Tour operator licence

Fishing charter boats operating and possibly anyone filming a fishing TV show in Port Phillip and Wester Port Bays do now require a Licensed Tour Operator permit from Parks Victoria, and must adhere to the Australian Adventure Activity Standards for recreational angling

who will require a tour operator licence?

A person or business who conducts an organised tour or recreational business for profit on crown land is required to hold a tour operator licence

Angling

6.5 Wildlife
Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.
Understand through education the role each species plays in each environment in order to realise the importance of its position within an ecosystem.
Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, and raising young. Touching nests or young animals may cause their parents to abandon them.
Never feed wild animals or birds. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviours, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.

Store food and rubbish securely.
Control pets at all times or better yet, leave them at home. All National Parks restrict pets so check regulations first.
Report any injured animals to the local land managers. Do not attempt to handle the animal.

3.3 Competencies

To lead activities a leader must be confident of having the skills and experience at least equivalent to that described by the following Units of Competency. A leader can acquire these skills and experience through training with community organisations such as clubs, via employers, TAFE colleges, universities, registered training organisations (RTOs), in-house training and by attaining international qualifications.

Details of these Units of Competency can be found at the National Training Information Service website at www.ntis.gov.au. NTIS is the official national register of information on Training Packages, Qualifications, Courses, Units of Competency and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) See also Service Skills Australia www.serviceskills.com.au These competencies are used to describe the skills required to undertake a specific role within the outdoor industry.

In non-commercial activities participants are often peers/club members with known experience/skills. Where this is the case, the leader may not require all of the skills listed below but may prefer to delegate some aspects to other members of the group. 

The group needs to assess the list of skills described below and ensure that the relevant skills are available within the group for the particular activity.

GENERIC UNIT CODE

These units relate to the generic competency expected of any individual in a position of Leadership or Management in the outdoors.

Leadership and Management Skills

Respond to emergency situations, See the First aid section in this
Facilitate a group

Deal with conflict

Undertake risk analysis of activities

Apply sport & recreation law

Follow defined Occupational Health and Safety policy and procedures

Manage risk in an outdoor activity

Plan for minimal environmental impact

These additional skills may be required when the activity is more complex, conditions more variable, location is more remote, etc.

Outdoor Recreation Skills

Provide leadership to groups

Plan outdoor recreation activities (advanced)

Guide outdoor recreation sessions

Apply weather information

Coordinate emergency response

Operate communications systems and equipment

Navigate in tracked or easy untracked areas

Navigate in difficult or trackless areas

Use and maintain a temporary or overnight site

Apply search and rescue skills

Fishing Specific Skills

Comply with fisheries management regulations and conservation strategies

Use basic skills to catch and handle fish

Select, use and maintain fishing tackle outfits

Use knowledge of fish habitats, behavioural and life cycles to locate fish.

1 year licence = $110 ($255 in 2013)
3 year licence = $310*+ (two years fee only)
10 year licence = $310*+ (two years fee only)
Use fee – General visitor $1.10 ($2:40 in 2013)

(User fee is Per customer)

Use fee cap $5,500.00 ($12,500.00 in 2013)

Applicants must complete a separate Tour Schedule for each new tour. A tour is any organised tourism / recreation business
activity undertaken on public land areas managed by Parks Victoria / DSE.

From 1 July 2011, it is an offence to operate a guided tour or outdoor recreational activity for profit on public lands. Penalties for operating without a licence, or breaching conditions of a licence, will be 20 penalty units for a natural person, and 100 penalty units for a body corporate. (A penalty unit for 2011-2012 financial year is $122.14).

http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/park-management/applications,-licences-and-permits/licensed-tour-operators

http://www.orc.org.au/activity_standards_download.php#6

http://outdoorssector.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Towards-a-Sustainable-Outdoors-Sector-Peak-Body-Final-Report.pdf

http://outdoorssector.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Outdoors-Sector-Discussion-Paper-October-20111.pdf
http://parkweb.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/314578/FAQ-Tour-Operator.pdf

Anglers attacking anglers for a legal bag limit of fish

We have enough green groups attacking as at every turn, the last thing we need is anglers helping them, recently a fishing Facebook page that has over 5000 like posted up this photo.

posted under this picture was this
“Now this is what i call OVERKILL..A husband and wife and young son,proudly showing off there 32 Snapper...”



This Photo was take some years ago there was 39 fish not 32, there was 4 people fishing not 3 and they were within their legal bag limit at the time when the photo was taken.

Now, we all have opinions, I personally don’t often take a full legal bag of fish home, but that’s my choice, and a choice that we are all entitled to make without the fear of having our photo in which we are clearly identified plastered on the internet, so fellow anglers can post rude vial messages, after they have been given false information about the picture, somewhere along the lines we have become so worried about how other groups that are attacking us perceive us, that we think we need to be ashamed of what we do, that’s bullshit, recreational fishing as long as everyone stays within their bag limit is sustainable, and there is nothing we should be ashamed about, it’s one of the most environmentally friendly ways to put food on the table, it has the lowest carbon and water footprint, and no other form of food in Australia has less impact on the environment. When fish spawn they spawn in very large numbers for a reason, the majority of them will not make it to spawning age, not because they will be caught by anglers, but they will either be eaten by other species or die due to environmental factors, in fact anglers take for a very small proportion of this large spawn. 
There are many more important factors that dictate the health and numbers of not only the fish we target but all marine species, everything from  weather  to terrestrial development , it’s time we stop listening to the propaganda put out by these groups that want nothing else but to shut us down.

In this particular case I politely gave the group that runs this page a number of opportunities to correct the information under the picture, which they failed to do, and for my troubles my posts were removed and I got banned, as were a number of other people who also wanted to make the same point, while at the same time offensive language and abuse directed at this man and his son remained.

This is no way a group that makes an income from selling tackle to anglers should behave and this type of behaviour should not be tolerated.

We have legal bag limits for a reason, they are sustainable, not that its important but there might be a number of reasons these anglers chose to take home this many fish, frankly its none of our business why, they have done nothing wrong except not conform to certain anglers opinions, the same can be said of someone that takes home a legal sized, but large breeder or people that keep fishing and releasing fish, what about people that fish every week or every day and take a few fish home should they be restricted?. In Australia we have some of the best fishing practises, rules and regulations in the world, both recreationally and commercially, the size and bag limits are set for a reason they are sustainable, there are plenty of fish for everyone, go out and catch them and be proud at what you are doing.
If these people that unjustifiably attacked this family on this Facebook page, think that taking so many fish is unsustainable then we have consultation processes where they can voice your opinion when these bag limits are being reviewed, but I can guarantee you not one of them has ever attended one of these.

What has happened when anglers need to be ashamed for taking a legal bag limit of fish, when fellow anglers who have no idea about the facts jump down their throats so quickly, not to mention the abuse, what are the motives behind posting this picture with the false information and insinuating that they have broken the law, what are the motivations with allowing people to keep making the accusation that they have somehow broken the law, I can’t answer that, only the people that posted it can, but I can tell what this type of victimising anglers can do, and that is needlessly restrict us in doing what we do even further, as if we are not getting enough of that already from other groups with marine parks and everything else that’s going on.

We should not be so keen to place unnecessary further restriction on ourselves; others will do that soon enough!








Here is the link to the picture
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=476419145722149&set=a.170039963026737.37373.163566470340753&type=1&permPage=1