Who is the Moreton Bay Access Alliance?

[Moonlighter]

I’ll respond on behalf of MBAA to state for the record our position on the issues raised in this forum.

Who really is MBAA and what do they stand for?
The Moreton Bay Access Alliance is a non-politically aligned group whose aim is to ensure that the zoning arrangements that come out of the current review meets environmental objectives whilst not diminishing access to commercial, indigenous, tourism and family recreational fishing and boating activities. We are working inside the process with Government (the EPA, State Development and Fisheries) and other stakeholder groups to achieve this goal.

MBAA and our members acknowledge the important role that is played by the MBMP in ensuring that the Bay is sustainable into the future. After all, our members’ lifestyles and businesses directly depend on the Bay and we, more than any other group, are 100% committed to looking after its health so it can be enjoyed by our children and families in the future.

Why work together?
MBAA was formed when our stakeholder groups finally realised that only by being united and putting aside old traditional rivalries can we really achieve a real impact on these reviews. In the past, it has been too easy for those groups who want see 30 – 50% closures everywhere to play one group off against the other. For recreational fishers, it’s been even worse because we have not had the degree of organisation nor the resources available to take the issues up with Government any where near as effectively as other groups.

I respect the rights of people to take opposing views, but I would ask a question of those who think that recreational anglers should go it alone: that approach has been tried before and it has failed every time, so why would this time be any different? MBAA believes a new approach is needed, and that’s why we’ve come together. Whilst it’s a cliché, the big picture is what counts. Further, you’ve only got to look at the last Qld election to see what happens when you bicker amongst yourselves and can’t present a united, credible alternative. Your make your opponents’ job that much easier, it's as simple as that.

Our stakeholder organisations:
Include Australian National Sportsfishing Assn, the Boating Industry Assn of Qld, Charter Boats Association, the Eco-Tourism Industry, Moreton Bay Seafood Industry Association, Power Boat Anglers, Qld Industry of Recreation Fishing, Qld Seafood Industry Assn, Redlands Boat Club, Seafood Lovers Australia and Seafood Marketers Assn and NNCH representing Traditional Owners. Whilst we represent these different groups, I can say with 100% certainty that when we meet our focus is totally on the big picture and the collective good.

Benefits of the Alliance for Recreational Fishers
The strengths of this alliance are numerous, but looking at it from a recreational angler’s perspective the following points are worth considering:

• MBAA members have agreed that there will be no decisions taken or positions advocated by MBAA that we don’t ALL support. One in, all in!
• The commercial and industry associations have been gathering data and information on Moreton Bay for many years, and they have readily agreed that they will share and make available this information to benefit all groups, and they have backed this up with action. This is data that the rec sector could never have accessed or gathered itself without the goodwill of these groups.
• The established reputation and credibility that MBSIA has with the Fisheries Research & Development Corporation was critical in our application for funding for our major research project being successful, especially given the tight timeframe in which the application had to be prepared, a research team put together and the application submitted. In fact it’s fair to say that without MBSIA and the work done by their CEO Kelly Williams, we would have had virtually no chance of getting this application in and approved in time.

Facts Vs Perceptions of Commercial Fishing in the Bay in 2007.
As a recreational fisher with 35+ years fishing in the Bay behind me, serving on MBAA I have learnt more about commercial fishing in the last 10 months than I care to admit, and I can say with certainty that it has changed dramatically in the past 20 years – it’s a bit like comparing modern farming practices with the old days, there’s light-years of difference.

I have a new respect for them, they have improved their act up to the point that they now have award-winning and internationally recognised environmental management plans, effort limits and strategies are in place that have, amongst other things, dramatically reduced bycatch and injuries to endangered species – and they’ve done this off their own bat because they know that the Bay fishery needs to be long-term sustainable for them to stay in business and be able to pass it on to their children.


Facts Vs Perceptions of Commercial Fishing in the Bay in 2007.
If you are interested in testing facts against your perceptions of commercial fishing in the Bay, at the monthly meeting of the Redlands Boat Club in April, we have done the unprecedented and invited a professional fisherman and MBAA member John Page to come along and talk to our members about commercial fishing in the Bay in 2007, and to answer many questions that us rec types will have.

If any Ausfish contributors would like to attend to hear John’s talk, visitors are welcome – just turn up to the RBC building at 1 William St Cleveland at 7:30pm on Monday 23 April – all we ask is that you listen, ask relevant questions and remember that John is our guest.

How Can Rec Anglers Help re the Marine Park Review?
MBAA’s major research project is about to get underway and the research team tell me that they will have a comprehensive rec angler survey ready to go so that we can get it to you at the Tinnie and Tackle Show in Brisbane from 30 March to 1 April.

Come to the MBAA stand at te Tinnie and Tackle show and fill in the survey, you will be helping us to develop the best case possible to put forward to the Government during this review.

Finally, any questions anyone has about MBAA can best be answered by sending an eial to us at mbaa@biaq.com. We will respond to you directly of if there are common questions, we will put a posy up here on Ausfish.

Regards

Grant Bennett
Deputy Chair, MBAA

[Darryl]

Heya Darryl

Or share with us what the pro's are doing when we aren't looking?

Just for the record I support sustainable fishing in whatever it takes. If it can be shown certain commercial or recreational fishing is unsustainable then it needs to be changed so that is so or phased out.

Straddie, the problem with commercial fishing in the Bay is that when the authorities come out to check them out they are doing everything by the book. The 'law' in the Bay are lazy bastards that work 9-5 and can't be assed waiting for the tide to subside to see how sustainable the fisheries are.
YOu want an example of what the commercial fisherman are doing that is illegal? Why don't you head down to the entrance of pummicestone passage and see it for yourself? THose guys are out there with their tunnel nets and are supposed to be sorting the bycatch fish in the water and disposing of them there. Do you think they do? NO They haul them ALL up on the boat with the target species and place them in the ice then throw the non target species off the side. Are they still alive? NO. One in every three fish are kept.
Before you guys allign yourselves with these bastards take a reality check and think about what you are really getting yourselves into. Just because there policies say that they do one thing doesn't mean they don't do another thing when peoples backs are turned.
And as for your attack on me being 2 members if thats what you need to say to make others believe I'm the lone one against the commercials then knock yourself out. I'm not alone in my opinions and I certainly don't need to be two people or have my friend on the forum with me to make my point.
If the commies fished legally in Bay and always followed the rules then I would have no problems with there presnce in the bay and I would no problems with being on there side but I refuse to be on the side of cheaters who are taking away our fish just so they can make an extra buck by not following the rules that they insist they abide by. The Moreton Bay Access Alliance is a great idea without the commercials. When there with us we are just cop outs and as long as they keep doing what they are doing in the bay there will always be fighting within as a lot of recs have seen them with there own eyes.

[kc]

Grant makes a good fist of this and it is important to demonstrate just how “we” fit into the picture, or at least how we see ourselves fitting in.

The involvement of organised and co-ordinated lobbying in the fisheries and environmental management is taking a leaf from the environmental lobby.
Just as the various arms or “pieces of the pie” of the environmental lobby are “apolitical”, groups such as the Wilderness Society, WWF, Queensland Conservation Council, National Parks Association and AMCS, so too should MBAA remain apolitical (to a degree).

What the greens have, within their broad church of lobby groups, is a political arm. A group whose job is to gather votes and trade politically for a better deal (and access for the lobby groups)
It is the job of the varied arms of the environmentalist to do the work, lodge the submissions, sit on the various industry councils and advisory boards, not the political wing. You will notice on any advisory board there are no representatives of the political system but most certainly representatives of the various lobby groups who are in turn supported by the influence of the votes gathered by their political wing.

Some may have noticed the “square up” which occurred after the last Federal election when the funding to many and varied environmental lobby groups was cut. The influence of the political wing, the Greens, was no longer as important.

So, as we evolve and learn the lessons of 25 years of environmental activism and political influence where are “we”

In our “pie” we have QSIA, Sunfish, Sunfish NQ, Recfish and now, most certainly MBAA.
We have TFPQ, which has now demonstrated, both federally and at a state level, that it can muster 7% of the vote.
TFPQ has, in the last 3 years, tried to be all things. It has written the submissions, sat on the panels and tried to be lobbyists. All we should be doing is working on maximising votes, which in turn empower the lobby groups.
In political circles we have had very significant results in areas which are of little interest to average fishos and little interest to the lobby groups. Things like the changing of the law in respect of mandatory criminal convictions for fishing offences and the structural adjustment payouts to businesses affected by rezonings.

It was described to me at the start of all “this” that ultimately, and to use the exact analogy. This is a bit like a BBQ. The peak bodies and lobbyists are the BBQ plate. They do the work, they, to some degree get the headlines and the kudos and the party is the fire underneath. The more heat (votes) we can provide the better the plate can do its job.

Personally, I am delighted to see MBAA taking the lead on the Bay. They have a good cross section of representation. A well respected chair in Bruce Alvey and, I would like to think, some understanding of the level of influence they have being linked to the growing political activism of the fishing industry.

Had TFPQ not been active would Andrew Laming have started the ball rolling with MBAA in the first place? Would we have the current profile of fishing and the bays rezoning? Would fishing be news? Take as a case in point the boat rally. MBAA did all the work, we did our bit getting politics (and politicians) involved…they bring the press and TFPQ gets their head on every TV station (even though they interviewed others) and the rezoning issue is news.

Look at Traveston Dam….the local Dam Busters do the work and organising, Bob Brown shows up with the media circus, Dam Busters get the publicity and images and Bob Brown does the sound bites for TV. That’s how it works!!!

As has been pointed out. We are in this together, even if some refuse to understand this. I have had a few discussions with QSIA who just don't get it. I have had similar talks with other groups who absolutely do! I have had a good chat with Bruce Alvey who was amazingly illinformed about the facts of the NQ experience but at the same time totally open to new opinion and ideas. The whole, rec pro thing will be a debate which never goes away and I am sure there is often disagreements within the broad church of the environmental lobby but this has not stopped them being enormously effective, at our expense.
TFPQ can stand by its policy statement since day 1. We oppose any form of fishing which is unsustainable. If that is unsustainable rec pressure OR commercial pressure then we oppose it.

There are going to be disagreements, head buts and growing pains along the way……..for sure, but as at right now, the fishing “movement” is a whole lot different to what it was 3 years ago when the reef was rezoned and public input into the process ignored.
This will not happen in the Bay.

Support MBAA as the peak body representing your rights on the Bay and, far more importantly working on the inside.
No such opportunity ever existed when the reef was rezoned. The environmental lobby had a ring side seat but fishing was absolutely excluded.

TFPQ will do its bit come election time. We will again gather enough votes to determine who wins the last Senate seat in Qld and this in turn empowers the fishing industry and it’s lobbyists. If we have learnt one thing it is to lobby without offering something in return is really just begging. Votes are the only thing that matters to a politician. It is not about right, wrong, just or fair. It is always about votes and staying in power.

This will be an interesting ride for the next few years. Either the start of significant change or the beginning of the end for fishing, both as an industry and recreation.
They can not do again what they have already done to North Queensland.

KC

[Reel Magic]

That is the wrong attitude I'm afraid Darryl,

The pro and the recreational fisherman NEED to stand united on this front, if we fight amongst ourselves then what chance have we got of beating the pollies to keep the bay open.

The MBAA consists of Trevor Higgins the commodore of the Redlands boat club,
Bruce Alvey, Owner of Alvey Reels, I think Andrew Laming was a part of that too.

Regard's..

[bob_newbie]

Geez this topic is getting pretty heated! I think everyone needs to take a step back and calm down We are all on the same side... but I wonder if that will still be the case when the zoning comes out and us recs have more access then the comms. Will we still be united and fight just for the comms or will we break and just concentrate on the areas we want to keep? I know a lot of Darryls out there and unfortunately they are not a minority! I've never seen comms and recs work together so excuse me for being skeptical of this working...

[bob_newbie]

P.S. Maybe darryl should attend the meeting with the commercial fisherman and challenge him directly...???

[straddie]

Heya Darryl

If the commies fished legally in Bay and always followed the rules

Tell me of any group that always follows the rules? politicians? priests? There is always a small percentage that will always play by their own rules when no one is watching.

By your benchmark why would anyone align with us recs? Take a look on any jetty and watch the undersize fish getting stuffed into bags, check out some of the over bags being brought in at boat ramps or have a read of the shamateurs thread in the general section. We all have our bad eggs but on the whole most of us rec, pro or whoever do the right thing.

This is about retaining access to the bay against a group that given the chance would lock up everything, and stop fishing of every kind. Regardless of what you, I or anyone else says all groups wanting to retain access to the bay will mount a defence. Don't you think it would be better potential outcome if there was unified defence of that access by all stake holders?.

[435_Mark]

Who is this DILL!!!???? "Darryl" sounds to me like a greenies dream. The pro's do this.... The pro's do that. What a load of rubbish. Will the moderator do us all a favour and give the goose the flick, Please!!

[mod5]

Who is this DILL!!!???? "Darryl" sounds to me like a greenies dream. The pro's do this.... The pro's do that. What a load of rubbish. Will the moderator do us all a favour and give the goose the flick, Please!!

Everyone is entitled to their view

[BR65]

Interesting thread.
Maybe more interesting that so far there are 5 new members posting on this??