NSW recreational fishers warmly welcome the transfer of Marine Parks to NSW Fisheries (at last!). It has been an issue high on our “wish list”, with the Coalition.
Such an initiative is an obvious and logical transfer, since NSW Fisheries has the expertise, the legislation, the regulations, the marine scientists, the fisheries biologists, the clientele and most importantly, the confidence of the community. DECC&W and NPWS never enjoyed that!
Labor/Green marine parks are not marine protected areas in any shape or form at all. They are merely non-specific, ineffective and unnecessary fishing closures. They ignore the real threats to our marine biodiversity and associated ecosystems. They just ban fishing!
The real threats and impacts include: pollution (in all its forms); some agricultural practices and chemicals; introduced pest species and diseases; and inappropriate coastal development. (eg. Not one stormwater outlet which drains into a Labor/Green marine park is even filtered!)
One previous Labor minister for Primary Industries we met with, told ECOfishers, he didn’t want marine parks in his portfolio, because “they caused us (Govt) too much grief!”
Ken Thurlow
CEO ECOfishers NSW
