Letters to your local MP about MBMP Zoning Plan

I thought I'd start a thread for ideas on the best points/arguments to follow to give members a helping hand writing letters giving our point of view for the zoning plan.
I know that I personally have read a fair bit about it all but when it comes time to actually write it down the emotion, well rather anger with the EPA boils voer and clouds my thought pattern.
Any suggestions on points to expand on would be great.







If this thread appears to be coaxing or makes AFers look silly for needing help to write aletter, mods can delete it

I can sympathise with your feelings of emotional outrage when I try and write a letter on these subjects but maybe some emotion in correspondence is needed as well as facts so the pollies know how important the subject is to the writer........JMHO;)

Some quick points are:-

1. There is only one single point of reference of scientific evidence for these closures in the release information from the QLD government.

2. The DPIF report from 2007 clearly states that the fishery which includes Moreton Bay is sustainable in the current fishing forms.

3. The closure date for submissions has been and gone yet they are still accepting submissions up until the date it goes to Parliament.

4. The value of $1m for artificial reefs is not enough. However that money should not be spent of research efforts which have been done with success in other states and should be used to maximise the area for the reef.

Ok, I got a couple,

• The zoning plan, how does the EPA intend to clearly define the boundaries of these no go areas, GPS navigational aids have been proven in Court to be inaccurate?
• Nothing has been done by the EPA to address the grossly inadequete policing of any rules or regulations that are currently in place.
• Where will the EPA seek ongoing funding for monitoring or support of such a large closure and the ongoing maintence of infrastructure surrounding these areas.
• The scientific facts as presented are at best guestimates of areas without any scientific basis or annual analysis, not withstanding the migration of species to and from these areas.
• The EPA falsely lulled fishermen into volenteering information to VIA a web site as a survey of fishing areas , not advising participants of the potential closures that may as a result of this survey be implemented.
• Currently there are more rules and regulations applied to recreational fishermand that any other known sport. I.E;
  • Boat licencing
  • Boat safety equipment
  • Radio licencing requirements.
  • Duty of care requirements as a captain of a boat.
  • Epirb Registration requirments.
  • Fish size and bag limit requirements
  • Seasonal fishing closure regulations
  • Species identification with regards to the legislative requirements.
  • Zonal boundaries for marine parks.
    • Types of boundary requirements, I. no take VS trolling requirements.
    • Fishing regulations with regards detailed specifics of boundary requirements, I.e how many hooks can be on a single line, how many rods can be fished by a single fisherman.
    • regulatory requirments for licencensing, i.e do you need to purchase a fishing licence for a particlular impoundment.

I am sure more will come to mind later, /all in all when I review my list here, how does the government justify the amount of regulations upon the average recreational fisherman. I cant think of anything that compares for rules and regs , Except maybe taxation. :-[

Whats worse is the ambiguity of some of the rules, the lack of true boundaries and the lack of justification.

Regards
Honda.