New South West marine park planned

[fishingjew]

New South West marine park planned
Friday, 8 September 2006

Presenter: Genine Unsworth


Hamelin Bay near Augusta is a favourite boating and swimming spot


The proposed marine park will contain special surfing zones. Image courtesy of Tourism WA


The park should protect biodiversity Image courtesy Tourism WA

A new marine reserve is planned for the South West between Capes Naturaliste and Leeuwin.

The coastal water between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin is one of the busiest stretches of water along the Western Australian shoreline. Surfing, fishing, boating, diving and just plain swimming at the beach are important to the growing coastal communities of the region.

The proposed Capes Marine Park fits into a state wide system of marine reserves and is the first in the south west corner of the state, says Peter Dans, manager of the Department of Conservation and Environment.

Some 17 zones in the park will be closed to fishing. That represents 11 per cent of the total, he says. This compares to a 34 per cent no-take zone at Ningaloo, 3 per cent in Jurien and Marmion and 50 per cent for the Monte Bello Islands. This reflects the level of commercial and recreational use of the area, says Peter and is at the smaller end of the scale.

The park is part of what is termed a "comprehensive, adequate and representative system of reserves" by the Department. One of the aims is to protect biodiversity for future generations, says Peter. At the same time the park will allow for multiple use; surfing, fishing, tourism, science, education and recreation.

The Department of Conservation and Land Management and also Fisheries will have most responsibility for looking after the park, says Peter and that will entail not just compliance but also community education and research and monitoring.

The draft plan for the marine reserve is open for public comment until the 15th of December.

Terry Fuller, a member of the Australian Angler's Association, says that the plan is complex and needs to be studied carefully. The area, he says is "very valuable to people."

Terry questions whether the proposed closures are sufficient to preserve biodiversity and whether they're necessary in the first place. The environment is threatened not just by what happens in the water he says. For instance, in the Blackwood River and Hardy Inlet, water run off, salinity and pollution from inland contributes to the load on the system. "And that does affect the marine environment," he says. "It (closure) is really not the complete answer."

According to Terry, what is missing is information about the amount of recreational and commercial fishing and what affect they have on biodiversity. The aim of the plan is protect biodiversity and not individual species, he notes. The plan doesn't have stated goals which can be measured, in say ten years time, against the results of the closures.

There is no risk assessment of fishing pressures, Terry states. "Fishing pressure needs to be managed in the entire region, not just in the closed off areas." Fish breeding areas also need to be protected, he believes.

On the positive side, Terry is pleased that the plan recognises that surfing and shore based fishing are important in this region. People need to look at the details, he says to understand what is allowed and what is not allowed. The Capes coast belongs to the community and the community should have the say, he believes.

Simply closing off some areas to fishing can move a problem from one area to another, says Terry. Total fishing pressure needs to be managed. "If there is too much fishing pressure, then the right answer is to manage the fishing pressure. And that needs to be done as well as closing areas for conservation."


http://www.abc.net.au/southwestwa/stories/s1736530.htm

[Hornblower]

Mate, this is scary stuff and it will only serve as a precedant for our Labor bandits to do what they will with Moreton Bay.

Regards