Rock fishing: High-risk fishers to face fines, life vests mandatory at black spots

ROCK fishers will have to wear life jackets at “high risk” locations or face fines, after the government finally listened to calls for compulsory safety vests.

Rock Fisherman

ROCK fishers will have to wear life jackets at “high risk” locations or face fines, after the state government finally listened to a chorus of calls to make safety vests compulsory.

Under new laws, police can fine anglers not wearing buoyancy vests at notorious fishing black spots. About nine anglers on average die each year when they are washed from rocks at NSW fishing spots.

Emergency Services Minister David Elliott’s announcement yesterday comes six months after Deputy State Coroner Carmel Forbes recommended mandatory lifejacket laws for anglers, following an inquest into the deaths of nine rock fishermen.

Mr Elliott conceded that recent public relations campaigns urging anglers to wear jackets had not worked.

The news laws will be coupled with new warning signs and an education campaign targeting people of non-English speaking background.

A working party of people involved in the sport and government agencies, has been established to determine which are high-risk locations. Once the legislation is introduced later this year there will be a 12-month grace period before the law is enforced.

Mr Elliott said the fines would hopefully “make people think twice about whether or not they want to take the risk” of not wearing a lifejacket.

Recreational Fishing Alliance of NSW safety officer Malcolm Poole said the fine revenue should be used to educate anglers about the dangers of rock fishing.

An accident waiting to happen / Picture: Peter Lorimer