Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan review launched

[fishingjew]

Minister for Environment and Multiculturalism
The Honourable Lindy Nelson-Carr

Friday, February 23, 2007
Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan review launched

Environment Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr today called on south east Queenslanders to get involved in a major review of the Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan.
Ms Nelson-Carr said over the next few months everyone who had an interest in the marine park, which stretches 125 kilometres from Caloundra to the Gold Coast Seaway, could have their say about how it can be used and preserved for future generations.
“The marine park is home to more than 750 species of fish, 120 species of corals and the greatest number and diversity of whales and dolphins found anywhere in Australia. It is the only place in the world where turtles and dugong still live on the doorstep of a major city.
“The current zoning plan for the marine park expires on 1 September 2008 and legislation states it must be reviewed by that date.
“With the population in the MoretonBay region at one and a half million, and growing rapidly, it needs to be determined whether the current zoning plan is doing enough to protect this unique asset.
“I want to make it absolutely clear that, despite claims from some interest groups, no decisions have been made about what changes may be needed.
“There are no pre-determined zones, we are working from a blank sheet of paper,” Ms Nelson-Carr said.
Any changes to the current zoning plan will only be proposed after environmental, economic, cultural and social data is collected and analysed.
“That’s what this review is all about - seeking the input of everyone and anyone who is interested in conserving the unique values of MoretonBayMarinePark, so that it can be used sustainably now and into the future.
“Our first priority is to gather scientific, social and economic data to get a full picture of what activities and natural values are important in the marine park,” Ms Nelson-Carr said.
“The EPA will be asking a wide range of people for their views and input.
“There will be eight community display forums between Caloundra and the Gold Coast during March 2007 so that people can see how the review is being conducted, and how they can provide information into the process.
“Advice will also be sought from an expert advisory panel, chaired by Professor Paul Greenfield (AO) of University of Queensland.
“The EPA will also gain advice from a stakeholder reference group made up of key marine park user groups, as well as holding individual meetings with marine park users,” Ms Nelson Carr said.
“After collecting and analysing this information and advice, the EPA will be recommending what a zoning plan should look like.”
“When the draft zoning plan is released later this year, it will be available for public comment for at least two months, and we will continue our engagement with the community and key marine park user groups,” Ms Nelson-Carr said.
MoretonBayMarinePark was declared in 1993 and extended in 1997.
“We want to preserve MoretonBayMarinePark’s value so that everyone can enjoy what this amazing asset has to offer now and for our future generations.”
Anyone wanting to provide input on the review or access more information should go to www.epa.qld.gov.au/moretonbay

[fishingjew]

Public display sessions

The Environmental Protection Agency is hosting a series of public displays to answer questions about the review process and provide information on how people can get involved.
Sessions will be held at:
Bribie IslandCaboolture Shire Community Arts Centre
Sunderland Drive,
Banksia Beach

3.30pm—6.30pm

Tuesday 27 March 2007 Brisbane CityJagera Arts Centre
121 Cordelia Street,
South Brisbane

3.30pm—6.30pm

Wednesday 14 March 2007 ClevelandCleveland State High School
44 Smith Street,
Cleveland

6.00pm—8.30pm

Thursday 15 March 2007 KawanaLake Kawana Community Centre Hall
3 Sportsmans Parade,
Bokarina

3.30pm—6.30pm

Monday 19 March 2007 RedcliffeWoody Point Memorial Hall
Cnr Oxley Avenue & Hornibrook Esplanade

3.30pm—6.30pm

Tuesday 20 March 2007 SouthportSouthport Community Centre
Lawson Street,
Southport

3.30pm—6.30pm

Thursday 22 March 2007
Stradbroke IslandPoint Lookout Community Hall
East Coast Road,
Point Lookout

3.30pm—6.30pm

Monday 12 March 2007 ManlyManly Lota RSL Sub Branch
184 Melville Terrace,
Manly

3.30pm—6.30pm

Wednesday 21 March 2007
Email moreton.bay@epa.qld.gov.au or freecall 1800 105 789 for further information.
auto_stripe()Last updated: 23 February 2007

[fishingjew]

Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan review

The Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan is being reviewed.
The Marine Parks (Moreton Bay) Zoning Plan 1997 expires on 1 September 2008 and must be reviewed before this date. The review process allows anyone to provide information about how they use and value the marine park.
The review will be conducted in 3 main stages:

• Stage 1 - Information-gathering and data analysis
  We are gathering information from a number of sources on the biological, physical, social, cultural and economic characteristics of the marine park. We are seeking your knowledge of specific areas within the marine park and the recreational, commercial and social activities conducted in that area. All this information will be analysed to help develop the draft zoning plan.

• Stage 2 – Formal public consultation
  When a draft zoning plan has been released we will seek formal submissions for at least two months.

• Stage 3 – Final zoning plan released
  We will conduct training and education programs prior to commencement of the plan.

Get involved

Do the survey — Tell us what you think about Moreton Bay Marine Park and how you use it.
View a public display session — The EPA will also be hosting public display sessions on the review.

[PADDLES]

it's a pity that the sessions don't go past 6:30pm on a weekday, most blokes will be struggling to get home from work and then get down to the session for a quick look and a few questions/comments

[fishingjew]

Advice will also be sought from an expert advisory panel, chaired by Professor Paul Greenfield (AO) of University of Queensland.

Professor Paul Greenfield

Biography
Professor Greenfield was appointed Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor from 2002. Previously he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (2001), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) (1997-00) and Executive Dean of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture (established 1997 as part of a major restructure).

After graduating Bachelor of Engineering, first-class honours in chemical engineering, from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Professor Greenfield worked in the private sector before completing a PhD at UNSW. He worked at CSIRO before winning a three-year fellowship to the U.S. In 1975, he joined the University of Queensland as a lecturer in chemical engineering and a decade later became Head of Department and then Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Physical Sciences and Engineering) before being appointed an inaugural Executive Dean in 1997.
In January 2006 Professor Greenfield was made an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia for service to science and engineering, particularly through research in the areas of chemical engineering, biotechnology, wastewater and environmental management, and to the tertiary education sector.

Professor Greenfield has consulted for national and international companies and government agencies in the fields of biotechnology, wastewater management, environmental management and project evaluation. He has also served on national and international committees such as the National Greenhouse Advisory Panel (since 1994) and the DETYA High Performance Computing Interim Executive Board of Management.

Currently, he chairs the Scientific Advisory Committee overseeing the $5.2 million Moreton Bay and Brisbane River Wastewater Management Study (since 1994); the Waste Technical Working Group, Basel Convention (since 1995); and the Advisory Board of I.P. Australia (since 1999). He is also a Director of several University companies including UniQuest Pty Ltd.

Professor Greenfield's research is recognised internationally for capacity to attract funding (more than $7million including $6.3million in competitive grants) and significance of published output. He still supervises PhD students and he is credited with more than 180 journal publications, 120 conference publications, three patents and more than 20 invited international (keynote/plenary) addresses. In 1995, he won the Chemeca Medal, awarded jointly by the Institution of Chemical Engineers and the Institute of Engineers Australia for outstanding contribution to the profession; and in 1998 he was named the Institute of Engineers "Engineer of the Year".


I wonder who the rest of the expert advisory panel will be?

[fishingjew]

JCU

Issue date: 23-FEB-2007

As Australia's corals move south driven by global warming, Moreton Bay Marine Park off Brisbane will become an even more vital haven for marine species of all kinds, the Director of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Professor Terry Hughes, said today.

Welcoming the announcement by the Queensland Minister for the Environment the Hon Lindy Nelson-Carr of the start of the Moreton Bay Marine Park Zoning Plan Review, Professor Hughes from James Cook University said:
"Moreton Bay is an absolute treasure on Brisbane's doorstep, yet it's in danger of being loved to death by more and more people.
"There's no other major city in the world where you can still see dugongs, whales and dolphins. Unfortunately, there are fewer today than not so long ago - while the human population is expected to climb from 2.77 million today to 3.2 million by 2016," he said.
"Public support for greater protection of Moreton Bay is overwhelming - in a recent survey 93 per cent of residents said it should be protected. Experience with marine zones around the world shows the critical importance of public input and community support for long-term success.
"The Environment Protection Authority's commitment to community engagement from the outset is refreshing, ensuring public ownership of the final outcomes," Professor Hughes said.
"Currently, only half-a-percent of Moreton Bay Marine Park is classified as green zone - where fishing is prohibited but boating and diving are encouraged.
"Our current research demonstrates that the new green zones on the Great Barrier Reef are already showing the benefits of better protection of fish stocks. Green zones allow the fish to grow larger, producing more juveniles to restock the entire region, and restoring the ecological roles of fishes.
"The new zoning will be critical for sustaining the two largest industries supported by the Bay - tourism and recreational fishing."
Professor Hughes said that the coming decades will be a stressful time for marine ecosystems struggling to cope with climate change.
"We could well see more and more corals and other species migrating south from the Great Barrier Reef to Moreton Bay as tropical conditions move further south."
Moreton Bay Marine Park extends for 125 kilometres from Caloundra to the Gold Coast Seaway and covers 3,400 square kilometres. It encompasses the sand islands of Bribie, Moreton, and North and South Stradbroke islands. As a multiple-use marine park, it allows for a range of activities including boating, diving, tourism and recreational and commercial fishing.
The park currently contains:
- over 750 species of fish
- over 120 species of coral
- the highest diversity and abundance of whales and dolphins in Australia
- the worlds largest population of dugong next to a capital city
- migrating humpback whales
- small populations of endangered grey nurse shark
- six of the world's seven species of sea turtle
- special wetlands recognised under the international Ramsar Convention
- crucial habitat for 35 species of migratory shorebirds More information: Professor Terry Hughes,

[PADDLES]

top work fishingjew, if you hadn't posted the links up i wouldn't have known how to tell them my usage of the bay because i'll struggle to get to a display.

can a link to the usage survey be posted up as a sticky into a section where everyone will see it?

doing the survey is the best way of letting them know how many people are using the bay for recreation ............................ (assuming the government look at the survey results that is )

[Lazybugger]

I sent them an email complaining about the session times. I think its a disgrace to schedule the session at times when they know that most people are going to be stuck at work.

[LeeannP]

Thanks fishingjew. It's pretty hard to stay in touch with everything that happens.

[LeeannP]

I've just gone into the website and am a little bit dubious about filling in the questionnaire..... I hope someone gets a laugh out of pumping yabbies north of Moreton Island Seriously, what better way of "them" finding out our favourite fishing haunts so they can close them?

[fishingjew]

I've just gone into the website and am a little bit dubious about filling in the questionnaire..... I hope someone gets a laugh out of pumping yabbies north of Moreton Island Seriously, what better way of "them" finding out our favourite fishing haunts so they can close them?

Yes my thoughts also Pity when you can,t trust them to be upfront & honest but we are talking politics! I have a feeling that we will all get shafted regardless of the input by all.

[seatime]

I sent them an email complaining about the session times. I think its a disgrace to schedule the session at times when they know that most people are going to be stuck at work.

The timing of the meetings is odd alright. They may be catering for some of their support base, those that don't get out of bed till the afternoon, and don't have much to do when they do wake up

I don't about you lot, but I pump all my yabbies nth of Moreton, about 1 mile off Bribie, I catch all my fish in those open sandy areas in the middle of the bay, and smack bang in the middle of the Entrance Channel into Fishermans Is
grinners are preferred bait

[LeeannP]

Yes my thoughts also Pity when you can,t trust them to be upfront & honest but we are talking politics! I have a feeling that we will all get shafted regardless of the input by all.

ummmm.... yeah...... apparently that's how people got shafted with the green zones on the Great Barrier Reef. They gave the authorities their fishing spots and lo and behold, they've been closed.

The funny thing is, the people compiling these reports probably haven't got any idea where you pump yabbies from anyway so collecting them in 80m of water probably won't even raise an eyebrow in the department .....

[kc]

The propaganda machine has already kicked in and is using all the same rhetoric that was used in the North. Even the same players. Be worried about this. Do not give up your favourite fishing spots. YOU WILL LOSE THEM!!!!!

Following is a list of reasons for the green zones in the reef, direct from the GBRMPA information.

• Six of the worlds seven species of marine turtles all of which are listed as threatened.
• One of the worlds most important dugong populations
• More than 30 species of animals
• 2200 species of native plants (25% of Queenslands total native plant species)
• Over 1500 varieties of fish Over 1500 species of molluscs
• Over one third of the worlds soft coral and sea pen species
• Over 200 species of birds and one of Australia’s most significant seabird rookeries
• Approximately 2900 coral reefs built from 360 species of hard corals
• 800 species of sea stars which is 13% of the worlds total
• Over 3000 square kilometres of mangroves including 54% of the worlds mangrove diversity
• Breeding humpback and other whale species

Sound familiar??

Brisbane is about to witness first hand the power, organisational skills and media clout of the well-oiled green machine. WWF will wade in soon, along with AMCS (who have already started).

If this was not so seriuos it would be laughable. I am trying to find out who is on the expert panel in respect of recreational fishing.

More to follow. This will be a hot ticket for at least 6 months.

KC

[fishingjew]

From the EPA web site


Pressures on the marine park

Over the last 170 years…
Species on the brink
Habitats in need of help

What we do on the land, along the shore and on or in the water can affect the diverse and fragile ecosystem of Moreton Bay Marine Park.
Moreton Bay has existed for thousands of years. Only very recently has human impact started to take its toll.
European settlement commenced in 1824 with the first penal settlement at Redcliffe. Significant alterations to coastal wetlands, seagrass and mangroves began almost immediately with major foreshore work less than ten years later. Queensland’s first major industry was based on whaling. Ever since, human settlement has continued to impact on the area now covered by Moreton Bay Marine Park.
The population of south-east Queensland is booming – every year another 50,000 residents arrive 1. This growth means the marine park is not in as good a shape as it once was because of coastal developments, land-based pollution, fishing and simply from overuse.
Nowadays the water isn’t as clean, the coral and seagrass beds aren’t as extensive, and some marine animals and birds aren’t as common as they once were.
Some significant species are having trouble adapting to these changing conditions, and while once plentiful, are now rare or threatened. These trends are worrying indications of what may happen to other species and habitats in Moreton Bay Marine Park.
However, with careful management the marine park’s unique species and habitats can demonstrate remarkable recoveries if given some breathing space. A great example of this is the once decimated humpback whale population that now supports a thriving eco-tourism industry in Moreton Bay Marine Park.
ˆ Top ˆ
Over the last 170 years…

• Moreton Bay has become one of the most intensively fished areas along the entire Queensland coastline. It now accounts for one third of the state’s recreational fishing effort, even though it has just three percent of the coastline 2.
• Toxic lyngbya blooms are becoming more frequent, blamed on excessive nutrient loads in waters 3.
• Reclamation of tidal land for port, industry and residential development has led to removal of mangroves, seagrass and salt marshes 4.
• The number of turtle and dugong killed by boat strike has increased in southern Moreton Bay Marine Park with 80 percent of known dugong strikes occurring in this area since 2000 5.
• Increasing boat traffic is disturbing dugong from their critical feeding areas on the Moreton Banks, even in “Go Slow” areas.
• A number of fisheries in Moreton Bay have resource concerns including being vulnerable to overfishing and habitat modification to key fish habitats, for example the mud crab fishery, prawn fishery and snapper fishery 6.
• Two thirds of the original vegetation has been cleared from south-east Queensland, resulting in increasing nutrients and sediment pouring into Moreton Bay 7.
• Every major river system entering Moreton Bay Marine Park has high sediment loads and high nutrient concentrations that are affecting the health of the marine park 8.
• Migratory shorebirds are being disturbed more frequently by dogs, boats and vehicles, and are under increasing threat along all of their international migration paths.
• Significant loss of seagrasses has occurred in localised areas due to increased murkiness of water 9.

ˆ Top ˆ
Species on the brink

Marine turtles

• Six of the seven species of marine turtles in the world are found in Moreton Bay Marine Park. All six species are threatened.
• The loggerhead turtle population has declined by 50 percent since the 1970s and the Queensland population of the loggerhead turtle is facing local extinction 10.
• Approximately 200 reports are received each year of sick, injured or dead turtles in Moreton Bay Marine Park.
• In 2005, approximately 40 turtles were found dead in Moreton Bay Marine Park with injuries consistent with boat strike 11.
• The average size of nesting female green turtles has been reducing over the last 25 years, meaning they are producing fewer eggs.

Grey nurse sharks

• The species was almost wiped out by the 1960s because of targeted spearing and fishing.
• Fewer than 500 grey nurse sharks remain along the entire east coast of Australia.
• Grey nurse sharks could be extinct within 40 years without further protection.

Dugong

• Approximately 600 – 800 dugong remain of a pre-European settlement population numbering in the tens of thousands.
• Half of all dugong boat strike incidents along the Queensland coast occur in Moreton Bay Marine Park 12.
• 88 percent of the 41 reported dugong deaths in Queensland in 2004 were related to human activities. In 2005, it was 84 percent of 40 reported deaths 13.
• Dugong depend on healthy seagrass beds and an adult eats over 30kg of seagrass per day.
• Moreton Bay Marine Park remains the only place in the world where turtle and dugong populations live in such close proximity to a capital city.

ˆ Top ˆ
Habitats in need of help

• Seagrass meadows are a nursery habitat, providing food and shelter for many juvenile species of fish and crustaceans. Since 1987, large areas of seagrass have been lost from Moreton Bay. Approximately 2000ha of seagrasses have disappeared from southern Deception Bay over the last 100 years 14.
• Moreton Bay Marine Park has eight species of mangroves that provide a critical habitat for juvenile fish and other species. Mangroves trap sediment and reduce erosion by stabilising coastlines and riverbanks. Mangroves continue to be impacted by coastal development with losses of over 200ha between 1947 and 1997 15.
• Between 1974 and 2002, 3051ha of saltmarsh were lost from Moreton Bay. The remaining area is less than half that in 1974 when saltmarsh and saltpans occupied 5573ha or 27 percent of the total tidal wetland area 16.
• Coral bleaching has been observed at inshore sites in Moreton Bay Marine Park. Coral grows on hard substrates and provides habitat for hundreds of other species. In 2002, 55 percent of corals at Shag Rock and 35 percent of corals at Flat Rock were bleached 17. Cover and diversity of corals around Green and St Helena islands are at historical lows.

Can see witch way they are leaning as kc said Sound familiar??