The NSW Government has released the draft Enhancing Recreational Fishing in NSW Action Plan 2026-2031, a five-year plan that pledges 30 million stocked fish, 50 new fishing sites and a 10 percent jump in participation among women, kids and people with disabilities.
Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW Tara Moriarty pitched the plan as both an economic and a generational project, framed around recreational fishing's existing footprint in the state's regional and coastal economies.
"Recreational fishing continues to make a significant contribution to the NSW economy, supporting over 14,000 full-time jobs and generating billions in economic activity annually across our regional and coastal communities," Moriarty said.
"This action plan demonstrates a strong commitment to both our inland waterway communities and our coastal communities. Our Government is ensuring the social, cultural and economic benefits of recreational fishing flow across the state and where they're needed."
For anglers, the headline numbers are about access and stocks. Hatchery infrastructure will be expanded so 30 million fish can be released into NSW waterways, with an explicit focus on sportfish such as Mulloway and Dusky Flathead, plus iconic natives like Murray Cod. Fifty new fishing sites are slated for regional and metropolitan areas, with promised improvements to access, infrastructure and habitat.
The participation target is squarely aimed at under-represented groups. The plan calls for more workshops, accessible platforms and facilities, and an upgraded Gone Fishing Day designed to be 'a bigger and better event across NSW' through deeper partnerships with regional and coastal communities.
In parallel, the government has opened Expressions of Interest for the board of a new independent recreational fishing peak body, comprising a chair and up to nine members drawn from dedicated recreational fishers, professionals and individuals with experience in leadership, communications and innovation.
"This peak body will work closely with the NSW Government to recommend the best ways forward to sustainably manage recreational fishing and broaden its participation," Moriarty said.
For a recreational fishing community that has spent the past 18 months absorbing bass spawning closures, illegal foreign fishing incursions in the north and a quietly growing youth-led participation lift, the action plan offers a long-overdue framework. The combination of stocked fish, new sites and a formal peak body would give NSW a coherent recreational fishing strategy at a scale the state has not had before.
The public consultation window has closed and final settings are expected to be released later in 2026, alongside the appointment of the inaugural peak body board. The plan's success will rest on hatchery output, capital works and a workable funding model for the new fishing sites. Whether those targets translate into more rods on the water, or remain another well-meaning policy paper, is the question that will define the next 12 months for NSW recreational fishing.