Our Team

Dane Jones
Chair

Dane sat on the TARFish Committee for a number of years as the delegate member for the Australian Underwater Federation Tasmanian Branch and currently sits as an expertise based member with over 10 years experience working in the marine research area. Dane has a strong set of underwater research capabilities and remains a strong advocate for the underwater diving community in Tasmania.

John Stanfield
Deputy Chair

A born and bred Tasmanian,I started fishing sometime before my first memories... back then it was camping trips with the family fishing out of plywood dinghies on the East Coast. Crays and net fish were the staples and coupled with hand-lines and beach seines I loved every minute of the time we spent on and around the water. Times have changes and now fishing includes bigger boats, sounders, electric reels and GPS. I've chased pretty much everything that swims or crawls in Tassie waters since I started and I still love every part of what makes recreational fishing the heart and soul of this great state. Work dragged me to the big island for a while (I joined the Army at 15) travel and new destinations kept me there for about 20 years. I fished in every state of Australia, and a few overseas, with that comes an understanding of the way other states manage recreational fishing. After the super trawler debacle and the downward trend of recreational bag limits I joined TARFish in 2017, wanting to support a better deal for recreational fishers in Tasmania. The passion I have for wild fish extends to the marine environment and ensuring that the industry and recreation, that access our waters, don't compromise the legacy we leave for our kids.

Tight lines and full catch bags, stay safe and enjoy your time on the water!

Stephen Bax
Treasurer

Steve opened The Fishing Connection in July 1986 after realising a dream to own and run a retail fishing tackle store. Steve has over 40 years experience in the fishing retail industry first starting WS Edwards in Salamanca. Steve is a member of AFTA (Australian Fishing Tackle Association) and has been a TARFish Board Member since 2014. Steve has extensive estuary, game and general fishing experience – his passions being sea run trout and tuna. Recently Steve and his son successfully caught Kingfish in the River Derwent. Steve fished in Vanuatu where he has caught YFT, Barracuda and fought Blue Marlin.

Brett Sharp

Brett was appointed to the TARFish Committee in 2009 as the Sea Charter Boat Operators of Tasmania (SCBOOT) representative. He is a successful small business operator in Tasmania running Force 10 Charters and is passionate about recreational fishing having dived and fished most of our coastal waters around the state.

John Edwards

John has been fishing Tasmanian waters for more than 50 years. In his early years he was a keen diver participating in spear fishing and representing Tasmania in the Australian Spearfishing Championships. His early working years saw him commercially cray fishing the east, south and west coasts as well as scallop fishing in the north east. John became interested in game fishing during the early 80's while he lived and worked in a land based occupation on the Tasman Peninsula. In recent years John has been an enthusiastic game fishing competition competitor, is a current member of the Tuna Club of Tasmania and the Southern Gamefish Club. He is the current President of the Tasmanian Game Fishing Association representing 5 member clubs state wide. Fishing to John is seen as the jewel in the crown of the best state in Australia and is world class in what it offers every Tasmanian.

Howard Jones

Howard joined the TARFish Committee in 2017 as the North East representative. Having fished the polluted canals and River Mersey as a child in northern England and arriving in Tasmania as a young man Howard was blown away by the incredible environment and the fishing opportunities his adopted state provided. He became an avid fly fisher for trout in highland lakes and lowland rivers. Sent to the east coast as a beginning teacher, crayfishing and diving became a new passion and the salt a major focus. Howard was blessed to take on marine science teaching at St Helens District School and revelled in sharing experiences of our unique environment with students of all ages. Care and respect for local fisheries, sustainability and a broad understanding of the marine environment are foundations of his teaching and remain a driver of Howard's continued learning. Now retired Howard has time and enthusiasm to both indulge in his passion for fishing and pursue his interest in the management of Tasmanian fisheries at a higher level. Howard hopes to both represent the concerns of anglers of the north east and communicate policies and decisions of TARFish to his local community.

Jon Bryan

Jon is a current member of Abalone Fishery Advisory Committee (FAC), Crustacean FAC, Recreational FAC, Scalefish FAC and Scallop FAC. He is also a member of two Commonwealth fishery management advisory committees and a resource assessment group, and therefore has a broad experience of the way fisheries are managed in this part of the world. He has also been a member of the Marine and Marine Industry Council and a variety of other bodies involved with management of Tasmania's marine environment. Jon also has over thirty years direct experience of the Tasmanian marine environment, mostly via diving, but also through recreational fishing and work on research projects. He studied fisheries management, marine biology and ecology as part of his science degree. He currently does some work for the Tasmanian Conservation Trust on marine issues, but is primarily self-employed, where a major component of his work is underwater photography. Jon has dived widely around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Maldives, Thailand, Canada and Ireland. He has a broad experience of local environmental issues as well as the way fisheries are managed in this part of the world.

Jane Gallichan
Chief Executive Officer

Jane was appointed CEO in 2020 and believes that recreational fishing is part of the Tasmanian way of life, delivering social, cultural, health and economic benefits right around the state for the benefit of all Tasmanians. Jane brings a collaborative approach to the leadership of TARFish with a focus on increased representation and outcomes and providing a direct link between recreational fishers, Government and stakeholders.