NEAT work

NEATFish (National Environmental Assessment of Tournament Fishing) is the world’s first environmental Standard designed specifically for fishing tournaments. The interactive www.neatfish.com

NEATFish is a voluntary industry Standard developed by the recreational fishing industry. It rates an event’s impact according to a questionnaire that uses a one to five star rating system. Both the Standard and website were developed by Recfish Australia, with funding from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation after consultation with fishing tournament organisers, government authorities, environmental groups, accreditation bodies, insurers and representatives of the fishing tackle industry.

Len Olyott, CEO of Recfish Australia, said the website would improve the accessibility of the Standard and make the process of certification of fishing tournaments simpler and more user friendly. “The best thing about the website is that online membership is free of charge and provides all tournament organisers with the necessary tools to undertake a NEATFish assessment,” said Olyott. “Full accreditation under the standard can be achieved in five easy steps. Once the organiser has completed the free initial assessment, they know how their tournament rates and can then choose to apply for official recognition of their rating by submitting their results for approval,” he said.

Tournaments approved under the standard obtain an official NEATFish Certificate after paying an annual registration fee ($95.00+ GST), after which they are publicly listed on the website with other approved tournaments.

Visit www.neatfish.com for more information.