March General Meeting Communique
Meeting Communique
Anglers Alliance Tasmania – General Meeting
1 March 2026 | Great Lake Community Centre, Miena
Members of Anglers Alliance Tasmania met at Miena on Sunday 1 March for the first general meeting of the year. Chair Howard Jones welcomed attendees and acknowledged Luke Hickman and Andy Taylor attending from Hydro Tasmania.
The minutes of the previous meeting (20 November 2025) were confirmed and the finance report was presented by Tim Munro and approved by members.
Members discussed a range of ongoing projects including the Derwent catchment work, maintenance of the AAT webcam network and the redevelopment of the AAT website. Work is also continuing with UTAS and Hydro on a proposed PhD project examining shallow water fisheries.
The Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) report was discussed, including updates on stocking programs, fisheries performance assessments and native fish management. IFS is also progressing an Honours project aimed at developing improved scientific models for stocking assisted waters. Members were interested in IFS plans to trial hydro‑acoustic technology for fisheries assessments and the possibility of making real‑time water temperature data available on the IFS website.
Adrian Hope provided an update on the hatchery box trial which has produced healthy young rainbow trout in a stream in the Northwest of the state. Members discussed the possibility of expanding the trial to other waters at some point in the future. IFS is monitoring the progress of the trial.
Hydro Tasmania representatives provided an update on water management and lake levels, noting that the state is currently experiencing one of the driest periods since records began in the 1920s. Members also discussed conditions in Woods Lake and the management actions taken to maintain water levels. Hydro advised that macrophyte surveys of Woods and Pine Lakes will occur in April and drone surveys are underway at Little Pine Lagoon.
The meeting also discussed angler safety initiatives including community water safety and first aid training programs with Royal Life Saving. Members supported the development of a wader safety video in partnership with IFS.
Members endorsed proposed changes to AAT membership arrangements to allow individual anglers and all angling organisations the opportunity to become members, and discussed the ongoing redevelopment of AAT’s website to improve communication with anglers.
Other matters raised included repairs to the Four Springs AAT webcam which had been vandalized and the batteries stolen and the need to establish a small maintenance team to assist with equipment servicing the camera network.
AAT also noted ongoing discussions with Trout Unlimited representatives following a recent meeting with the organisation.
The meeting closed at 2:21 pm. The next general meeting is expected to be held on Sunday 31 May 2026 at 10am at the Great Lake Community Centre.