State Member for South Coast Shelley Hancock recently announced fishers in the South Coast region can rejoice - there are now five new Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) bobbing along the state's coastline which will attract a wide variety of sportfish.
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Mrs Hancock said this latest boost to the recreational fishing industry by the NSW Government takes the total number of FADs from 30 up to 35.
"FADs are a fantastic way to attract various fish species during the summer months, which I know our local anglers will be very pleased to hear," Mrs Hancock said.
"The NSW Government is committed to giving our passionate recreational fishers great opportunities to cast a line from their boat and out into the sparkling ocean, so we've got these devices bobbing from the Tweed all the way down to Eden.
"We've added five new FADs to our coastline for this summer, including Port Stephens, Sydney, Hat Head, Jervis Bay and Bermagui - the last three of which have never had the units before."
Mrs Hancock said the FADs were deployed between six and 32 kilometres offshore, where they will remain until June next year.
"I want to see all keen offshore anglers from the Shoalhaven region get out on the water and enjoy the opportunities provided by these great devices - hopefully you might even be able to land a record-breaker," Mrs Hancock said.
"Every year fishers pay their licence fees, which go into the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust, which in turn is reinvested into many initiatives and the FAD program is another great example of that.
"NSW is home to about 1 million annual fishers - many of which are in the Shoalhaven area and the industry contributes about $3.4 billion in economic activity each year, so it is crucial we continue to support it with these initiatives."
Fishers can keep up to date on FAD deployments, coordinates and responsible fishing tips via the NSW DPI website, or by using the FishSmart app.
