The NSW Government has announced a number of amendments to reforms of the commercial fishing industry after a backlash from commercial fishers.

The reforms endeavour to strengthen the linkage of fishing shares or rights with the fish catch.

New South Wales fishermen were unhappy with the new licence system as they would have to purchase more shares just to survive.

Key changes announced Tuesday include the timing of the interim Total Commercial Access Levels (ITCAL) and the need to accommodate unendorsed fishers.

"Some of the fishers said they needed more certainty about what the allocation of resource would be," said Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair.

"Originally we said we would set the ITCAL for a review in 2019.

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"The fishers said, 'hey we want a bit more certainty', so we've extended that by another five years."

Fishers who gathered at the Coffs Harbour Jetty near the DPI Fisheries office to protest reforms say that is little comfort.

Kristy and Sabino Ragno travelled from Wallis Lake with their three children to vent their anger.

"I have spoken to the deputy director and I told him, if I was lucky enough to get all the shares I needed for the $80,000 loan they were offering me, that would be fantastic," said Kristy Ragno

"My husband would be working as he is now, with a capped quota.

"Except now I have an $80,000 debt.

"How do I make the extra money to pay that debt back ?"

Lawrie McEnally, the chairman of the Macleay River District Fishermen's Co-op, described the amendments as "tinkering at the edges" and a "band aid on a bullet wound".

"Moving things back to 2024 is putting it out in the never-ever because they have decided some of this is just too hard," he said.

"The simple economics will be: there will not be enough shares for our members to catch enough product for us to survive.

"The Co-op makes its money by marketing the fish on behalf of the fishermen, so there won't be enough through-put for us to function so we will probably have to close," he said.

Mr McEnally said he expected a number of co-operatives close.

"You will see three, four, five co-operatives just vanish, so that whole structure along the coast will go," he said.

Mr McEnally said the emotional impact had been terrible.

"I have been called to people's houses in the middle of the night because the person is going to take their life, we have had people have heart attacks over it," he said.

Hawkesbury commercial fisher and secretary of the Wild Caught Fishers Coalition Mary Howard described the amendments as "management on the run".

"Fishers have said all along that they do not want to be buying their jobs back", she said.

"Today many are asked to: purchase shares to do no more than they could do yesterday, they do not know how much each fisher will be subsidised and active fishers are not able to regain sufficient shares to do what they could do," she said.

"It's good that the Minister finally realises we have issues that need to be addressed, including new ones now created, these actions do not go far enough."

The State Government will also reform the NSW Commercial Fishing Advisory Council.

It is also appointing an independent facilitator to act as a conduit between industry and government on any issues relating to the Business Adjustment Program.