then you might as well align yourself with the NPA, be helpful to our cause or take up another cause, but do not try to undermine the people you supposedly represent. Represent the people you purport to represent.

[CEO]

  ATTENTION BOATIES & OFFSHORE FISHERS: Labor's Joe Tripodi, Minister for Ports & Waterways, advises ECOfishers not to delay in switching over to the new 406MHz digital EPIRBS. Joe claims there is a global shortage of the new equipment. A quick phone around of ships chandlers today, revealed no such shortage! Plenty are available. Minister Joe says the world wide switch to the new and more accurate digital technology, was well under way, ahead of the February 1st deadline.
  Is Tripodi confused? How can he claim the switch is well under way if there is a world wide shortage of the new technology. And why would he send this confused message to ECOfishers?
  The bottom line is, the old technology, 121.5 MHz analogue beacons are now antiquated. If replacing, get rid of them appropriately. And Joe didn't say how that was to be done either!           Maybe he is under pressure too. 

[ACTAngler]

I understand the old EPIRBS should be accepted for disposal at most battery places.  Battery World is one I know for sure will accept them.