Recreational Fishing Trusts - Habitat Action Grants

All money raised by the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee paid by recreational fishers is placed into the Recreational Fishing Trusts and spent on improving recreational fishing in NSW.The Habitat Action Grant program is a devolved grant program directing money raised from the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee toward projects that improve local fish habitats across NSW. Rehabilitation of fish habitat provides long-term sustainable benefits for native fish stock and in turn provides substantial benefits for NSW recreational fishers.

Anyone who is interested in rehabilitating fish habitat in NSW can apply for a Habitat Action Grant including individual recreational fishers, fishing clubs  and organisations, educational institutions, councils, community groups, individuals and natural resource managers. Joint applications are also encouraged.

Habitat rehabilitation projects which may be funded include:

• removal or modification of barriers to fish passage
• rehabilitation of riparian lands (river banks, wetlands, mangrove forests, saltmarsh)
• re-snagging waterways with timber structure
• removal of exotic vegetation from waterways and replace with native species
• bank stabilisation works

Matching funding is a requirement for funding; however, this does not need to be a cash contribution.