Lucky_Phill
18-01-2015, 06:33 AM
RECREATIONAL FISHING TOURISM is for today and tomorrow and the next day. This is all of us unless you live on a creek and never fish anywhere else. We pay to travel to our favourite spots, whether it is fuel for the car and / or boat, barge fees or plane tickets.
With increasing population densities Moreton Bay is one of few remaining safe areas for families to fish that is reasonably accessible from all of Brisbane and the surrounding regions. Every year hundreds of kids learn to fish in Moreton Bay. Records indicate that Moreton Island alone is on average 80 percent non-residents on any given day. When considering recreational fishing tourism some of the items to be valued include fresh fish on the table, healthy activity for any individual irrespective of physical or intellectual capacity, age, sex or socio-economic status, tackle bought, bait, fishing apparatus, boats, fuel, vehicles specific for fishing, accommodation, meals and transport costs to access the island.
Because of the limited access and the National Park designation, these commercial enterprises are limited in number and nature on Moreton Island. Many of the purchases are therefore bought in local communities prior to departing for the island. This means that a significant reduction in recreational fishing tourists will not only impact Moreton Island Ferries and local Moreton Island businesses but businesses throughout the greater catchment area.
Currently it is almost impossible to catch a legal sized whiting on Moreton or Bribie Islands on beaches open to netting in what is their peak season. In addition the whiting being netted is not appearing in local markets but we have reason to believe going directly to Sydney markets.
Both of these islands are National Parks designated for recreational use. Many trips to these national parks include fishing as one activity. At the moment the benefit of this is being denied them.
In Moreton Bay like many other population centres we are becoming increasingly aware of areas of localized depletion resulting from concentrated, repetitive, commercial gill netting. I, myself witnessed this personally as recently as last week. I spoke to several groups fishing on the same 500 metres of beach who indicated that contrary to previous trips they had been unable to catch anything of a legal size. Between them they had spent $6000 on their trips that week.
Fisheries Queensland do not have a mechanism for either measuring or managing localized depletion at this point in time. In the national arena at the moment though there are currently investigations into areas that may become closed to commercial fishing so that the recreational sector can still have an enjoyable experience. The commercial sector still have the same allowable catch as previously but just leave some high value recreational areas untouched. Many believe this is the way of the future for Moreton Bay as well as many other high population centres along the Queensland coastline.
We are asking for a small portion of Moreton Bay Marine Park including both Bribie and Moreton Islands’ foreshores to be set aside for recreational fishing. In most areas we are only asking for a strip 400 metres wide. We are NOT asking for access to existing green zones within the area we have highlighted but just to ensure that in future they will remain clear of commercial fishing should the zonings change.
Moreton Bay Marine Park covers 3400 square kilometres. The three sub areas that we have identified total 115 square kilometres that is not already excluded to commercial saleable take, that is only a little over 3 per cent. For the 405,000 recreational fishers in the Brisbane and Moreton Bay areas (according to Fisheries Queensland Recreational fishing survey 2010) that is a very, very small ask.
Commercial catch data on the Fisheries Queensland website is quite coarse. As a result the figures we have been able to extrapolate include the tunnel netters and offshore netters in grids W36, W37 and W38 (Moreton Bay Marine Park) who will not be impacted. As a result the catch estimates we are using will be significantly higher than reality. In 2013 about 1,384 tonnes was recorded in logbooks in these grids this equates to about $6.9 million to the fishermen. 3% of that equates to a little over $207,000. This hardly warrants a buyback.
Last financial year the recreational boat owners in the Moreton Bay catchment area paid over $1.9 million in Recreational Use Fee that is included as part of their boat registrations. We think that putting $207,000 a year for the next three years from that into FRDC (the Fisheries Research Development Corporation) for investment into research that will have flow on benefits to the commercial sector would be fair and reasonable.
We need a significant show of support to demonstrate the importance of recreational fishing and the value to our community of recreational fishing tourism. Please don’t assume that our political representatives either know or acknowledge this. Also please do not assume that it is so obvious a solution that lots of people will raise their voice. We need you and your family to do so for the future of recreational fishing in Moreton Bay for our children and theirs.
Please like our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/MoretonBayRereationalFishingArea
From Judy Lynne
further reading below:-
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/RecFishingHavenMoretonBay725x1024_zpsce0fae65.jpg (http://s298.photobucket.com/user/Lucky_Phill/media/RecFishingHavenMoretonBay725x1024_zpsce0fae65.jpg. html)
LP
With increasing population densities Moreton Bay is one of few remaining safe areas for families to fish that is reasonably accessible from all of Brisbane and the surrounding regions. Every year hundreds of kids learn to fish in Moreton Bay. Records indicate that Moreton Island alone is on average 80 percent non-residents on any given day. When considering recreational fishing tourism some of the items to be valued include fresh fish on the table, healthy activity for any individual irrespective of physical or intellectual capacity, age, sex or socio-economic status, tackle bought, bait, fishing apparatus, boats, fuel, vehicles specific for fishing, accommodation, meals and transport costs to access the island.
Because of the limited access and the National Park designation, these commercial enterprises are limited in number and nature on Moreton Island. Many of the purchases are therefore bought in local communities prior to departing for the island. This means that a significant reduction in recreational fishing tourists will not only impact Moreton Island Ferries and local Moreton Island businesses but businesses throughout the greater catchment area.
Currently it is almost impossible to catch a legal sized whiting on Moreton or Bribie Islands on beaches open to netting in what is their peak season. In addition the whiting being netted is not appearing in local markets but we have reason to believe going directly to Sydney markets.
Both of these islands are National Parks designated for recreational use. Many trips to these national parks include fishing as one activity. At the moment the benefit of this is being denied them.
In Moreton Bay like many other population centres we are becoming increasingly aware of areas of localized depletion resulting from concentrated, repetitive, commercial gill netting. I, myself witnessed this personally as recently as last week. I spoke to several groups fishing on the same 500 metres of beach who indicated that contrary to previous trips they had been unable to catch anything of a legal size. Between them they had spent $6000 on their trips that week.
Fisheries Queensland do not have a mechanism for either measuring or managing localized depletion at this point in time. In the national arena at the moment though there are currently investigations into areas that may become closed to commercial fishing so that the recreational sector can still have an enjoyable experience. The commercial sector still have the same allowable catch as previously but just leave some high value recreational areas untouched. Many believe this is the way of the future for Moreton Bay as well as many other high population centres along the Queensland coastline.
We are asking for a small portion of Moreton Bay Marine Park including both Bribie and Moreton Islands’ foreshores to be set aside for recreational fishing. In most areas we are only asking for a strip 400 metres wide. We are NOT asking for access to existing green zones within the area we have highlighted but just to ensure that in future they will remain clear of commercial fishing should the zonings change.
Moreton Bay Marine Park covers 3400 square kilometres. The three sub areas that we have identified total 115 square kilometres that is not already excluded to commercial saleable take, that is only a little over 3 per cent. For the 405,000 recreational fishers in the Brisbane and Moreton Bay areas (according to Fisheries Queensland Recreational fishing survey 2010) that is a very, very small ask.
Commercial catch data on the Fisheries Queensland website is quite coarse. As a result the figures we have been able to extrapolate include the tunnel netters and offshore netters in grids W36, W37 and W38 (Moreton Bay Marine Park) who will not be impacted. As a result the catch estimates we are using will be significantly higher than reality. In 2013 about 1,384 tonnes was recorded in logbooks in these grids this equates to about $6.9 million to the fishermen. 3% of that equates to a little over $207,000. This hardly warrants a buyback.
Last financial year the recreational boat owners in the Moreton Bay catchment area paid over $1.9 million in Recreational Use Fee that is included as part of their boat registrations. We think that putting $207,000 a year for the next three years from that into FRDC (the Fisheries Research Development Corporation) for investment into research that will have flow on benefits to the commercial sector would be fair and reasonable.
We need a significant show of support to demonstrate the importance of recreational fishing and the value to our community of recreational fishing tourism. Please don’t assume that our political representatives either know or acknowledge this. Also please do not assume that it is so obvious a solution that lots of people will raise their voice. We need you and your family to do so for the future of recreational fishing in Moreton Bay for our children and theirs.
Please like our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/MoretonBayRereationalFishingArea
From Judy Lynne
further reading below:-
http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm246/Lucky_Phill/RecFishingHavenMoretonBay725x1024_zpsce0fae65.jpg (http://s298.photobucket.com/user/Lucky_Phill/media/RecFishingHavenMoretonBay725x1024_zpsce0fae65.jpg. html)
LP