Community fishing grants

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

• improve recreational fishing experiences
• support traditional fishing.

Recreational fishing is an integral part of the Queensland lifestyle and is also important for tourism, attracting anglers from around Australia and the world.

The Queensland Government acknowledges the importance of traditional fishing as a significant cultural activity for Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.

The Guideline for Queensland's Recreational Fishing Grant Program outlines how the annual program operates and how funding is allocated.

Funding allocation

Up to $250,000 of grant funding was available through an expression-of-interest process.

Of this funding, $75,000 was set aside for small grants of less than $5,000 for recreational or traditional fishing education activities (such as kids’ fishing days) or community fishing programs.

Applications for the 2023 funding closed in December 2022, and the applicants were notified in March 2023 whether or not their application had been successful.

We were particularly seeking applications that addressed at least 1 of these priorities:

• contribute to the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy target to 'increase satisfaction of recreational fishers'
• support recreational fishing strategies developed by local government to promote recreational fishing opportunities in the Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton net-free zones
• improve understanding of, or supports, traditional or cultural fishing activities of Aboriginal peoples or Torres Strait Islanders
• support community recovery from COVID-19 through non-commercial fishing activities.

• Port Curtis Coral Coast Trust (PCCC)

  Category: Small education

  Developing bespoke protocols, based on lore and guided by the PCCC Elders Council, for traditional fishing on PCCC Country that will:

  • help to promote the principles of caring for Country and sharing with community
  • help QLD Boating and Fishing Patrol manage the compliance aspects of traditional fishing in the local area.

• Douglas Shire Council

  Category: Small education

  This project is about promoting responsible fishing practices through educational material in the form of a responsible fishing flyer. The flyer will:

  • strengthen and empower community stewardship of the fishery by educating the community and visitors on fishing best practices
  • continue to build community awareness of the value of our fisheries resources and improve fisheries compliance.

• Fishability QLD Inc.

  Category: Small education

  A recreational fishing program designed to deliver socially inclusive fishing opportunities to participants who have complex and diverse backgrounds. Activities include:

  • fishing workshops
  • come-and-try days
  • fish handling and safe practice
  • training in basic boating and marine skills
  • local knowledge
  • fish filleting.

• Logan City Council

  Category: Small education

  The Fishing for the Future project will work towards:

  • recognising and strengthening community and cultural values linked to recreational fishing
  • empowering stewardship for the future of sustainable fishing in Logan through community engagement and education.‍

• Newman Catholic College

  Category: Small education

  Students will host a community fishing event at Palm Cove Jetty with a number of stalls, including:

  • casting clinics
  • cast netting
  • conservation information tent
  • guided fishing from the jetty.

• Livingstone Shire Council

  Category: Small education

  The Fishing Friendzies educational program is designed to develop the skills of young fishers to improve their fishing experience and instil knowledge so they can fish responsibly, thus preserving fish stocks in the future.

• Douglas Shire Council

  Category: Small education

  This project promotes responsible fishing practices through community-led kids’ fishing day events. The project aims to build community awareness of the value of our fisheries resources and improve fisheries compliance. Two events at different locations in the shire are proposed to capture residents from both the northern and southern areas and visitors to the Shire.

• Tin Can Bay Fishing Club Inc

  Category: Small education

  The Club’s plan is to host education fishing events for:

  • 20 junior (7-15 years) participants
  • 20 senior (16 years and older) participants.

  Events planned to run between April and May 2023 in either 4 groups of 10, or 2 groups of 20.

• Hinchinbrook Sportfishing Club (HSFC)

  Category: Small education

  HSFC runs 2 tagging and monitoring programs for fish species important to recreational fishing:

  • Hinchinbrook Inshore Monitoring Program
  • Hinchinbrook Coastal Lagoon Monitoring Program.

• Tropical North Learning Academy Smithfield State High School

  Category: Small education

  A sustainability field study by Year 8 students from Smithfield State High School on:

  • Moon River Catchment
  • Baron River/Saltwater Creek Catchments.

  This project has been in operation for 3 years and involves data collection and tagging barramundi fingerlings to be released into these catchments.

• Sunshine Coast Skindivers

  Category: Small education

  The project aims to increase female community participation in spearfishing on the Sunshine Coast in a safe and sustainable way:

  • through a multi-day, come-and-try event
  • by creating a non-judgemental, inclusive environment.

• Blackall-Tambo Regional Council

  Category: Small education

  Fishing workshops delivered by Australia's best tournament anglers covering:‍

  • safety‍
  • environment‍
  • technique
  • skills.‍

  A collaboration between:

  • Blackall-Tambo Regional Council
  • the local fishing club
  • Queensland Sport and Recreation
  • the Australian Fishing Championships.

• Longreach Regional Council

  Category: Small education

  Fishing workshops delivered by Australia's best tournament anglers covering:‍

  • safety‍
  • environment‍
  • technique
  • skills.‍

  A collaboration between:

  • Longreach Regional Council
  • Yellowbelly Fishing Comp
  • Queensland Sport and Recreation
  • the Australian Fishing Championships.

• Sunshine Coast Game Fishing Club

  Category: Small education

  Introduction into the sport of game fishing for juniors, 16yrs and under, using the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries' Game Fish Tagging Program. Delivered in conjunction with:

  • Sunshine Coast Game Fishing Club
  • Queensland Game Fishing Association
  • Game Fishing Association Australia.

• Gladstone State Highschool

  Category: Small education

  Hooked on Learning is program that aims to re-engage junior-secondary students to improve attendance, behaviour, and academic outcomes in the school environment. The course will include:

  • goal setting
  • teamwork
  • problem solving
  • social skilling.

  The school-based modules will be combined with:

  • engaging youth with the benefits, knowledge and skills related to recreational fishing as a reward system
  • incorporating indigenous/traditional fishing perspectives and a focus on responsible and sustainable fishing practices.

• Townsville Game Fishing Club

  Category: Small education

  The Sharkies Development Program has been established to encourage, promote and educate junior anglers, up to 16 years old, on a range of fishing skills:

  • sustainable fishing methods
  • Queensland fishery rules and regulations
  • outdoor activities that include a good understanding of the diverse fishery and environment.

• Gudjuda Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation

  Category: Recreational and/or traditional fishing education

  Use demonstration fishing days and education activities to share, reconnect community and rebuild cultural knowledge and understanding around:

  • cultural lores within the current fisheries laws
  • how cultural knowledge reinforces sustainable fishing and respect for Sea Country.

• Gurriny Yealamucka Health Services

  Category: Recreational and/or traditional fishing education

  Run a school holiday fishing workshop/clinic program, staffed by Gurriny Yealamucka Health Service Aboriginal Corporation (GYHSAC) youth workers, to accommodate up to 20 youths at a time. The aim of the program is to provide youth with a choice of healthier activities during their free time that will create:

  • positive relationships with friends and families
  • healthier eating choices
  • sustainable ways to provide healthy food for their families.

• OzFish Unlimited

  Category: Monitoring or research provides linkages to, adds value to, or fills information gaps about recreational fishing

  The project aims to engage recreational fishers to help restore 15m² of shellfish reef by deploying 15 quilted oyster doonas on the shore of the Nerang River.

  OzFish will hold 4 community events to build, deploy and monitor shellfish reef units. Volunteers and students will be trained in monitoring techniques to help monitor the invertebrate and fish communities before and after installation.

• Australian National Sportfishing Association Queensland Branch (ANSA QLD)

  Category: Monitoring or research provides linkages to, adds value to, or fills information gaps about recreational fishing.

  Regional linkages and educational opportunities to improve sustainable fishing practices are provided through a citizen science-based program.

  Under this project, QLD Sportfishers aims to supply approved taggers with fish tags so they can continue to participate in our fish tagging and monitoring program.

• Capricornia Catchments Inc

  Category: Fish habitat improvement and protection

  Increase skills and traditional knowledge of land managers in the Wycarbah and District communities through a regenerative, informative family day and practical workshops. The focus will be on planting improved groundcover to protect riverbank vegetation. This will help to:

  • reduce erosion through reduced runoff on hillslopes
  • achieve sustainable fisheries outcomes and enhanced recreational fishing in the Lower Fitzroy.

• Suntag Australia Incorporated

  Category: Monitoring or research provides linkages to, adds value to, or fills information gaps about recreational fishing.

  Suntag has developed 46 dashboards with 1,130 graphs and maps based around rivers, estuaries and impoundments, providing a wide range of fisheries information.

  The project will continue to develop and expand the scope, analysis and presentation of information through dashboards to help fill knowledge gaps.

• Whitsunday Regional Council

  Category: Recreational and/or traditional fishing education

  The project will deliver a campaign to educate residents and visitors on barramundi fishing with the intent to encourage more people to participate in recreational fishing. The campaign will include print and social media and will deliver a brochure that will promote barramundi fishing techniques and welcome people to Lake Proserpine as the premier impounded barramundi fishery in Australia.

Find other grants

Several funding opportunities and services exist in Queensland and across Australia, including:

• Advance Queensland programs and funds—delivers the Queensland Government's vision for the future and invests in a stronger Queensland, including programs and funding for entrepreneurs and startups and identifying business grants.
• Business Queensland—includes information about how to find grants and apply for grant funding in Queensland.
• AusIndustry—connects businesses and investors to information, grants, registrations and support to help businesses succeed in Australia, including a grants and programs finder.

More information

Email fisheriesgrants@daf.qld.gov.au or call 13 25 23.