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Draft South East Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network Management Plan submission

The Governments Information to Recreational Fishers

No changes proposed to management arrangements for recreational fishing activities

Consistent with current management arrangements, the proposed management arrangements in the draft management plan allows recreational fishing activities in all Multiple Use zones, Special Purpose zones and Habitat Protection zones, and the Recreational Use zone in the Freycinet Commonwealth Marine Reserve.

Fishers complying with state laws require no additional approval to fish in these marine reserves

Recreational fishers in the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network must continue to comply with state fisheries management arrangements. The draft management plan proposes to allow the use of fishing gear and methods that are consistent with state laws, including any state requirements for licences or permits. No additional Commonwealth permits or licences are required for recreational fishing in Commonwealth marine reserves.

Fishers must also adhere to state limits for allowable fish sizes and bag limits.

 Recreational fishers in the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network must continue to comply with state fisheries management arrangements. The draft management plan proposes to allow the use of fishing gear and methods that are consistent with state laws, including any state requirements for licences or permits. No additional Commonwealth permits or licences are required for recreational fishing in Commonwealth marine reserves.

•  No changes proposed to management arrangements for recreational fishing activities

•  Fishers complying with state laws require no additional approval to fish in these marine reserves

•  The draft management plan also allows cleaning and filleting of fish within the marine reserves network, but not in Sanctuary zones or Marine National Park zones

• When transiting through Sanctuary zones and Marine National Park zones, all fishing gear must be stowed. ‘Stowed gear’ means that all fishing equipment is not in contact with the water and is onboard the vessel, and lines are unbaited and lures are not attached

• The draft management plan includes proposals to change the names and International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories of zones in some of the reserves in the South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network

• None of the proposed changes will alter the uses or activities that are currently allowed in these zones.

http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/south-east/publications//pubs/fs-se-recreational-fishers.pdf

Draft South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network management plan

• Under ss. 354 and 354A of the EPBC Act, recreational fishing (i.e. taking native species of fish for non-commercial purposes) is prohibited in the South-east marine reserves network unless done in accordance with this management plan.

• Each of the 14 reserves in the South-east marine reserves network is assigned to an IUCN category by this management plan. Each reserve, apart from Apollo, Beagle, Boags and East Gippsland Commonwealth marine reserves, is also divided into two or more zones by the plan, and the zones are also assigned to an IUCN category

• This management plan broadly applies the IUCN categories and management principles as described:

              i.                Category Ia—Strict Nature Reserve

             ii.                Category II—National Park

            iii.                Category IV—Habitat/Species Management Area

            iv.                Category VI—Managed Resource Protected Area

Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve

Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve is located approximately 3 NM East of Wilsons Promontory and has been zoned category - IUCN VI – Multiple Use

Charter and Recreational Fishing/Boating will be affected in the Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve by this draft management plan

http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/south-east/publications/pubs/se-draft-management-plan.pdfBeagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve

The Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve is described in the draft management plan (p65) as:

• IUCN VI – Multiple Use Zone
• Its boundary encloses Tasmania’s Kent Group Marine Reserve and the Hogan and Curtis Island groups

The draft management plan (p65) shows the Kent Island Group Marine National Park as IUCN II (no recreational fishing) when this is clearly not the case.

The Kent Group National Park is managed by Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service and the map clearly shows that recreational fishing is allowed within a ‘limited take zone’ around Deal Island

The marine protected area is made up of a sanctuary zone which is a no take zone and allows for swimming, snorkelling and other water based activities but no fishing. The rest of the marine protected area is a habitat protection zone which allows for lower impact fishing (e.g. abalone and rock lobster fishing and hand line fishing for scale fish).

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=19044

The Commonwealth Government is wrong to reinforce the point that there will be no change to the management of recreational fishing/boating within the currently proclaimed South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network.

The proposed management changes to the Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve:

Will restrict Victorian commercial and recreational fishing/boating in the Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve

That the proposed management restriction in the Beagle CMR has not been adequately detailed within the Draft management plan.

Therefore, we cannot and will not support the draft management plan until the restriction issues identified within the Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve are adequately addressed.

Basically in a nut shell under the current temporary management plans we are allowed to fish in the habitat protection zone in the Kent Group currently, but under the proposed management plan this area will be closed to us, yet the government has gone out of its way to say that “No changes proposed to management arrangements for recreational fishing activities.”
This is not good enough!

Submission closes on Monday 27 August 2012.

more details

http://wefishaustralia.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/draft-south-east-commonwealth-marine.html