NEW! TARFish set to deliver real-time weather info to rec fishers from network of weather buoys

TARFish has today launched the first of four weather buoys around Tasmania to deliver real-time weather and improve access, quality and safety of Tasmanian’s fishing experience.

The free weather information service to rec fishers is available from the TARFish website at www.tarfish.org or www.weather.tarfish.org in a mobile friendly format so that fishers can check the weather on the go.

“We want Tasmanian recreational fishers to have useful real-time weather information in the places where they fish – out on the water,” said TARFish CEO, Jane Gallichan.

“We want to support recreational fishers, and other waterway users, to make better boating decisions to improve safety and also the quality of the fishing experience – knowing the local weather in real-time can mean the difference between a good and great fishing expedition,” she said.

The first weather buoy is located off Burnie, co-located on the State Government’s Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) with three further buoys to be deployed over the next month off St Helens, Marion Bay and south of Southport.

“We believe there is strong demand for this type of weather information in a central location, easily accessed for free.

“We’ve worked closely with recreational fishers, MAST, the State Government and IMOS (Integrated Marine Observing System) to make this happen and we hope to continue to grow the network over time,” she said.

In addition to the immediate benefits to recreational fishers, TARFish will also provide access to the underlying weather data to research organisations to support science projects.

“Things are changing in our oceans so if the data we collect from these weather buoys can support research into everything from marine heatwaves to coastal erosion to predicting changes is fish assemblages and beyond, we’re all for it.

“We are grateful to both the State Government through their Better Fishing Grants program and MAST through their Small Boating Grants for making this new service to recreational fishers possible,” she concluded.