It looks like New South Wales Premiere Barry O’Farrell has a bit of a fight on his hands.  Last March O’Farrell’s government temporarily lifted a ban on shore-based line fishing at beaches and headlands in six marine parks that have established no-take sanctuaries. The O’Farrell plan was to monitor the effect of recreational catch-and-release fishing in these areas and assess the impact.

Restrictions were lifted in six multiple-use marine parks, including Cape Byron, Solitary Islands, Port Stephens-Great Lakes, Jervis Bay, Batemans Bay and Lord Howe Island. These parks account for about 7% of NSW’s state waters and extend 3 nautical miles from shore.

Now more than 200 marine scientists have called for the immediate reinstatement of the ban on recreational fishing, identifying the parks as high conservation areas. Given that the ban has been lifted for ten months now, many scientists have begun to worry that the ban will be lifted permanently.

The original lifting of the ban was already seen as a controversial action, as the temporary amnesty was seen as a reward given to the Shooters and Fishers Party for their support of unrelated public sector wage bills.

Acting Primary Industries Minister Andrew Stoner said the Marine Estate Expert Knowledge Panel had conducted an assessment of the impact of the amnesty, which the government was considering. “The NSW Government is committed to ensuring a science-based approach – which considers environmental, social and economic impacts – is used in the management of the marine estate.”

 

 

 

Australia, fish, Fishing, Regulations

By Sid

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