Don't Go Fishing Alone

Illawarra Mercury

Wednesday April 12, 2006

By GABRIELLE DUNLEVY

A MAN who died while rock fishing at Port Kembla at the weekend broke the golden rule of the dangerous sport - never go out alone.

"Angel rings" - orange life buoys - are being installed along the coast and could save fishermen washed off rocks.

The Australian National Sportfishing Association (ANSA) has installed 22 angel rings between Coalcliff and Kiama.

Illawarra safety officer Gordon Jobson said two of those were at Port Kembla - but they were no use to solitary fishermen.

"One of the main rules we've been pushing for a while is don't fish on your own," Mr Jobson said.

"If you do get washed in, there's no-one to raise the alarm or throw you a flotation device."

He said communicating to people from Asian communities was one problem identified by ANSA, as people of Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese backgrounds made up 51 per cent of fatalities.

The man who died on the weekend was of Vietnamese background.

Mr Jobson said it was unfortunate the man had decided to brave the weekend's wild seas, the biggest he had seen in many years.

"Experienced fishermen can see that with those sort of big swells you don't go there - go to a lake or a harbour somewhere," Mr Jobson said.

"We wish everybody would be safe and do the right thing."

A spokeswoman from the Department of Sport and Recreation said there was an "on-going campaign" of distributing multilingual safety brochures through Asian community groups in south-west Sydney, in conjunction with ANSA.

It also distributes a DVD, advertised in the Asian media and fishing magazines, and organises seminars.

"We get good attendance because these people are great rock fishing enthusiasts and want to learn more about the different spots and fish in Australia, but it gives us a great opportunity to talk to them about rock fishing safety," the spokeswoman said.

Rock fishing rules issued by ANSA:

* Fish with a group so someone can call for help in an emergency.

* Wear the right gear - non-slip footwear and a lifejacket or buoyancy vest.

* Never fish during rough seas - if conditions are too rough, go home.

© 2006 Illawarra Mercury

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