If you want a reminder of how amazing our coast is, share its secrets with a young mind.

Fishing is a quiet achiever. Those unacquainted with fishing see a simple, smelly, task that’s no longer necessary thanks to the local fish‘n’ chip shop. Those who know better are often caught staring at horizons as they ponder the special things that wouldn’t be experienced were it not for this ancient rite.

There are no statistics available on how many friendships are forged over a wet line, or ratios of fishing families to broken homes, or a catalogue of lives changed as a result of how fishing bonds man with nature. But if you think about it and have a look around at your mates, families and local businesses, you’ll see it’s a shame fishing doesn’t get the credit it deserves.

History shows the fishing industry is more resilient than most during a global economic downturn. When things are tough, people return to the simple things they enjoy the most. Some of those simple things can amaze the uninitiated and a random invitation or chance participation can start a lifetime of exploration, learning and fun.

I recall taking my four-year-old niece on her first fishing trip. She had been asking me for months to take her fishing, so I organised some tackle and set aside a day while visiting family in my old hometown, where she lives. She was very proud of her new rod-and-reel combo. I admit I was a bit jealous—I was more than a decade older than her before I had a rod that good—but it’s important to get kids tackle that works properly and that can take a beating. Her younger cousin also scored a new combo—to prevent any fights—and I’m sure he was the only two-year-old in day care with such an asset!

Our first trip was an enjoyable reminder of how interesting a beach can be to young eyes. Live mullet are born entertainers that provide heaps of fun, whether wriggling in a cast-net, swimming and jumping in a bucket, or being held for the first touch of a slimy fish. Mud crabs challenge The Beatles for their ability to elicit high-pitched squeals; and hunting them with landing nets as they move with the last of the run-out tide is a game of high suspense. The yabby-pump lottery turns an adult’s chore into plenty of fun for kids—especially if the yabbies have big nippers. Shells and sandcastles are a good back-up if marine life is shy. Catching a fish ensures they’ll want to go fishing again.

My niece only caught one small whiting that day. She wound it in by herself while I was talking with my brother and father. That catch was a thrill—but I think she enjoyed as much the variety of seeing crabs, yabbies and mullet up close, and exploring the beach. On my next visit she was on the case for another fishing trip and with any luck she’ll keep at me to go fishing each time.

Rediscovering the wonders of marine life through the eyes of a four-year-old made me realise how lucky we are to live in the land that’s girt by sea. Fishing is a great means of exploring that land and sea and it only asks for your time. If only we could measure what it gives back in return, then it might get the support it needs from our politicians to continue to thrive.