Sunshine Coast Closures

[Stuart]

Here is some more news. The government in all their wisdom is now looking at closing most of the Sunshine Coast. This will extend east from Noosa for 30 miles and then South to Moreton Island. No pros will be allowed to fish this area at all, only a few have been offered compensation while the others will be simply fased out. The maps have been issued to most pro’s working that area. I still don’t know how much of this area will be green zones but I can beat it will be substantial. For the pro’s that don’t get a cracker, their boats and licences will be worth nothing, they will loose their homes and every thing they have worked for. Some of you may say “so what it’s only a pro, well that fact is we are all getting screwed here. What we need is a class action against this pathetic government. This is going to wipe out so many fishing related business it’s not even imaginable. One DPI officer told me that the plan is to slowly make a green corridor to meet up with the GBR marine park.

It was me that first informed you all here of the Moreton bay zoning map and many thought I was a prankster back then, well I’m now telling you the Sunshine Coast is very much next in firing line but even worse than Moreton bay closers. If this goes through which I have no doubt it will then I will have to close my business, which the hell is going to buy custom rods if they can’t fish anywhere. I dead set feel sick to the gut right now writing this, I cant see any future in the tackle industry or indeed any fishing related business. This witch of a premier is striping away our rights so she can stay in power, that’s all this is about “power”. If this one goes through she will have riots on her door step and I will be leading the way.

Stu

[jim1980]

That is very disappointing news.....but as you say not suprising..I suppose many of us have put our blinkers on and just hoped that they would stop at Moreton Bay, and the Fraser Island area and not try to join up the areas in the middle.

I for one make the effort to drive the 2 hours from Brisbane to Noosa National Park, because I know it has some of the best rock fishing in SE Queensland. If there are closures to occur I would not be surprised to see many areas in the Noosa National Park go green.

[Jeremy]

Very sad news for recs and pros alike. I think we all knew it was coming.

I hope the recs and pros can put aside their differences and combine to form a powerful lobby group which might be able to influence the process.

Haven't heard much from the pro side of things on the closures at all, and to my knowledge they have not participated in any of the rallies etc. Could be wrong tho.

Jeremy

[reidy]

Mate the whole of Queensland will be closed one day with the amount off area closures up your way.Whats the reasoning behind all the closures up there? over fished? spawning areas? there seems to be a new closure every week.
just wondering
Cheers
Reidy

[Bowser]

Purely and simply it is about staying in power. The Labor government here is morally bankrupt, they have intercoursed the state while growing fat on the proceeds of power and will do anyting to buy votes from the greens. WHat was once the best public hospital system in Australia is now the worst, Ministers daily stand in front of the cameras and pretend that it is all A OK and Bligh and her predecessor Beattie are laughing all the way to the bank. Anyone who happened to accidently shoot her while cleaning their gun would be declared a national hero. The guys in Sydney are just plain incompetant, these guys are professionals. Bring back the gerrimander, please. At least we would get a sensible weighting of votes across all areas of the state, not concentrated in the hands of the morons in Brisbane. It is the problem of a one house state, there is no regional oversight and no oversight of the government feathering its own nest.

[reidy]

Purely and simply it is about staying in power. The Labor government here is morally bankrupt, they have intercoursed the state while growing fat on the proceeds of power and will do anyting to buy votes from the greens. WHat was once the best public hospital system in Australia is now the worst, Ministers daily stand in front of the cameras and pretend that it is all A OK and Bligh and her predecessor Beattie are laughing all the way to the bank. Anyone who happened to accidently shoot her while cleaning their gun would be declared a national hero. The guys in Sydney are just plain incompetant, these guys are professionals. Bring back the gerrimander, please. At least we would get a sensible weighting of votes across all areas of the state, not concentrated in the hands of the morons in Brisbane. It is the problem of a one house state, there is no regional oversight and no oversight of the government feathering its own nest.

Yep with you.Similar issues here in Tas. with be balance of power and right to veto with the greens.Not so much fisheries down this way more forests(they do have a point but are to singal minded to be practical.
Cheers
Reidy

[Lovey80]

Over my dead body!

[Chris Ryan]

Sunny Coast, next is the Gold Coast and the broadwater region extending the zoning downwards to the border. After that is expanding the Great Sandy Straight on the back of the Cooloola changes and on it goes.

[BARRACAT]

Stuart,
I read your post and this morning while sitting in my tackle shop waiting for customers and all i can say is here we go again, I moved down from FNQ due to the green zones on the Great Barrier Reef, which cost me dearly due to inshore closures on reef and Islands, the extra fuel cost $1.25 a litre back 5 years ago, the extra distance to travel to fish in non green zones, running a 50ft mother ship and 1 barra boat and a reef boat,a logistical nightmare, time to cut my loses and regroup on the sunny coast, so i thought.
Now the battle grounds have been shifted to the south east, and my tackle shop is under threat of extinction, and i thought the industry was having a bad enought time at present with the economy and not to mention the past 2 years of bad holiday weather, I to am in gut wrenching turmoil over the thought that i may loose it all again.
Time to start looking for another state to live in. QLD is closed for fishing!!!!!!!!!!!

[choppa]

and i can see it will only get worse,,,,, sorry to sound negative,,,, but it will,,,, as i posted in another recent thread re the 16% of the bay closure,,, i really don't think the color of the government is to blame,,,, whoever holds the power would be facing the same pressure that has enveloped the world environment,,,,

a snippet attached on what our fellow fisho's are facing in the USA,,,, and if you don't think what happens over there doesn't effect us,,,????????



By Ed Zieralski
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER


October 18, 2008
Recreational fishing in Southern California's near-shore waters and even from its beaches could change drastically in about 1½ years.
That's the estimated time it will take stakeholders, a science advisory team and what is being called a blue-ribbon task force to arrive at compromises that will identify a new network of marine protected areas between Point Conception and the U.S.-Mexico border.

It's known as the South Coast Study Region, the third stop of five regions for the Marine Life Protection Act process. The South Coast is a vast area of 2,355 square miles with 557 miles of shoreline and more than 16 million people in five coastal counties, 10 million in Los Angeles County's coastal cities alone.
The average fisherman likely will say, “Wake me when it's over,” but for the scores of people working on the stakeholders group, the science advisory team and the task force, this will be an intense period of regular meetings, long days and contentious dialogue.
Imagine deciding which part of the La Jolla or Point Loma kelp beds to close to fishing. Imagine choosing which near-shore canyons to close, which deep-water beltways invaded by schools of migratory predator fish chasing schools of migratory anchovies and sardines to make no-take fishing reserves.
The joint panel's three choices for marine protected areas require complex thinking and analysis in addition to negotiation.
A state marine reserve shuts down all fishing.
A state marine park eliminates commercial take but allows for some recreational fishing.
A state marine conservation area limits recreational and/or commercial activity but allows take of such things as salmon and squid.
It would be a daunting task even if there wasn't a deadline, but these groups are on the clock because of limited funding from the environmentalist-controlled Resources Legacy Fund Foundation.
The group became the saviors of this MLPA process when the state realized it didn't have the personnel or money to make it fly. So the RLFF pumped an estimated $8 million into the MLPA when it looked as though it might die yet another death.
In the final draft, these groups essentially must decide the fate of our near-shore waters while ensuring that the fisheries in them remain viable and sustainable and that any no-take closures don't result in economic hardship to the fishing and tourist communities in Southern California.
“Lessons learned” from the initial phase of the MLPA – the Central Coast – showed a bias against fishermen and little regard for the socio-economic impact caused by severe fishing closures. Facilitators and commercial and recreational fishermen are working to make sure that doesn't happen in Southern California. The Partnership for Sustainable Oceans has grouped the top conservationists in the fishing industry to do battle.
It's said that every mile of Southern California is someone's favorite fishing hole. All of those fishermen will be watching this process closely, even though most won't know what hit them until it's over.
The numbers were staggering from the Central Coast in terms of closures, and fishermen need to know it. There now are 29 marine protected areas covering 204 square miles of the Central Coast, with 85 square miles designated as “no-take fishing zones.”
“It amounts to 40 percent of the best sportfishing areas,” said Bob Fletcher, president of the Sportfishing Association of California.
There's no way fishermen here will tolerate losing 40 percent of their best fishing grounds in Southern California. Or is there?
Fletcher lists figures showing that the state, with just the Central Coast MLPA final and the North Central Coast moving toward a conclusion, already has closed off 9 percent of California's waters to recreational fishing. That includes the Channel Islands closures and the Central Coast region of the MLPA.
When all this started during the passage of the MLPA in 1999, environmental protectionists threw out a number estimating the amount of water they wanted to close to fishing off California.
The number was 20 percent. They're nearly halfway there and have completed only one region.

choppa

[Bill_Corten]

Hi Stuart

This is bad news indeed.
With the next meeting of the working group on the rocky reef fin fish review this coming Thursday and Friday at Mooloolaba, it is important that we know more about this proposed closure prior to the meeting as it has significant implicatiuons for the snapper review for all sectors.
Can you tell us what Department within Government is driving this Sunshine Coast closure. Also can you post up the maps you guys are being issued with or if reluctant, can you PM it to me please.
The rec and commecial guys are working together nicely on the snapper review and we are all concerned we are being screwed with pathetic data that distorts the real state of the snapper fishery by DPI. If the plan is to close off the Sunshine Coast why are we even being told by DPI that we have to have a four month closure.
Looking forward to more details please.

Cheers
Bill

[Derek Bullock]

I first raised this in January 2006. It was an election promise of the Queenland Labor. Below is a quote from my post back then. http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?t=53942

Hi everyone

With the Beattie Labour Govt election promise to create Marine Parks along the whole of the Queensland Coast, one area that still hasn't been mentioned by anyone so far is the Sunshine Coast. (Sunshine Coast Marine Park) I expect that it will take in the areas from Double Island Point through to Caloundra. This will link the Great Sandy Strait and Moreton Bay Marine Parks. If you look at the way the greens and conservationists have been going then this is an area for everyone to watch out for.

The rec fishers from around that way have a lot to lose with potential 30% closures. Places like the close in reefs off Noosa, Inner Gneerings, Murphy's, parts of the Banks and the waters surrounding Old Woman Island are likely to go for sure. Even the lakes off the Noosa River may be in jeopardy. Weyba Creek and lake will definitely be up for closures. Further south you have the close in reefs at Caloundra.

It's quite scary.

Don't let the Government and conservationists take this one from us.

Do something now

Cheers


Derek

[Local_Guy]

don't you love the research..... instead of going out, collecting data and coming to an outcome they....
Have a set outcome and make the data match this outcome... the outcome in this case is that fish and fish habitat is under pressure.

it's down right political correctness gone badly wrong. it's the government, of course the data/research is going to show what they want it to show.

i think the only way to stop all this is to find credable scientists that disclaim what the government is putting forward. but this is where it gets tricky, they aren't allowed to voice their concerns and we the public only ever hear one side of the argument and 1/2 the facts.

[PinHead]

waterways closures now...next will be closures of State Forests and National Parks...then anything else in the outdoors until the Greens have everyone sitting at home doing nothing...the Greens are decimating a lifestlye...they are not protecting anything but their own selfish egos.

[oldboot]

There is no doubt about it... the government has "developed a vision".

I can almost guarantee that there will be a green zone adjacent to noosa national park...... they want a matching green zone for all land bassed national parks....... I expect this to happen regardless of government.

As for the snapper review..................their mind is made up........."the consultation process" is nothing more than a poorly arranged public relations exercise.....so they can say..." we consulted with all stake holders".

They have to have this one done & dusted in the next week so that they can have all the revised size & bag limits in the 2009 government tide book and the reprinted boating & safety giude.
You can bet that already have the new bag limits and closures type set.

I predict a increase in minimum size to 38cm..... possibly a bag limit of 3, i not a limit of 5 with only 2 snodgers and almost certainly a 1 month snapper closure right when we dont want it.
fin clipping for rocky reef spicies and an over all bag of 15 rocky reef fish.

It is my belief that the battles we are now fighting are lost and were lost from the start... the government has no intention of listening to any objections.

we must continue to voice our objections so we can say we did...... but we must re group for the next round.....its either that or take up stamp collecting.

cheers