The project aligns with FRDC outcomes and enabling strategies – building capability and capacity (4); and provide foundational information and support services (5). and outcomes addressing a culture that is inclusive and forward thinking (3): community trust, respect and value (5); growth for enduring prosperity (1) and best practices and production systems (2)

Whilst resources throughout the recreational fishing sector exist, there is a gap for learning materials that are structured to enable learning – often content does not consider learning outcomes, the sequence or activities necessary to learn and apply, or mechanisms to assess and recognise competency. There is also a gap in learning that specifically targets adults — with a recruitment focus of women and breaking down perceived barriers to entry — with a holistic approach that can take one from beginner to competent and well-versed angler.

Developing such a course will:
- Break down perceived barriers to entry for women into recreational fishing
- Facilitate a measurable, fast-tracked, capability-based journey into recreational fishing
- Establish and provide a gateway into other opportunities in fishing and aquaculture through recreational fishing
- Contribute to increasing the percentage of positive and collaborative individuals in the recreational fishing community through developing capability and capacity build a database of enthusiastic recreational fishers and their competencies

This course will actively work to increase the economic throughput of the recreational fishing sector by breaking down the barriers-to-entry for a vast and largely untapped segment of the market (women), which has the parallel benefit of shifting the perceived value of recreational fishing as a lifestyle, thus increasing the household investment in the activity.

The course intends to inspire a fresh generation of thought-leaders in the recreational fishing community, enabling a broad appreciation of the interplay of layers that influence and impact positive fishing experiences and a robust fishery.

There is an opportunity to create a new partnership with the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) to aggregate information from a regional and jurisdictional level to a national forum with the view to provide advise the FRDC in prioritising strategic and tactical investments in RD&E to deliver positive outcomes for the Australian recreational sector.
An ARFF – FRDC partnership could be extend beyond simply prioritisation, to include establishing opportunities for effective and targeted extension and adoption of R&D outputs to effect cultural and behavioural changes within recreational sector beneficiaries.
A properly resourced and coordinated collaboration may also identify opportunities for co-investment with traditional and non-traditional sources, particularly those linked to the ARFF network.
This proposal looks to formalise a partnership between the recreational fishing sector and the FRDC and outlines the structure, function, resourcing and phases of that partnership model.
The effective delivery of this partnership model will in turn derive benefits to the recreational sector, its supporters, the broader Australian community, and the FRDC through the delivery of the R&D Plan 2020-2025.