Impoundment Fishing Receives Funding Boost
Jewels in the crown of Mackay and The Whitsunday’s recreational fishing offering, Peter Faust, Kinchant, Teemburra and Eungella Dams will receive promotional funding thanks to a successful grant submission by Mackay Tourism.
Delivered in partnership with Tourism Whitsundays, the funding forms part of Round 2 of the FNQ and NQ Monsoon Trough - Category C - Flexible Funding Grants Program. The funding will be used to deliver a program to encourage recreational fishing in the four impoundments in the Mackay and Whitsunday Regional Council areas.
The program entails information and promotional pieces including a brochure, website and social media and will enable anglers to compare the quality and quantities of their catches of key species including barramundi and sooty grunter. Anglers will be encouraged to catch and release fish to enable sustainable catchments.
This program will be aimed at a wide range of participants including families and individuals from the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regions and tourists who travel to Queensland to participate in recreational fishing.
Mackay Tourism Chief Executive Officer Tas Webber said the funding would prove vital to growing the region’s fishing tourism industry.
“To have four world class barramundi and sooty grunter impoundments located in close proximity, is a real catch for recreational anglers,” he said.
“The Four Dams Recreational Fishing program will further build upon marketing strategies of Mackay Tourism, Tourism Whitsundays, Mackay and Whitsundays Regional Councils and strengthen our region’s appeal to the considerable recreational fishing tourism market,” Mr Webber said.
Tourism Whitsunday Chief Executive Officer Tash Wheeler explained the program’s benefits to local tourism operators.
“Promotion of the region’s fishing impoundments has a significant flow on effect throughout the region’s economy. Each additional visitor that comes to the region to fish our impoundments, often brings with them family, and spends money on accommodation, food, bait, and tackle etc,” she said.
“The funding will also provide a catalyst for stimulating private investment to meet demand for fishing product. It will also create benefits throughout the wider community as more locals look to get out and explore their own backyard post COVID-19,” Ms Wheeler explained.
The Four Dams Recreational Fishing program will commence in August and run through until May 2021.
ENDS
Contact:
Daniel Brown - Communications Officer
0448 994 180
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Friday, 10 July 2020