Community fishing grants

Overview

The Queensland Community Fishing Grants Program supports activities and projects that:

• improve recreational fishing experiences — an integral part of the Queensland lifestyle and important for tourism, attracting anglers from around Australia and the world
• support traditional fishing — significant cultural activity for First Nations peoples.

Read the grant guidelines (PDF, 403KB) for details about the application process and criteria.

Successful projects 2023–24

• Category: recreational and traditional fishing education and stewardship

  Brisbane Valley Anglers Fishstocking Association Inc.

  A community family-focused fishing event to provide an opportunity for young anglers to fish in a supervised environment with club members and specialists in angler education.

  Callide Valley Native Fish Stocking Association

  Workshop to teach kids how to set up gear safely, catch fish and measure catches, and overview of catch limits and safe fishing practices.

  Hervey Bay State High School

  Engage students to target 3 species — students will paint clear lures based on their research to increase their catches and test their lures in the field to find out what colours work best.

  Desert Channels Queensland

  Deliver 2 junior (family) fishing days on the Thompson River in Longreach, with a focus on learning how to fish and sessions on fish/river habitat and healthy water.

  Gladstone State High School

  Hooked-on Learning program to re-engage junior secondary students to improve attendance, behaviour and academic outcomes in the school environment — school-based modules in conjunction with recreational/traditional fishing as a reward system.

  Enviro Fish Inc.

  Fishing education sessions around South East Queensland that include learning to fish with the environment in mind, waste prevention and education about catch limits and catchable species.

  Hervey Bay Amateur Fishing Club Inc.

  Education about sun-safe fishing, responsible fishing practices, respecting foreshore plants, species identification, rigging lines and baiting rigs safely, returning fish to the water and casting a net.

  Junior Anglers Association

  Work with sports and marine studies teachers to take a group of high school students to Moreton Island to teach them knot tying, bait presentation, rigging lines and casting techniques.

  Gregory River Landcare Group

  Teach kids from Camooweal, Cloncurry and Mount Isa to cast, remove fish safely when caught, catch and release, and identify fish, and about the local environment.

  Rainbow Beach Amateur Anglers Inc.

  RBAA Junior Program 2024 to provide an opportunity for children between 10 and 15 to gain skills and experience recreational beach fishing.

  St George Fishing and Restocking Club

  Teach children up to 17 about the effects of pest species in the Murray-Darling by holding an annual event for the most carp caught within a 24-hour period.

  Sunshine Butterflies

  Weekly recreational fishing education program for people with a disability to learn fishing skills and learn about the environment while being active outdoors.

  Sunshine Coast Game Fishing Club

  Introduce game fishing to juniors 16 years and under, in conjunction with the Sunshine Coast Game Fishing Club, Queensland Game Fishing Club and Game Fishing Association of Australia, and using the New South Wales Game Fish Tagging Program for scientific research.

  Townsville Game Fishing Club

  Sharkies Shootout to provide junior anglers with a weekend of fishing and engaging activities designed to encourage good fishing practices, teach fishing techniques and promote safe and inclusive outdoor activities.

  Walloon State School

  CouragePlus is the Flagship Outdoor Education program for Year 5 students at Walloon State School, which uses fishing as part of leadership, team building and life experiences.

  Yuku-Baja-Muliku Landowner & Reserves Ltd

  Yuku Baja Muliku Rangers fishing workshops with Junior Rangers, teaching them catch limits, how to fish, how to measure their catch, how to collect and record data for fish surveys and how to collect traditional foods.

  Fishability QLD Inc.

  Come and try days, fishing workshops to increase capacity and knowledge, collaborations with community organisations and socially inclusive land- and boat-based fishing opportunities for vulnerable individuals at risk of falling through systemic cracks.

  Goondoi Aboriginal Corporation

  Workshops and field days focused on empowering students, Traditional Owners and community members with insight into traditional sea country knowledge and drone skills necessary for responsible and sustainable fishing practices.

  Gulf Savannah NRM

  Workshops in conjunction with OzFish, Etheridge Shire Council and Ewamian Traditional Owners to teach young anglers about responsible recreational fishing practices and healthy waterways.

  Springfield Lakes Nature Care Inc.

  Educational sessions on basics of fishing, environmentally conscious practices, waste disposal and catch limits across South East Queensland to motivate children and families to engage in outdoor activities while acquiring a valuable life skill.

  Whitsunday Regional Council

  Educational event at Lake Prosperpine to showcase sustainable barramundi fishing — skills clinics for all ages with a focus on youth and networking with fishing specialists/local celebrities.

• Category: monitoring and research

  Queensland Game Fishing Association

  Citizen science project on the lifecycle of sailfish that will:

  • distribute internal acoustic tags to game fishing clubs across Queensland to target and tag sailfish
  • collect and analyse data with scientists and other experts.

  Suntag Australia Inc.

  Dashboards to provide recreational fishing data and help inform decision-making for:

  • fisheries managers
  • marine and land parks managers
  • water and port managers
  • local authorities
  • tourism bodies
  • regional communities
  • stocking groups
  • fishers.