While recreational fishers love to see stories of catching big target Black Marlin or Yellowfin Tuna the bulk of the species caught by recreational fishers are bread and butter species – breams, whitings, flatheads, blackfish, tailor, jacks and barramundi. All these species have elements of their life cycle dependent on the quality and quantity of habitat available to them, driving both the fishing experience and sustainability of recreational fishing. The huge loss and degradation of coastal habitats has diminished fish populations. OzFish Unlimited commenced operations in 2015 to address these issues and since then has grown rapidly to contribute 34,000 hours of volunteer work in 2022 to restoring waterways. This talk will outline the successes achieved to date across a wide range of restoration and fisher science activities. It will also outline the extent and complexity of problems faced by OzFish and its volunteers trying to deliver this work.