Camden Haven recreational and commercial fisher Kate Shelton says it's important everyone is respectful when out on the water after concerns were raised by a Camden Haven Courier letter writer.
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Recreational fisher Chris Cort wrote to the masthead and said recently fish have not been in plentiful supply near Henry Kendall Reserve and believes commercial netting is the cause.
For the past 15 years he's been visiting Laurieton to fish on a catch and release basis.
"Being a popular fishing destination, the idea of allowing netting in these waterways may be yet another blow to an already struggling tourist spot," he said.
Ms Shelton, who is also the Camden Haven Courier fishing columnist, said it's a challenge for governments, agencies and communities to find the perfect balance between recreational fishing and commercial fishing.
"I believe both are just as important as the other and for communities to access fresh local seafood we do need to accept both."
According to the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) there are 38 commercial fishing businesses endorsed to use a meshing net in region 3 of the Estuary General Fishery (EGF), which extends from the Wooli Wooli River in the north to Camden Haven in the south.
A NSW DPI spokesperson said the EGF has undergone comprehensive environmental impact assessments, meeting the requirements of NSW and Commonwealth law, and the management arrangements that apply have helped to ensure that harvest and impacts are sustainable.
Twenty individual fishing businesses have reported operating in the Camden Haven River over the past five years.
Ms Shelton said commercial fishing adds value to the Camden Haven community.
"I believe one of Laurieton's biggest gems is the Fishermen's Co Op," she said.
"The community and visitors are so lucky to still have access to the locally caught fresh seafood."
A NSW DPI spokesperson said the department has not received any specific feedback to date that commercial fishing is impacting tourism in the Camden Haven.
She said commercial fishing in the form of mesh netting has occurred in the Camden Haven estuary for more than 70 years, with some of the current commercial fishers being second and third generation fishers.
Part of the Camden Haven River is a Recreational Fishing Haven (RFH), which covers the waters and tributaries (including Gogleys Lagoon), from a line drawn between the eastern extremities of its northern and southern breakwalls upstream to North Haven Bridge and Dunbogan Bridge.
A weekend and public holiday netting closure also applies for all the remaining waters of the Camden Haven River and its tributaries.
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