The Wild Caught Fishers Coalition has put forward a proposal to DPIRD Fisheries seeking a Section 37 trial to remove historical regulatory differences affecting whitebait hauling in the Hawkesbury River. Whitebait hauling using a Pilchard, Anchovy and Bait Net operates under the same Region 5 Category One Hauling endorsement and finite effort-day system as General Purpose Hauling. However, whitebait fishers remain subject to additional restrictions, including weekend and publ

On 1 May 2026, the Wild Caught Fishers Coalition met with commercial fishers from Regions 6 and 7 at the Ulladulla Civic Centre, together with the Hon. Mark Banasiak MLC. The meeting was called in response to growing concerns from South Coast commercial fishers about the interaction between commercial fishing restrictions, cultural fishing, Native Title rights and access to fisheries resources. A central concern raised by members was the situation where licensed commercial fi

On 30 July 2026, the Wild Caught Fishers Coalition submitted a briefing report to DPIRD Fisheries seeking a fair pathway to design and independently assess a limited commercial prawn-hauling trial in the Hastings River. The Minister for Agriculture and CommFish NSW were also copied into the submission. WCFC is not seeking an unrestricted or permanent reopening of the river. The proposal is for a small, time-limited and monitored trial under section 37 of the Fisheries Managem

On 20 July 2026, the Wild Caught Fishers Coalition submitted a briefing report to DPIRD and CommFish NSW calling for a review of the Eastern Sea Garfish immediate vicinity rule. The current rule requires a skipper to remain physically beside landed garfish until the final accurate weight has been reported. WCFC supports accurate catch reporting and quota accountability, but questions whether continuous physical attendance is necessary or proportionate. The report found that t

Following a request from an affected member, WCFC began pursuing the removal of the weekend fishing closure applying to Eastern Sea Garfish fishers. WCFC met with DPIRD Executive Director David McPherson on 14 January 2026 to discuss the restriction and recommended that a section 37 order be used as a temporary measure while permanent regulatory reform was considered. At that meeting, WCFC was advised that section 37 could not be used for this purpose. WCFC later raised the m

Submission: Opposition to the NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy WCFC Lodges Submission Opposing NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy On 7 July 2025, the Wild Caught Fishers Coalition lodged a formal submission opposing the proposed NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy. WCFC supported sustainable fisheries management in principle, but argued that the proposed strategy relied too heavily on outdated modelling and failed to properly account for decades of reduced commercial access, effort and fi