Australian Marine Reserves

[DeepFrz]

BBC News - Australia to create world's largest marine reserve

Australia says it will create the world's largest network of marine parks ahead of the Rio+20 summit.

[rusky]

Its just politics. The 'circus' of the govn actually organising / sorting and deciding will marginalise groups and keep the focus from their ability to act as a government!!

I dont want to see them try. They wont get it right as their rationale is wrong. It has nothing to do with looking after the environment. If only it was so, what a great idea!!!

[scubascooter]

Rusky,

I agree. My problem with the marine parks is that it excludes the people normally having the least impact.

I grew up fishing and taking a few fish, at the most, home for dinner for a couple of nights. The parks are all in the areas which are used by Dad and his son. I have learnt valuable leasons over the years of interacting with the environment while fishing diving and boating.

As far as I can see the commercial fishing just gets bigger boats that can go further afied (out of sight of land and the marine parks) and sends a majority of its catch overseas. Out of sight out of mind of the "conservationists"

The marine parks exclude the people who may grow up and be the custodians of it in the future- Like most here on CF.

I think that by "Creating" marine parks is an "easy out" for the government. It costs less than actually tackling the real cause of any problems, gains votes of the enviromentalists and won't visably affect eveyone else.

Scott

[Jim Cate]

Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and the occasional politician seeking glory. "See, my marine reserve is bigger than your marine reserve..."

Protection from overfishing is indeed a laudable aim, and perhaps this complex measure will address that issue... I'm surely not competent to address that question. But having observed the mess that exists with the current rules around the GBR, I'm dubious about the effects of this proposal.

For those not familiar with that region, it has been divided into a maze of irregularly shaped zones, each with its own set of poorly defined borders and rules of engagement. The borders are defined by GPS coordinates, and are of complex shapes, none of which are associated with geographical features visible to the eye of the sailor. Thus, one is required to sail with one eye on the chartplotter and one eye on the rulebook, leaving no eyes for keeping watch (yes, this is an exaggeration). The penalties for failure... say dragging one lure across a remote corner of a forbidden zone, can be severe: a felony charge, which can limit your ability to travel for the rest of your life and includes a large fine. The risk is real enough that we simply don't fish underway when in the region.

When one expands the scope of this affair to the entire territorial waters of Australia the mind is boggled by the bureaucracy that would be required to administrate and enforce the rules.

The effects upon the supply of seafood to Australians seem obvious: they will be forced to buy their supplies from non-Australian sources. These sources, in order to supply the increased demand, will likely overfish their home (unregulated) waters, or the waters just outside the jurisdiction of Australia. I am not able to judge the outcome of such practices... I hope that the folks who are setting up this scheme are, but I wonder!

When one considers that the worlds ever increasing population will require feeding, a sense of doom overwhelms my sort of selfish desire to have unfettered access to the oceans and the sealife of the world. Perhaps schemes like this will indeed help address these unavoidable issues, and I hope they do, but the collateral damage to our cruising lifestyle may be severe.

Cheers,

Jim

[scubascooter]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and the occasional politician seeking glory. "See, my marine reserve is bigger than your marine reserve..."

Protection from overfishing is indeed a laudable aim, and perhaps this complex measure will address that issue... I'm surely not competent to address that question. But having observed the mess that exists with the current rules around the GBR, I'm dubious about the effects of this proposal.

For those not familiar with that region, it has been divided into a maze of irregularly shaped zones, each with its own set of poorly defined borders and rules of engagement. The borders are defined by GPS coordinates, and are of complex shapes, none of which are associated with geographical features visible to the eye of the sailor. Thus, one is required to sail with one eye on the chartplotter and one eye on the rulebook, leaving no eyes for keeping watch (yes, this is an exaggeration). The penalties for failure... say dragging one lure across a remote corner of a forbidden zone, can be severe: a felony charge, which can limit your ability to travel for the rest of your life and includes a large fine. The risk is real enough that we simply don't fish underway when in the region.

When one expands the scope of this affair to the entire territorial waters of Australia the mind is boggled by the bureaucracy that would be required to administrate and enforce the rules.

The effects upon the supply of seafood to Australians seem obvious: they will be forced to buy their supplies from non-Australian sources. These sources, in order to supply the increased demand, will likely overfish their home (unregulated) waters, or the waters just outside the jurisdiction of Australia. I am not able to judge the outcome of such practices... I hope that the folks who are setting up this scheme are, but I wonder!

When one considers that the worlds ever increasing population will require feeding, a sense of doom overwhelms my sort of selfish desire to have unfettered access to the oceans and the sealife of the world. Perhaps schemes like this will indeed help address these unavoidable issues, and I hope they do, but the collateral damage to our cruising lifestyle may be severe.

Cheers,

Jim

Well said Jim,

I agree with everthing you have said. Its easy for Governments to put some circles on a map and call them a Marine Park.

For governments to do some real work like controlling land run off of chemicals, providing infrastructure for marine users, working with professional fishing to create a environmentally and economically viable industry, allow amateur fishing in locations that are accessable to the people who are lucky to catch their bag limit and provide facitilies to do this is all too much work for them.

Scott

[savoir]

Australia's Senate is controlled by Greens. That is why they also have the world's highest carbon tax.

[dirkdig]

Will the fish see the boundaries and stay where they are safe?

[scubascooter]

Originally Posted by dirkdig

Will the fish see the boundaries and stay where they are safe?

They seem to when i'm fishing

Scott

[dirkdig]

Mee too

[cat man do]

Originally Posted by dirkdig

Will the fish see the boundaries and stay where they are safe?

They certainly do in Musgrave Lagoon, its like an invisible wall, fish on one side and a lone hungry fisherman on the other.

[BlueSun]

Originally Posted by cat man do

They certainly do in Musgrave Lagoon, its like an invisible wall, fish on one side and a lone hungry fisherman on the other.

Isn't that pretty strong evidence of the efficacy of marine reserves?

[dirkdig]

Recent underwater survey of local reserve has shown no real changes in the last 7 years, but the area has not really been fished commercially either prior to it being a marine park. So after 7 years same as before no great improvements.

[chall]

The problem with Australia in general, is our current obsessive tendency to try and solve every issue with more legislation, regulation and bureaucracy.

We just can't help ourselves, we just love legislation, regulations, committee's and reviews....

Last year we spent several months sailing through the GBR Marine Park and dwarfing both our charts and cruising guides was always the pile of multicoloured government produced gobbly gook that was the 'marine park zoning maps'.

The biggest drama when in Reef waters wasn't navigation, finding suitable anchorages or spotting for bommies it was always shuffling through the blues/reds/greens/purples to figure out whether you had to close your toilet seacock and take in your fishing line.

Looking at the line of coal tankers sat off Mackay, developments such as the massive (and now financially failed) Port of Airlie, the current proposal for Great Keppel Island and the discussion over the future expansion of Gladstone something tells me that the head on a 35ft yacht is hardly the great threat facing the Reef.

As an avid diver/sailor I am very keen to see our oceans protected when necessary, but I do remain cynical about this marine reserve. My understand is that our commercial fishing practices are some of the most sustainable in the world. I also remain very unconvinced about recreational activity other than the blatantly negligent having any real impact.

I guess however we can all feel very good now and next time I see a dolphin I will make sure I let him know how much we as a nation have done for him. We will keep some more bureacrats employed as well and I guess have some more pretty maps to clog up the nav table in the future.

[scubascooter]

Chall,

the dolphins are well looked after in Australia and rightfully so.

But what about Tuna. I have only really tasted good fresh tuna when I have caught it myself. I would say most Australians haven't eaten good fresh Australian, Non canned, non John West tuna.

We send most of it to Asia. Nothing again'st Asia but I doubt that the marine park strategy will affect our tuna exports.

While Tuna are the worlds most stretched wild fish stocks i am sure your couple of fish a year + mine is nothing on the tonnes being sent O.S.

Yet again these regulations in our nanny state affect the least of the cause of problems.

All this rage is making me hungry. I might go to Coles and get some Mekong Catfish. I am sure they have strict regulations in Thailand, Cambodia and China

[chall]

Sadly I sucked at catching Tuna. Plenty of Spotted Mackerel but no Tuna.

My fear is as you say, it will affect the least cause of the problems. No trolling for cruising sailors as you sail, but the large scale mine/Port development along the entire reef is apparently not an issue.