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Derek_Bullock
26-12-2005, 08:41 PM
Seems the Australian Marine Conservation Society is also getting in on the act. Following was released in November.


Derek

AMCS

MEDIA RELEASE

QLD Government protecting overfishing in the Sandy Straits Marine Park – Peak Marine Group claims

Today, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), Australia’s leading marine conservation organisation, called on the QLD Government to protect more of the Great Sandy Marine Park from the ravages of overfishing.

Craig Bohm, National Fisheries Campaigner with AMCS, said “The draft zoning plan for the Great Sandy Marine Park will still allow fishing in over 95% of the park. This is not sustainable, not scientific and should not be tolerated.”

“AMCS has reviewed the scientific report on overfishing recently released by the National Parks Association of QLD, and we concur that commercial fisheries in the Great Sandy region are in decline.” Bohm continued.

“The QLD Government must protect a minimum of 20% of each marine habitat in Great Sandy Marine Park in ‘no-take’ green zones. This is what scientists for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority recommended, and in the end we saw the Australian Government protect 33.4% of this park in green zones” Bohm said.

AMCS was a co-convener of the Great Sandy Conservation Workshop held last Sunday and Monday at Hervey Bay. The workshop saw over 40 conservationists gather to review the QLD Government’s draft zoning plan for the Great Sandy Marine Park (Northern Region).

Bohm said: “We heard from marine scientists at the workshop that overfishing in the Great Sandy Marine Park can be addressed through using an independent scientific process to develop the park’s zoning plan. Unfortunately, the draft plan reads like Swiss cheese - lots of holes in it and very little to protect our fish stocks or marine environments.”

Bohm concluded “There are too many trawlers, gillnets, traps, pots and lines. It is no wonder it is getting hard for a recreational fisher to occasionally catch a feed of fish in the area”.

Contact – Craig Bohm, National Fisheries Campaigner on 0427 133 481 or 3393 5811

baldyhead
26-12-2005, 09:31 PM
BEND OVER you Sth Qld fishers...now its your turn to get SHAFTED!! :-/ AND they wont stop there either...the writings on the wall.. :o

baldyhead
27-12-2005, 04:09 PM
You had better read this site.
http://www.mesa.edu.au/careers/career02.asp
It relates directly to Craig Bohm, National Fisheries Campaigner with AMCS.
and this one too.
http://www.amcs.org.au/learn/campaign_past/2005_09_30review_gbrmp_act1975.html
very interesting reading guys. ;D

Derek_Bullock
27-12-2005, 04:13 PM
Interesting little quote from one of them Baldy.


I chose to work in the marine field because fish need a voice on land and because, unlike us, fish cannot vote.


Derek

rando
27-12-2005, 04:51 PM
[quote author environments.”

Bohm concluded “There are too many trawlers, gillnets, traps, pots and lines. It is no wonder it is getting hard for a recreational fisher to occasionally catch a feed of fish in the area”.


Sounds like a supporter of the rec fisher to me. Id be cultivating his activism and using his contacts and influence . MY opinion FWIW
rando

efc
27-12-2005, 08:24 PM
I cant see a problem....he is standing up for the rites of recreational fishermen by outlawing againt over-fishing. Just looking after the next generation

Derek_Bullock
27-12-2005, 08:50 PM
He is also saying that at least 20% of the Great Sandy Marine Park should be green zones and that means no fishing.

Dont be fooled.


Derek


“The QLD Government must protect a minimum of 20% of each marine habitat in Great Sandy Marine Park in ‘no-take’ green zones. This is what scientists for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority recommended, and in the end we saw the Australian Government protect 33.4% of this park in green zones” Bohm said.

efc
27-12-2005, 09:23 PM
yeah i did read the article in question and the green zones are positive steps. No fishing means breeding grounds for our fined friends thus more fish with less eco-damage!

rando
28-12-2005, 01:41 AM
Thanks for the heads up Gary.
A possable solution to this is for large numbers of rec fishers to join these organisations and influence voting and direction from within.
Or am I being nieve.
rando

ian_cameron
28-12-2005, 03:07 AM
DO NOT TRUST THE GREENS !

Looks like the Qeensland fishers are about to get shafted the same way as we NSW fishers.The Byron Marine Park lockout green zones cover 27% of the total park area but unfortunately the include 98% of all reef areas and more than half of the beach and estuaries - the most productive half usually.And Labour is on record as intending to increase this after the next election.

Here in NSW the Labour government declares national and marine parks in safe rural coalition sats to buy the green preferences that keep them elected in the cities.

The only way to beat the radical green lockout agenda is to convince the government that there are more votes from fishers and outdoors people than there are from the greens. Write to your local members and the newspapers and follow it up by actually voting against the bas...ds that want us all to eat tofu instead of fish and crabs.

chanquetas
28-12-2005, 06:44 AM
It all sounds positive to me. So close 20% of it. Then the fish may just have a chance of hanging in there.

gif
28-12-2005, 07:12 AM
The trouble is that 20% or 33% is not just simply that.


Look at the GB Reef. Then they closed 33% - not based on any logic or science - just a grab. The Democrats’ policy was to get 33% now and 50% by 2010.

And the 33% happened in a deal to get the GST through the Senate.


Now when the GBRMPA got their “OK” to close 33% they got the most they could out of that. They asked people where do you fish? . … so we don’t take that - then they TOOK exactly that.

In one submission to the enquiry it is spelled out that these commercial guys wised up to this - and told them that this certain area was very important to them. Guess what? It got zoned green. It was in fact a barren zone and no fish at all.

GBRMPA closed off the more accessible fishing areas - making the other areas harder to get to and cutting out even more fishing.

Even the Minister agreed that the area around Bundaberg was now 75% closed - not 33%


So – look at the whole map of Moreton or Hervey bay. Now colour in your favourite fishing areas. Are they more than 20 % of the whole map? They better be or you will have nothing left at all.


As for the “scientists recommending” that was all nonsense. ALL the science said that the take was so minimal as to not be a problem. An 11 year study into line fishing in GBR concluded that the impact was small. And that was from CRC research - which has GBRMPA staff and is located at James Cook Uni in Nth Qld.


Do not trust Bohm - they are understanding Rec Fishing power and are being very tactical by saying what they say. He is still after the Best 20% +++

baldyhead
28-12-2005, 04:15 PM
The so called 33% turned into 75% ACTUAL in the Cairns area.
"Tell us where you fish and we will make sure that these areas are left out of the Green Zones"
Like bloody fools WE marked all the areas that we fished and BELIEVED them.
Have a look at the Cairns Section....ALL the GREEN ZONES are where we used to FISH.
DO NOT TRUST THE BASTA*DS !!!!!
Bohm especially!!!!!

dugong
28-12-2005, 04:21 PM
so what else is new.
the so called x?perts have been talking about this for ages

if you don't think large tracks of the marine park are not going to be green zones or no go zones then you are off with the fairies.

attended a show and tell night a couple of yrs ago at burrum heads community hall about the marine park and dugong habitat, it was quite obvious that a large area from burrum head towards hervey bay and a area off frazer were allready targeted as no go zones for all craft to protect the sea grass bed for the dugongs.

that plus any green/yellow zones are going to severly restrict areas that ppl can fish.

tshort
11-01-2006, 07:22 AM
Looks as though supporters of the Park all live in Brisbane, the densely populated capital of Queensland. Close down 90% of Morton bay and leave the very sensibly populated Straits to the rec fishers.

gif
11-01-2006, 07:44 AM
Just to back up Baldyhead - have a look at one submission to the GBRMPA enquiry from a commercial fisher.

I love the part where they told the B’s about and important area that was in fact fishless – and that got zoned green!


Gary




Our submissions were used against us. We were continually told to put our most used and profitable areas on the maps and they would do all to protect it. They did the TOTAL OPPOSITE the best fishing grounds in Bowling Green Bay they took off us and left the least profitable areas alone.

We all also put a dummy fishing area North East of a local area known as "Youngla Wreck" we all stated that this was Vitally important to us all, and they increased the green area in include this area, when in fact None of us fished this area. This gave us the impression that NO TRANSPARITY was in this program.