I already have a Rbfl, net and cray licence, just went into fisheries yesterday to get them to put all this on one card for me.  I don't think I should have to pay any more on top of that but I suppose it would be the same as a rbfl

i also fish landbased actively and hope that if this happened it might reduce some of the behaviour we see on local jettys, wharves and river.  I know it won't cut it all out but if you take 8 kids fishing with you then they all better have licences or you can't take 8 bag limits

i know it's just adding a cost to some fishers who may not of required a licence for anything up until now, my 2 cents anyway

You are required to pay the NSW recreational fishing fee to fish in fresh and salt water in NSW unless you are:
1.Under the age of 18.
2.An adult assisting a person under the age of 18 to take a fish using a single rod or to take prawns using a single dip or scoop net.
3.A person fishing in a private dam with a surface area of two hectares or less.
4.An Aboriginal person.
5.The holder of: current Pensioner Concession Card issued by Centrelink;
current Pensioner Concession Card issued by the Department of Veterans' Affairs;
Commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs Gold Treatment Card endorsed "Totally and Permanently Incapacitated"(TPI);
Commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs Gold Treatment Card endorsed "Extreme Disablement Adjustment" (EDA);
letter from the Commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs stating that the person receive a disability pension of 70 per cent or higher, or an intermediate pension.

Please note that Senior's Cards, Health Care Cards and Repatriation Health Cards will not exempt you from paying the fishing fee.

Centrelink advises that only the person who signs the card where it reads "Signature of cardholder" is the holder of that card. If an additional person is listed on the card (usually a spouse), this relates to health care benefits and not to other exemptions/concessions available to the pensioner concession card-holder.

Recreational fishers must have these cards in their possession whilst fishing to be exempt.

I'd be totally for it. I think it would be good to get a general rec licence and maybe have the boat fishing part encompassed in it. So anyone that wants to fish landbased has one, but also has the opportunity to fish on a boat. I think it would easier for people to swallow the cost then. I've always thought it was quite unfair that people fishing landbased don't need a licence unless freshwater fishing.

Bloody great idea, sounds like they have it sussed in NSW anyway. Can't work out why we didn't do it ages ago, except that it wouldn't be a vote winner.

Another clever thing they did in Canada was have a weekend or two each year where a licence wasn't required, so if you only fish once a year or something make it that weekend and forget about the licence.

I believe they tried to bring it in about 3 years ago but it was shut down very quick by the public, its only since people have seen the benefits from haveing rec licenses that people are starting coming around to the idea. I cant see it being far off though.

 Think it would be good if kids are exsempt and maybe combine it with boat lic.

The overal cost of the licence should drop.

I couldn't find figures, but about 800000 persons in WA fish, only a small portion of these fish from a boat. Therefore the cost of a licence could be cheaper $15 ea. instead of $30 for boat fishers now, and everyone would use the same licence, not a separate one for boaties.

I know when it comes to be a revenue raiser, the government doesn't drop the price, but potentially it could.

The Ammo jetty is unsafe and needs to be rebuilt, this would be a way to raise funds to do this, plus being a "user pays" system, it would thin down the crowd, allow facilities to be maintained and pay for policing the fishing rules.

I am a for and against on this issue, very good and valid points above and probably more, but what about visitors that come over for a fish along our vast and beautiful coast, would they be required to buy a day pass, week pass or monthly pass? How will this be policed? As everyone knows there will always be the ones who think stuff it I will go down catch a feed (more likely rape and pillage) and not pay, but the guy's that do the right thing start thinking why am I paying for something that isn't policed effectively while the other guy doesn't. As it stands we definitely don't see enough policing of the current catch laws and anti social behaviours in popular spots. Just my 2 cents.

I will pay it.. ONLY if certain cultural groups pay aswell!!!  Unless they are catching fish etc the 'traditional'way with a carved out wooden spear.

Like most things in Life, its comes doen to the honour system.

If you fish regularly buy a licence, if they make it cheap then its no excuse. Put into perspective its less than the price of bait and beers for one trip.

Make the LB licence 50% of the boat one and if you have a boat licience ($30) then you qualify for land based as well.

I was a LB fisho for a couple of years and bought a Boat fishing licence anyway (was the easist way to make a contribution).

It works out less than 1 beer a month.

 Don't agree with landbased folks having to pay, unless like mentioned above it is policed properly, with big fines, other wise what's the point. They'll just find more secluded beachs to fish off, it's s vast area W.As coast. 

Boats have ability to target a larger range also, we are a bit limited 

I would be for it those with a RBfL automatically would come under the duel license,would stop a lot of the yahoo rednecks out there thats for sure 

 with u super peg not paying for a license when ws have such a large coatline to choose from. plus as mentioned b4 SOME cultural groups SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY as they havent yet y make them pay now leave em b. they have rights too. I know some cultural guys who do fish spears and they are major land owners who put in alot of effort for communitys. If we have to start paying then big changes better start happening the amount of fishos out there surely they have big plans for us rec fishers. 

 Won't stop them, too big a place to police it effectively, I've seen one fisheries officer since I been living in Perth, that one time I was checked, they checked a blokes bucket next to me and the flathead was clearly undersized but he had taken head off, she just said oh well and continued on.

needs to bd policed like fucking nazis if they want the dicks to not there 

 maybe they can use the revenue from the licenses to employ more fisheries officers to check for licenses haha

 Good idea, provided seniors, kids and the unemployed are excluded. Also if one has a RBFL they should be excluded too

Geez i remember not long ago .. majority of boaties were spewing about the RBFL now we want to smack our LB brothers with one lol . With all the monies raised if they were dinkum wouldn't there be a permanent fisheries booth at all boat ramps . Would hate to see families that go fishing once a year catching blowies having to pay . However LB crabbers say in mandurah IMO should pay to fund more officers down there . Maybe certain popular spots with bad reps should pay a toll to fish there to fund upkeep and security etc there .

 im for it as long as we get more officers ,facilities etc,pensioners and children under 16 exempt imo

bugger that, there are enough licences, permits regulations etc in all walks of life to go doing the Governments job for them by asking for more.

Sorry but thats my view

Yeh i reckon the RFBL should automatically cover the general, but a general alone should be in the order of $15-20, and maybe cover freshwater too. My opinion. Whichever way it worked, it would provide more money, and that would give rec fishers and their representatives leverage to lobby for more resources such as fisheries officers, e.g as we've seen already from boat licences etc, artificial reefs and restocking programs.

So far most people seem for? If there was grass roots support I think it could happen fairly quickly.

One idea of mine, would be to include a test component: an open book style thing just using the Rec Fishing pamphlet, with simple questions like 'what is the size limit/bag limit for tailor?' If people can't answer that with the answers in their hand then should they even be fishing?

one last thing: i reckon seniors should be discounted maybe, but not exempt. jmo

If the money goes back into fisheries like more officers doing checks. Better access to fishing spots maybe new fishing platforms NOR beach wise 

not saying its a bad thing but do u think the majority of people that r doing the wrong thing will pay? i personally have only seen fisheries at the boat ramp coming in maybe once this year and all they checked was size and bag limit didnt even get asked to show my skippers ticket. i just think it would be very hard to manage

If the people who a doing the right thing pay the money to fund the complience on the people doing the wrong thing then thats a win as I see it.

Not only do i think it would benefit rec fishing through more funding, ie. better facilities, more articfical reefs, fads, and maybe more compliance officers, but the benefits of having a licence to the management side of the recreational sector would be considerable. It would mean the fish taken out of the water by recreational fisherman would be, to some degree, acounted for, as is currently not the situation. Being able to communicate to all of the recreational fisherman via a licence would mean better records, better science, better managment and ultimately better fishing. 

I would imagine that the extra revenue raised from the licenses woud be put back into recreational fishing (as is the case now) through the recreational initiatives fund, and with the help of recfishwest mean more stock enhancment projects, articifical reefs and fairer regulations.

Whatever the cost, $15, $30 or $100, i think its a fair price to pay for a healthy marine environment and fishery. I would hate to see WA go the way other states and countries have. After all, it is a privilege to fish not a right as many might think. The ocean is a shared resource for everyone. 

One of the many issues with compliance officers is there isnt enough of them. I was told by one of the ex-officers in Geraldton there are 100 in WA. They have to stay in pairs so that equals 50. And most of them are in Perth so theres what 30? patrolling all of WA. That there is a goverment issue, a lack of funding to fisheries means less officers, while education, police and hospitals generally take priority. Not only that but you would probably be suprised to know that the money gather by officers through fines goes back into the goverment as a whole and not into the fisheries department. So an abalone bust resulting in a $1million fine will probably never be spent on improving fisheries. IMO thats wrong.

 I like that idea above about passing a test to get the licence!

answer questions on bag limits and stuff,

can imagine a questions like, 

you decide to fish the trigg beach reef hole, upon arrival you notice another bloke fishing there, do you?

a) walk over and say hello, then set up a adequate distance away and try to cast accuratly.

b) walk over and say hello, then set up with in 2 metres from him and cast over his line, because the fish are only around his bait.

c) walk over and say fuck off, then proceed to yell abuse at him, until he packs up and moves 

It's been a slow day fishing when you finally catch a skippy, you notice on measure the skippy is slightly undersized, do you?

a) dispose of it quickly so no one notices as it was almost of size and size limits don't matter.

b) release the skippy to grow, spawn and fight another day.

c) chop it up and use it for bait.

d) frustrated at the fish, you stab it and then release it because you cannot keep it.

lol