5 easy ways to be responsible when boating and fishing to help save our oceans!

Here are 5 easy ways to be responsible when boating and fishing to help save our oceans!

At Sydney Boat Hire, we love our beautiful harbour and want to keep it preserved for future generations to enjoy. While boating and fishing are fun activities that you can do on our self-drive or chartered boats with family and friends, sometimes they can be damaging to the environment if done carelessly.  

To ensure that you are being responsible while having fun, here are five simple things you can do to keep our oceans beautiful, and our marine life safe.

1. Never litter overboard. Once a month, the team at Sydney Boat Hire set out to help clean up our local dock at Drummoyne and the surrounding areas. We are always saddened and overwhelmed by the amount of litter that sadly washes up on the boat ramps. To help keep our oceans litter-free, always keep your rubbish to yourself until you can dispose of it properly. Our ocean is not a garbage bin.

1. Understand which spots in Sydney are appropriate to fish. Did you know that depending on where you are in the harbour means that you can or cannot eat the fish? Check out the Department of Primary Industries recommendation on fishing in Sydney Harbour for more information.

1. Practice catch-and-release when fishing, and only keep the fish you need to maximise fish survival rates. Deep hooking and poor handling are the two key factors when it comes to high mortality rates in released fish. To ensure that the fish we release survive, educate yourself on maximising fish survival when practising catch-and-release. 

1. Did you know some sunscreens can damage the environment? Oxybenzone, an ingredient found in some sunscreens can cause damage to coral reefs. When buying your next sunscreen, be sure to read the ingredients list so that you can be sun safe and help our ocean. 

1. Disposing of your fishing line responsibly is easy, but extremely helpful. Marine creatures can get tangled in irresponsibly discarded fishing line, which often leads to suffocation. TAngler Bins are distributed among Sydney’s hotspots for fishing, so if you see one please dispose of your fishing line in one of them. If a TAngler Bin is not available, you can drop it off at a reverse garbage, or simply throw it in your regular garbage bin.

These five things are easy enough to do regularly. We encourage our customers and community to fish and boat responsibly next time you are out on our beautiful harbour.