GBRMPA Closures Feedback Form

[Vern_Veitch]

Fill out your response to the GBRMPA Representative Areas Program on the web. Visit http://www.seamedia.com.au/index.html and follow the links.
Vern

[Vern_Veitch]

Sunfish have been asked by many to provide advice on how to fill in the GBRMPA Feedback Form on No Fishing Areas.
Here it is.
Sunfish Queensland How To Vote Card.
Q1. Fill out form according to your interests.
Q2. No. I support a small area (less than 5% of each bioregion) of the GBRMP to be declared pink (preservation or no go), am happy to see an increase in yellow and support dark blue.
Q3. The impact of other on-site uses is significant. Also the ability to police these extra areas does not exist and no funding has been identified for increased enforcement. Most recreational fishers will not be able to accurately identify if they are in a no fishing zone in offshore waters.
Q4. Habitat impacts including run-off, coastal development, trawling, inshore netting, and the importance of connectivity to adjacent terrestrial and marine habitats.

NB: Other questions are about your personal situation.

[Lucky_Phill]

Thanks for the heads up Vern. Survey completed and on it's way. ;)

[Vern_Veitch]

Onya Phill.
The greenies reckon that one local federal member has over 1000 messages of support.
Rec fishers will get done on this issue unless they all get off their bums and do something for themselves.
Numbers count and the greenies know it.
Vern

[whiteman]

Vern

Your URL points to seamedia who are collecting submissions on behalf of Sunfish. Like many out there, I am not in complete agreement with Sunfish. So I get my own point across to GBRMPA, I have logged my submission directly on their website which is www.gbrmpa.gov.au.

[Jack_Lives_Here]

Jobs done.

[jaybee]

same as above thanks vern :)

[Fisherman02]

on it's way :)

[The_Walrus]

All done.

Now, will they actually take it "on board"

Luc

[bugman]

Vern
I sent off a submission of my own through the GBRMPA site.
Were others that went through your site required to accept the email reply.
Did you clear the subject field and type "accept" or did you just add "accept" to the end of the "re:GBRMPA submission ..."
bugman

[Jack_Lives_Here]

I cleared the field and typed "Accept".

[Beggsy]

Vern,

Done - good luck

[Vern_Veitch]

Thanks ladies and gents. Getting there slowly at present.
Matters no if you do not fully agree with the SUNFISH view. Put in your own words.
Please use the blank form at www.seamedia.com.au and not those forms that may have been set up on other sites.
Seamedia is forwarding them and I am entering them on a spreadsheet to get some sample results of the recreational fishing fraternity. They are then being sent on to GBRMPA anyway.
Vern

[LYNDO]

;)Cheers Vern,

:DReceived my paperwork/forms today in the mail.

::)Informative and fairly well presented I thought,would've cost a pretty penny to print.

;DFilled out and back in the post again!

Cheers Lyndo

[Vern_Veitch]

Thanks Lyndo and all those who have filled out the forms but we need lot's more.
Time is now running short. If you are reading this and ever intend fishing in the Great Barrier Reef then take the time to fill out a form and get it back to me or GBRMPA before 7 August as you can bet the greenies will and we will get little consideration from them.
Vern

[Vern_Veitch]

Just thought I'd put this on top again for all those that have not yet had the time to respond.
Vern

[Smithy]

Got my acknowledgement back today and it is submission no. 233 - lets hope there aren't 1000 greenie submissions. Also put a submission in for our fishing club.

[Vern_Veitch]

Thanks Smithy.
Every single submission will count on this one.
Vern

[adrian]

jobs done and I hope they listen and not throw them in the bin

[jaybee]

Still waiting my acknowledgement been over 4 weeks now ??? maybe they only take who they want like the tailor ris :-[

[Vern_Veitch]

Did you send it through me or direct to GBRMPA JayBee?
I have been forwarding them in weekly so either way you should have a response by now.
I'll send a message to GBRMPA tomorrow and see what I can find out.
Vern

[jaybee]

Sent it throught the seamedia site vern. Hope they havent made their mind up already like previous impact studies.
cheers.

[Bros]

Vern I have just sent my response in and I have sent the link to several other fishermen who have submitted their form or are about to do so.
I would just like to make a comment on GBRMPA proposal. I believe it is an ambit claim. Governments do it around budget time, unions do it with wage claims, make the message worse and when the real amount comes out everyone has a collective sigh of relief and goes back to what they were doing and the original claimant gets what they wanted in the first place. I believe we must be careful on what they finally want as this could be when the fight goes out of people and they get what they want.

[jaybee]

i'm worried here as when i had a meeting with my local member she suggested an enmvironment like the gbrmpa in moreton bay. I am now thinking that maybe this is already on the agenda ..could be frightening hundreds of boats fishing in one small area.

[Vern_Veitch]

Bros,
this will certainly be a drawn out campaign. And apathy is our biggest enemy. You can bet that GBRMPA and the greenies will not back off. There are some who would llike to see fishing banned altogether.
JayBee,
you have hit the nail on the head. If QPWS can get us kicked out of national parks because they happen to be adjacent to GBRMPA Green Zones north of Bundaberg, the remaining 1/3rd of the east coast will follow soon afterwards.
They want to close the best areas too so those special places that we dream of going once in a lifetime will be no-fishing zones.
Vern

[Luke]

Vern, a question "the new green zones should be located where they should have the least possible effect on the existing use of the marine park" . Is this believable. Why would they put the green zones in places that aren't used? Aren't they not used for a reason. In any case filling out the form now.
Cheers Luke

[Vern_Veitch]

Exactly Luke. Why bother zoning them if they are not that accessible anyway. The areas that need protecting the most are those that are most heavily used and GBRMPA claim in their publicity that existing high use areas will not be zoned. The pressure in these areas will increase if access to more remote areas is stopped.
Remenber too that this only affects fishing. The scientific committee that recommended this has listed a dozen or more points of which fishing is one. Fishing affects 1% of 1 point but is the only activity being addressed. Everything from impacts on dugong and turtles to destruction of habitat by pollution, treading on corals, anchor damage or trawling is being ignored.
Be aware that Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service will try to jump on the back of this if their political masters let them.
Vern

[Vern_Veitch]

Only 8 days left to get your responses in. Speak now or forever hold your complaints.
Big meeting in Cairns tomorrow night. Hope to see any Ausfish members there.
Vern

[stevedemon]

HI VERN
sent mine last week and it is on its way the more you get the better it maybe we hope ;D ;D ;D
I'd like to see my Grandkids fishing when I get older if I get old and the Wife has'nt shot me before then ;D ;D

CHEERS ;D ;D
STEVE :P

[jaybee]

Hi Vern
Got my submission number in the mail today 726
cheers

[Vern_Veitch]

I've got a bit of work to do with about 60 late submissions to be loaded before Monday morning for forwarding to GBRMPA. Keep em coming fellas. Remember, think yellow with a few changes to the present rules to allow limited spear fishing and 2 lines per angler instead of one. THis is not for nottome fishng so much as trolling.
I also believe catch and release should be allowed in green zones.
Vern