The newly established Murray-Darling Basin Recreational Fishing Council released a study identifying recreational fishing as one of the biggest contributors to regional economies in the Murray-Darling Basin.

Chair of the Murray-Darling Basin Recreational Fishing Council, Christopher Collins said “For the first time, this research highlights the significance of recreational fishing to regional communities in the Basin. On average, recreational fishers go fishing in the Basin 12 times per year, individually spending around $262 each trip.

"With approximately 430,000 fishers in the Basin, recreational fishers spend around $1.3 billion each year when fishing in the Murray-Darling Basin."

The study also found that recreational fishing in the Basin contributes approximately $403 million to Gross Domestic Product, and employs around 10,950 people.

“These findings remind us that there’s more to regional communities in the Murray-Darling Basin than irrigation. These results highlight that healthy fish and fish habitats are critical to the economic viability of our regional communities,” said Mr Collins.

With the Murray-Darling Basin Authority planning to release the draft Basin Plan for public comment next week, Mr Collins said “It is vital that the needs of our native fish communities are met in the draft Basin Plan. When you read the Plan it will be important to consider ‘what is this plan doing for our fish?’ because what you are really asking is ‘what will this plan do for our regional communities?’”

"The take home message from this research is a simple, but important one," Mr Collins said. "Healthy rivers mean more fish. More fish means more fishers spending money in the Basin. And that is a key ingredient for healthy regional communities."

Mr Collins represents the Murray-Darling Basin Recreational Fishing Council, an alliance of recreational fishing peak bodies and representatives of the recreational fishing industry throughout the Murray-Darling Basin, who have come together to help ensure the health of our rivers and fish communities in the Basin.