Mr John Doohan, Chairman of SUNFISH Queensland representing the views of 45,000 recreational fishers today stated that the protection measures for the GBR announced by the Federal Environment Minister amount to nothing more than fishing closures. The statements made would make anyone think that the reef was being "protected" from exploitation by all users - "nothing could be further from the truth" he said.
"The Minister is aware that there is currently less than 0.5 % of the reef totally protected & even that is subject to use with a permit" Mr Doohan said. The plan promotes green zones as "highly protected areas" but fails to do anything to stop the expanding visitation to these same areas by thousands of tourists every day who dive & snorkel leaving sunscreen & other introduced pollutants in their wake. There will be no constraints on vessels polluting the waters through exhausts, new reef based pontoons, establishment of new island resorts, or a "gold rush" of new ventures into the "green" that have already been flagged by dive operators he said. "I believe that some other users are also currently negotiating fishing rights in the green areas to allow them continued access to fish stocks" he said.
The whole program was promoted as a measure designed to preserve the integrity of bioregions of which the fish stocks are only one part Mr Doohan said. Recreational fishers have had gear restrictions, bag & size limits as well as other closures placed on them since 1992 with the result being a stabilisation of catches & effort over the past 5 years. The major impacts on the reef have come from a 10 fold increase in tourism, development of resorts & diving tourism - so where is the management of their expansion in this new "grand plan".
It is well documented that the Red Sea is being destroyed by tourism long after the fishermen have gone. It has also been scientifically established that land based pollution, global warming, coral bleaching & crown of thorns starfish are far greater threats to the reef environment than fishing. The proposed green area closures will do nothing to alleviate these urgent problems Mr Doohan said.
"I am appalled that the conservation movement has accepted this compromise instead of insisting on some effective legislation that would stop further exploitation by all users" he said. These groups are becoming less effective & more political as time progresses.
"As we have shown in the past,our Members are prepared to support genuine attempts to protect the reef, but we must now draw a line at the discriminatory legislation that targets fishermen who are having the least impact so that areas can be reallocated to benefit commercial paying interests" he said. The land-based National park systems only require that 5% to 10% be highly protected so why is the requirement for marine areas any different.
Mr Doohan said that SUNFISH will not settle for a plan that has anything less than genuine protection, management for all users & fair recognition of the recreational fishing industry. Our organisation will be seeking discussions with the GBRMPA regarding our position & the necessary amendments to the plan to achieve some sort of balanced approach.
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Contact Points - Mr John Doohan Chairman,07 33593086
Mr David Bateman, Executive Officer, 07 38804261
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