Underwater Skindivers and Fisherman's Association

Kingfish Cup 2026 round up

Firstly, thank you all who participated for being a part of the Sydney Kingfish Cup, whether it was your involvement in the diving; attendance of the info night or presso or both; support of the event through the social channels; your assistance and support, or your sponsorship.

The Kingfish Cup would not happen without the community driving it.

With the Cup weekend approaching we all saw that swell and wind spike reaching for the top of our phones and try as I might I just don’t have the connection to Huey I thought I had. The Committee decided to run the Saturday and wait for the end of that day and see if the Bureau gets the forecast wrong again, but they didn’t this time.

The Saturday was great, except for those diving South side this year, Bass Point well “it was horrible” one of the Juniors said, 2m vizo and no fish. Royal National Park had whale snot all over it, huge Salomon schools with mega shark action around them, Josh losing a couple of nice Kingfish to big Whalers. Sydney and the Central Coast seemed to have the best of it, though Alex Bond would beg to differ, visibility at the Bull not very good for finding spearguns in 15m…

Alby Cooke with the first fish of the Cup[

Around 0930 I receive a message from Alby Cooke and he draws first blood with a nice King of 8 and a half kilos, and the stoke begins to build. Around 3pm my phone starts to buzz with images and the divers are obviously coming back before the Southerly change kicks in. Sam Dalli who had been kept quiet all day send in a couple fo nice fish, amongst them Lou O’Rourke with a 9.5kg fish in a great photo with Grayson and Jules holding up “Air Kings” I have Daniel Coelho arrives with a fish in his Icey Tek soft bag pulls it out and it weighs 11.3kg, Dan has fished the RNP and came with a lot of stories about big fish sighted but not speared, mega whalers, and terrible viz. Then the Central Coast weigh in crew seems to have come alive and the chat is about a Taipan zapping fish, the Coasties seem to have the best of it so far with Jet Skier Igor Melnikov bringing in a 9950gm healthy fish, Vince Isagba with a fish that looks 20kg easily yet pulls the scales down to a 11080gm specimen, Josh Ward hisdive buddy weighs in once again with a 5900gm fish. Brooksy, a Coffs Harbour spearo who took Josh and Vince out fortunately lands himself a fish 11520gm unfortunately losing a very good fish and in the process earning the nickname Taipan…

Jake Davidson rocks up to Adreno with a good fish of 12600gm and he is looking well placed and the leader on the board. Then Logan Sheffer appears at Adreno unzipping a bright Yellow DiveR soft bag and pulls out a very hefty fish this fish appears to have the cash.

I check my phone after weighin in Logan’s fish and I see Pat Martin and Keiran Timp, the Coast again, have weighed in 12560gm and gm fish respectively, too there is an earlier sms from Sam Dalli with Lachlan O’Reilley holding up quite a sizable slab of Yellowtail that is long yet lean. What a session. 12 fish in. Average weight of the fish is 12kg (same as our 2019 and 2020 Cups, last year was 10kg! I was told by Tara Kingfish are declining, they seem to be growing!). Working out an estimate of effort per fish I arrived at 57 hours per fish!

The Presentation Night was great, never as large as the information night, we had a healthy 80-90 people in attendance. The Sponsorship list was very impressive this year and the prizes were stunning. 12 Lucky Door prizes issued, and then a draw was done for those divers registered and present who did not weigh in 10 prizes issued here. Mark Banasiak of the TSFFP donated $1000 to the 8 Junior divers who registered, and each walked away with a $125 Adreno voucher. Now the Ladies Prize, and the McComb was drawn and Tia Thorncroft was an excited recipient.

Logan Sheffer with Simon Trippe, Pat Mullins and ISpear’s Zac

Lachlan O’Reilley with his Cup Winning Yellowtail

The finale saw the fortunate divers accept their kudos and praise and prizes, the Top 5 this year receiving medallions. The last two divers were asked to come up to the dais and Logan and Lachlan waited patiently for the Cup winner to be declared, with Lachlan announced the Champion of Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup with a great fish of 19885gm, 137 length and 64cm girth. Logan’s Kingfish a meritorious 64cm girth, length 121cm, weighing in at 18005gm.

Thank you lastly to weigh in crews Greg Sansom, Paul Roso and Lee Dalli. All the Sydney Adreno staff who lived and breathed the Kingfish Cup vibe.

Thanks again to all the Sponsors they will continue to be listed and thanked. Please when you go to purchase a dive related product think of them, and if you need a coffee , a portable BBQ, a good read or a hot sauce look no further!

Sydney Kingfish Cup

Save the date!

Spearos save the dates for these Kingfish Cup events

Thursday October 29th – Information night at Adreno Sydney

Saturday and Sunday November 7/8th – Kingfish Cup

Thursday November 12th – Presentation at Adreno Sydney

From Blacksmiths to Bass Point be a part of the biggest Spearfishing gathering around Australia.

What is the Kingfish Cup?

The Kingfish Cup is about bringing the spearo tribe together and of course spearing a kingfish over one weekend in Sydney’s prime Yellowtail Kingfish season, traditionally this is late October through November.

Where is it held?

“Greater Sydney” is the area entrants may enter. It stretches from Blacksmiths in the Central Coast to Bass Point in the South covering just over 275 kilometres of coastline. Weigh in Stations are at Adreno Sydney itself, Wollongong, Little Manly in Sydney Harbour, on the Central Coast Terrigal Boat ramp, and Norah Head Sporties Club

Who enters the KFC?

Such a wide-ranging demographic of both age, sex, and area. Going on recent years, we are expecting over 250 spearfishers entering including sub juniors from 14 years of age right up to Grand Masters (over 65’s), Ladies entries have been strong (19 ladies competed last year). Divers come from as far as Queensland to fish the event. Those who are not competitively focused also fish the Kingfish Cup. We also get relative newcomers fish the Kingfish Cup some of which spearing their first Kingfish in the event.

How does it work?

The USFA runs the event, we work with the Adreno Sydney team, and it has been a successful partnership. Prior to the event, some 8 days before, we host the Information Night a social “get together” (200 attendees last year) at Adreno – we put on some great food – one of our members “the Paella King” creates amazing paella; we explain the simple rules and discuss the ethics and integrity required for everyone to enjoy the event; we have guest speakers (spearfishing gurus) that discuss kingfish habits and hunting tips, the USFA supports real, unbiased science and this year our Fisheries biologists will divulge their latest Kingfish findings. The Information night is the spearos social night of the year.

Since the running of the inaugural event in 2019 we have seen healthy registration numbers, now numbering over 250 entrants, thus it requires a lot of organising from an efficient team. Entrants register online, here they are given details of the event and how to “sign on” and “sign off” (any times between 0800 and 1600 you may fish multiple times on a day) on each day – (some entrants fish only one day) this lets organisers know who is in the water and importantly when they are back out – safety is paramount. On safety, the organisers also make the decision on postponing the days fishing if the weather is decided to be inclement.

The fish are weighed in at the weigh stations, we try to keep the weights discreet to build some atmosphere for the presentation night the Thursday following the event.

The event is ethical! Sustainable too!

Kingfish are in healthy numbers along Australia’s east coast. Last year (’25) when we held the Cup over two days, we had 261 divers enter in the water for approximately 1219 hours of the 22 Kingfish that were caught it worked out to over 55 hours of effort per fish, with a mean weight average of 9.79 kilograms per fish. Spearfishing is amazing.

Dates to remember

The information night – Thursday November 2^nd from 5.30pm

To kick off the biggest event on Sydney’s spearfishing seasonal calendar we are hosting a social & information night to bring the community together under one roof to set the scene for the following weekends event.

This Kingfish cup was born out of necessity, a competition built to bring our communities together in a sustainable and ethically focused competition with divers from all around Australia participating. A competition driven by inclusion, from the most experienced to aspiring greenhorn learning the ropes and piecing it together. This is what spearfishing is all about. Mateship, adventure, respect for the fishery and healthy competition.

The night’s goal is to share experiences and knowledge around Sydney Spearfishing with a focus on the Kingfish species. Feedback from you has been requested on the science of this fishery, and we are giving this to you on the night, An evening meal and refreshments (all free) catered by the Paella King Rico, throw in some sensational door prizes for those in attendance on the night, and to those who early bird register for the Cup there is a whopping major prize, the night is shaping up to be a ripper.

This social event will be bigger than the Cup itself!

Adreno Sydney Kingfish Cup 11-12^th November

The days start from 0800 out of the water from 1600, weigh in closes at 1700

The Presentation Thursday 17^th November from 1730

Another fantastic social evening, where many of the entrants gather, again at Adreno Sydney Superstore, mingle and talk about the one that got away while enjoying some quality food while anticipating the results.

Come and be a part of our wonderful spearfishing community.

SAFETY WARNING 13.06.2026

Safety warningSpearos it would be remiss not mention today’s shark attack on a swimmer at Coogee around noon today.

We hope the lady has a full recovery and are thinking of her and her family and friends at this time.

I know many of you are still going to enter the water regardless, but just please consider with the whales currently along our coast line and the whites and other sharks species are hunting them.

Please be vigilant when you are in the water. I really feel at the least you should be with a dive buddy or buddies when you enter the water and “watch their backs”; be aware of bait movements; be alert when your buddy spears a fish; listen to that sixth sense too, it tingles for good reason; finally please let someone know where you are going, and when you will be back.

There’s more you could do, but please discuss with your crew and have a plan in case of a run in with a shark. I said a couple of years ago the shark incidences have become unprecedented, unfortunately this is now becoming the norm and will continue to increase until we see government delivering a mitigation plan that sees all ocean stakeholders can safely co-exist with nature.

Dive safe, keep safe people. Much love to you all.

2025 – 2026 Executives

Position	Name	Club
President	Charl de Villiers	St George Dragons
Vice President	Daniel Coelho	Port Hacking Penguins
Secretary	Alex Bond	Norah Hammerheads
Sports Secretary	Rico Casquete	Sans Souci Dolphins
Treasurer	Evan Leeson	Sans Souci Dolphins
Public Officer	Alistair Cooke	Central Coast Sea Lions

Presidential Update: USFA Gives Evidence to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Public Lands and Waterways Access

Today was an important day for our community. On behalf of the USFA and every spearo we represent, I had the honour of appearing before the Legislative Council’s Select Committee on Access Restrictions to Public Lands and Waterways to give evidence for recreational spearfishing in New South Wales. I attended as the sole representative for the USFA, and I carried our members’ views into that room with pride.

I want to sincerely thank the Committee Chair, the Honourable Mark Banasiak MLC, for the invitation to take part. It is a genuine privilege to be asked to put our members’ views directly to Parliament, and it is not an opportunity we take lightly. I also want to thank the rest of the committee for their open dialogue and their genuine interest in our discussions. The questions were thoughtful, the engagement was real, and that gives me confidence that our concerns were truly heard.

We spoke plainly about what our members face every time they enter the water. Access and diver safety are inseparable. Spearfishers are limited by physiology to what we can reach on a single breath, which is typically around ten metres. When the shallow, accessible reef is closed to us, our access is not simply moved, it is removed, because we cannot safely go deeper to make up for it. Diving deeper on a single breath is significantly more dangerous, and any rule that reduces access and pushes divers in that direction puts lives at risk.

We also raised the rule that permits spearfishing on an ocean beach only within twenty metres of either headland. The rule is ambiguous in practice, and that ambiguity makes general access and egress more dangerous than it needs to be, leaving divers unsure of where they may safely enter and leave the water. We asked that it be clarified and public education be provided so that spearos can access / egress from popular beaches without scrutiny from public or officials (the detail of this rule can be found in the NSW Fisheries rules).

We were also honest about the constant battle against lockouts. Each closure is presented as small, but together they are steadily removing the best of the shallow, accessible reef that spearfishing depends on. We proposed that a controlled point of action be put in place such that when these splinter groups arise, the default response is to refer to robust local science closing out the conversation before it begins.

We were candid about the lack of genuine consultation, where decisions that affect our members most are too often made with little meaningful engagement with the very people they affect. We noted that there was a significant loss in confidence in the current government following recent knee jerk reactions, and that it would take work to rectify. We highlighted that many DPI decisions are made and raised to public input prior to engagement with peak bodies such as the Recreational Fishing Alliance or the USFA.

It was not all about resisting closures. We also put forward a positive proposal, that Long Reef be established as a dedicated spearfishing reserve, to demonstrate that spearfishing is the most selective and sustainable form of fishing there is, and a legitimate, valued use of our marine estate. We noted that listing Long Reef, our spiritual home as a Spearfishing Reserve, was in title only ensuring we protect access. We would encourage fair and equal access to all, and take on a higher level of stewardship to protect our home.

Above all, we set out what fair process should look like from here. We asked for fair and transparent consultation, with peak bodies engaged before decisions are taken to the public for comment, not after. We asked that every management decision affecting access rest on sound, transparent science. And we asked that the RFA and USFA be engaged to peer review study and survey proposals before they are acted on, so that avoidable mistakes are caught early. We pointed directly to the blue groper experience, where flawed methodology including the use of inappropriate baits, undermined confidence in the outcome. With the right people at the table beforehand, that kind of problem is entirely preventable.

I am proud of the case we put today, and prouder still of the community we represent. As my predecessors Simon Trippe and Bob McComb have noted to me, when we wear a wetsuit, we don a uniform that represents the entire community. Wear it with respect and pride. We are divers who know these waters better than anyone, who have a deeper stake in healthy fish stocks than anyone, and who are conservationists in the truest sense of the word.

We will keep you updated as the inquiry progresses. Thank you to every member for your continued support. It is what gives our voice its weight.

Charl de Villiers
President,
Underwater Skindivers and Fishermen’s Association

USFA PRESIDENTIAL UPDATE: DEFENDING OUR SEAS & OUR LEGACY 🛡️🐟

To our Members and friends,

The USFA is currently facing a wave of proposed “no-take” zones and lock-outs across NSW that threaten the very heart of our sport. From the South Coast to the Central Coast, we are on high alert, ensuring that marine management stays rooted in science, not emotional rhetoric or exclusionary politics.

Here is where we stand:

BOODEREE NATIONAL PARK: FIGHTING THE TOTAL BAN
The 2026-2036 Draft Plan for Booderee is a direct attack. It explicitly seeks to ban the possession of a speargun anywhere within the park, whether you are on land or on the water.

We are fighting for clear, common-sense wording that allows for the transit of spearing equipment. It is nonsensical to criminalize a diver simply for having gear in their car or boat while traveling through the park.

We are working closely with the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) to ensure a unified voice against these overreaching restrictions.

LONG REEF: RECLAIMING OUR SPIRITUAL HOME
Long Reef is where the USFA was founded by Australian Diggers, 4th April 1948 with the sole focus to stop spearfishing from being banned at the time. We have been working as a unified front ever since.

The groups pushing for a total sanctuary lock-out and targeting our home ground will be met with nothing short of fierce resistance.

I have appointed Bob McComb to act on behalf of the USFA on these fronts, dealing with the National Parks Association’s Subsidiary the Friends of Long Reef and attending local meetings on our behalf.

As a result of this recent action, we are now officially lobbying for Long Reef to be declared a “Spearfishing Reserve.”

This is a title only designation unlike the exclusionary zones proposed by others. Our model ensures that NO ONE is excluded from access.

BALMORAL
At Balmoral, we are actively opposing efforts to turn the current IPA into a total “no-take” zone. Current protections are sufficient and further closures are an unnecessary lock-out.

TERRIGAL
We are keeping a vigilant eye on the Central Coast Council regarding Terrigal. If their sanctuary proposal gains traction, we are ready to mobilize. The Central Coast Sealions has done a great job keeping us aware of the situation and being prepared to act when necessary.

A CALL TO OUR CLUBS: LOCAL VIGILANCE
It is of paramount importance that all clubs pay close attention to their local catchments. There are many attempts occurring simultaneously so we need to work together to keep ahead of this unprecedented shift.

Local clubs look after local and council matters; the USFA handles the heavy lifting at the State level and above. When these topics arise in your area, engage with your councils immediately and keep us informed.

If you have a proposed lock out in your catchment and your club is unsure how to act please reach out for guidance.

MEMBER GUIDELINES: HOW TO DISCUSS OUR SPORT
When engaging in public discussion, stay professional and stick to logical arguments:

✅ Sustainability & Selectivity: We are the most selective form of fishing on the planet. We have zero by-catch and only take a small quantity of fish.

✅ Safety & Fairness: Focus on our high safety standards and our right for fair access to public waters.

MEDIA & COMMUNICATION PROTOCOL
To ensure our message remains unified, please refrain from providing personal statements to the media. Under no circumstances is any individual or club to make a statement on behalf of the USFA.

All official correspondence must go through the USFA committee. Aiming to exclude one group to provide exclusive access to another is fundamentally un-Australian.

We stand for access, we stand for science, and we stand for YOU.

Safe diving,

Charl de Villiers
President
Underwater Skindivers and Fisherman’s Association

In memoriam Adrian Wayne Champion for Spearfishers

Adrian joined the USFA in 1961, in 2005 he became a Life Member of the USFA, and his club the Mosman Whalers and too the AUF gave him life member recognition.

Adrian was generous beyond measure to spearfishers. I never knew him not to be thinking about spearfishers rights of which he was a determined advocate whether to have equal access to the seas as other stakeholders, or, to be included as a valued stakeholder in any discussion concerning the Fishery and outcomes that would impact spearfishing. Adrian traversed the coast of NSW attending any meeting that would have an impact on spearfishers. He was tireless, and carried a particular torch that spearfishers whether young or old, new or experienced should have safe access to spearfishing all along the coast and not be “locked out” therefore depriving the next generation of spearfishers developing.

I fondly recall Adrian bamboozling Marine scientists from around the world at a Grey Nurse Shark seminar where he got them all to admit that spearfishers have zero impact on this animal, it was a “mic drop” if ever there was one, fantastic. This action, and his champion efforts in and around the court judgement on Grey Nurse Shark habitat areas where the Judge threw the “green” case out that would have seen all rec fishers severely impacted with access to prime fishing locations should always be remembered as benchmark victories for spearfishing.

Adrian (whose brother Phil, and sons Steve and Kevin are champion spearfishers as well) for many decades worked tirelessly for spearfishing in New South Wales and around Australia. He managed National Spearfishing Teams including World Championships, was the convenor of at least two National Championships and too many State and Zone Championships to list, often stumping up the prize pool with his own money.

I will always remember Adrian happiest after a dive, talking fish with his friends, smoke in one hand, a “Turkey” Wild Turkey in the other, life was great.

Rest in Peace Ado and thank you for all you did for spearfishing, you saved the sport so many times, you will be missed and impossible to replace, there was only one of you made mate.

The USFA members send their respects and are thinking of Adrian’s partner Jackie, and Steve, Kevin, Lani, and their families.

Simon Trippe

Simon Trippe inducted Life Member of USFA

Simon Trippe was inducted as a Life Member at the recent USFA AGM. Below is a response from Simon to the USFA membership.

“The USFA NSW AGM held on Tuesday 12^th August was held with good attendance from all affiliated clubs, not surprising as the USFA membership has swelled to a great number and continues to grow weekly largely due to the enthusiasm shown by your respective committee and members, it is credit to you all that spearfishing in NSW is in a great position going forward because of your enthusiasm to uphold the values of our constitution. “To promote and develop the sport and other associated underwater activities; To actively implement and promote any and all safety measures applicable to our activities.”

People come to clubs to learn, perhaps find a dive buddy, and to be a part of a community. The clubs are all doing this so well, thank you.

I have for some time wished to depart from my role as President of the USFA. I take the role seriously, it is an honour to have this responsibility. Upon seeing a lot of fresh faces amongst the seasoned at the AGM, I decided it would be a perfect time for others to throw their hat into the ring and come on board, with that I welcome Charles de Villiers as the new USFA President, Charles is the St George Dragons President, who was a leading figure during the Oak Park “Gus the Groper” fiasco and I was impressed by his tenacity, organisational skills, and his willingness to stand up for others in this battle of spearfishing exclusion. Charlie was a big reason we had a successful outcome for spearfishers there. New Vice President Daniel Coelho (Pt Hacking Penguins) is a fantastic person, and his enthusiasm to progress spearfishing is next level. Great club members Alex Bond is our new Secretary (Norah Hammerheads), Sports Secretary Rico Casquete (Dolphins), Treasurer Evan Leeson (Dolphins), and Public Officer Alistair Cooke (Sea Lions) round out the executive, thank you all of you.

I’d like to particularly thank the former USFA Vice President Parry Gryllis who has been my sounding board for the past three years, thank you mate! Ian Buck, former Secretary, thank you too, you never said no to any request I had, cheers Ian; I have received invaluable support from Treasurer Evan Leeson, and former President Bob McComb, thank you both Ev and Bob.

I was drawn into taking minutes for the Sydney Metropolitan Zone meetings around 1982, as a young teenager I was excited to help out, and to be able to talk spearfishing to my older peers. What I didn’t realise was the gift that came to me from being a volunteer, yes the great friendships of course, yet the satisfaction of helping others get a foothold into spearfishing and seeing them develop their skillsets and then they too becoming mentors for others, (in and also out of the spearo community), it is something you can’t put a price on. Today seeing a young diver enjoying spearfishing and reaping the benefits it gives to them is immensely gratifying to me, therefore to be bestowed Life Membership from my peers I am honoured, and thank you all for giving me an unexpected, wonderful surprise that I hold dearly.

There will always be the threat of exclusion to safe access for spearfishers, this is something I have always been vocal on, never let other stake holders not share the resource with us, the seas are for everyone to share and enjoy. I know the USFA will continue to fight for safe access, promote and develop the sport, and continue to actively implement and promote any and all safety measures applicable to our activities. What great reasons to be a member!

Yours in safe spearfishing

Simon Trippe

See you down there!

Mulloway

USFA thoughts on the

Mulloway Harvest Strategy

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/harvest-strategies/have-your-say-draft-nsw-mulloway-harvest-strategy-and-management-options
Mulloway are a species we all hold in high esteem & value. All of us want to see Mulloway recover to at least the 1990s level – what was that level, Fisheries?
The information around Mulloway abundance is beyond poor. Yet Fisheries have access to data already, have had for decades.
We have all been asked to do the survey, but we haven’t been given good data to provide valuable feedback, nor have we been given good options.
USFA always requests good science, we want good science and wish to see good data used for our membership to make good decisions.
The Recreational Fishing Alliance (the USFA are affiliated with the RFA) has sent a GIPA (Freedom of information act) asking for all the unpublished data on Mulloway that Fisheries have not shared in this harvest strategy.
This survey will not reach anywhere near the intended audience. There are fishers who do not use technology (don’t laugh, its real), nor does it reach out multi-culturally to the many fishers in the State who do not have English as a main language.
Recreational fishers are not quasi-fish biologists; it’s not our job to record catches. We pay a recreational fee for a licence. We are taxed to enjoy fishing, (we are the only group that are taxed) yet the Department want us to do our work.
Mulloway are on a good pulse at the moment (good rains and climate assist Jewfish populations) so do we actually need this Strategy and form of governance?

We only need relative abundance not an absolute abundance figure, which Fisheries are attempting to achieve. They have more than enough data for relative abundance.
Example – Commercial catch at a reported tonnage of 70 tons of Mulloway in 2020 – Fisheries know this, yet they don’t have measurements nor the sizes, nor the sex of these fish. They don’t need recreational fishers to do Fisheries work for them. Fisheries do some work!

Let’s look at the questions in the Survey

4. Do you support the approach outlined in the draft harvest strategy for managing harvest to rebuild the Mulloway fishery in NSW?

5. Do you have any further suggestions or comments regarding the Draft NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy?

The Draft Strategy does not include plans to mitigate the negative effects of estuarine and river mouth trawling, set nets/meshing on juvenile mulloway. The stock assessment modelling does not appear to factor this in either.

6. Do you support establishing real-time reporting by commercial and recreational fishers to improve Mulloway data, stock assessments and effective management of harvest and stock health?

USFA would support real time reporting for commercial fishers but not for recreational fishers.

8. What is your preferred option to manage annual recreational harvest of Mulloway?

• Option 1a: Use the existing daily bag, possession and boat limits as the primary control, and implement a closure period based on estimated catch progression if needed to restrain catch further.

• Option 1b: Use the existing daily bag, possession and boat limits as the primary control, and implement a closure period based on real-time reported catch levels if needed to restrain catch further.

• Option 2: Introduce a new formal Recreational Total Allowable Catch supported by real-time reporting as the primary control, with cease of fishing (i.e. a closure period) if the total recreational share is caught.

This is a trick question with no option to “Use the existing daily bag, possession and boat limits as the primary control.”

There should have been an option to retain current arrangements! This will get lots of recreational fishers to just select an option that closes recreational fishing for part of the year. Commercial fishers get to select Option1- Use daily take and possession limits as the primary control. These tactics undermine confidence in NSW Fisheries willingness to undertake genuine consultation.

In Summary

Having recreational fishers keeping log books is inverse to the concept of “recreational” and is just another speed bump to discourage people from going fishing and connecting with nature.
Possible negative effects on opportunity costs and public health benefits which is avoidable given there are better alternatives.
Any harvest strategy going forward does need to be based on good monitoring and science and this should be the priority before we start to fiddle with any process other than the ones we know are the actual key threats.
The DPI needs to do better and not use recreational fishers as scape goats for poor and non-existent data sets which they could have (and still can) captured.
The lack of information is designed to deliver a pre-conceived outcome.

USFA strongly suggests, if you are interested in seeing Mulloway further recover, to write to your local State MP & ask that this consultation process be binned & started again after the DPI use better methodology & produce updated abundance figures.
USFA suggests rather than the entering a submission email your concerns and thoughts to [email protected] the link is found at the end of the online submission questions
USFA will come back to its members once more information is received from Fisheries

Thank you to the many USFA members, RFA members and Marine Biologists who helped with the information provided.

Please note this is just a small part of the information and feedback that I have been provided by many concerned stakeholders involved with this fishery.

Simon Trippe

President USFA NSW

Link to your MP

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/members/Pages/all-members.aspx

USFA NSW 2025 Spearfishing Championship

Sy Conroy, Shelley De Courcy, Brigid Martin

This year’s NSW State Titles were held by the Norah Hammerheads Spearfishing Club, the new kid of the USFA NSW. Receiving plenty of help and keenness from Hammer’s members and the other NSW Clubs there was plenty of talk about the event leading up to the weekend. In the week before the 2 day Championship the weather reports all started to look extremely bleak and many people wondered if this would be another year when Poseidon would stir the oceans up, too large to dive, the State Championships is traditionally a rock-hopping event, a true test of skill, stamina and discovery. On the Friday morning the committee made the call to have a 1-day competition based on the forecast of dangerous swell warnings for the Sunday, the Saturday it seemed would be good for diving.

The day started at 530am with a small swell and no rain! Many helpers arriving early to help set up for the day. The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party brought their boat along to act as one of the two safety boats for the day. Once the area was set up “Uncle Bob” started signing people on and next thing we know there have been 45 divers sign on; including 4 Ladies with 4 Juniors, and several distinguished gentlemen.

750am Justin Elsey held the safety briefing and at 8am sharp the NSW Titles commenced! Many divers headed towards the Lighthouse while others headed north towards Lakes Reef. Visibility ranged from under a metre to 10 metres in some places, and though it was challenging conditions 36 of the 45 divers weighed in fish!

All divers were back by the 2pm finish time and there was plenty of quality fish to check out and everyone was keeping a keen eye on the scales as they tried to figure out who would walk away the victor.

The weigh in completed, (we would like to say special thanks to the Sea Lions, Seahawks, Dolphins and Neptune’s for their assistance in the clean-up and pack away) everyone headed to Norah Head Sporties for dinner and the presentation.

Jai Gibbons, Keiran Timp, xxx, Alex Bond, Pat Mullins, Josh Green, Mark Banasiak, Al Cooke, Mick Martin, Lachlan Green

The 2025 NSW Ladies Champion is Shelley DeCourcy of the Norah Hammerheads, Shelley won the McComb Spearguns custom speargun which doubles as a trophy with its custom plaque.

Open 2025 NSW Champion is Josh Green who under challenging conditions managed to weigh in an extraordinary number of quality fish.

NSW Pairs Champions – Josh and Lachlan Green

NSW Teams Champions- Josh Green Lachlan Green and Sam Morgan.

It’s our understanding the last name Green works wonders in the green coloured water haha.

We had plenty of prizes to hand out from our sponsors, the participants’ were blown away by the generosity and quality of the prizes, thank you to – McComb Spearguns, Osprey Spearguns, DiveR, Dive Cave, Adreno Sydney, Knife Merchant, EKF, Shark Eyes, Dive Imports, Throw Flashers, KHJ photography, Wettie NZ, and, Online Dive Gear.

The highlight for me was when Chris from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party won the Osprey speargun then gave it to Joe one of our Hammerheads Juniors. The junior we call “Spewy” hugged and cuddled the gun with an ear to ear grin the rest of the night.

Thank you to all involved.

Mark Banasiak – presentation

Shawn Anderson – safety boat

Chris Dorahy- safety boat

Kristen – photographer

Bob McComb – sign on / sign off and weigh master.

Justin Esley – scoring program and competition organiser

Brett Carter – event organiser

Vince Bertolli – sponsorship organiser

Craig , Therese, Stuart – BBQ experts.

Beau, Rob, Spewy, Andrew and all the others for cleaning the fish that were donated to Coast Hands to feed people in need with fresh local seafood.

And, of course my family for putting up with it all for the last months or so.

It was a pleasure to host this year’s NSW State Titles and we look forward to doing some more feature USFA events in the future.

Alex Bond

President

Norah Hammerheads