WeFish

Here in Victoria we have just recently had an audit on the Environmental Management of Marine Protected Areas by the Auditor-General, 2nd March 2011. Here are some high lights
"Parks Victoria could not demonstrate that it is effectively managing MPAs or that it is being effective or efficient in protecting marine biodiversity within MPAs. This is largely because dedicated funding for managing MPAs has been used for other activities. This has contributed to a lack of dedicated marine staffing and expertise, and a consequent lack of demonstrable activity to achieve management plan objectives. While dedicated funding for marine-related activities has not been used as intended, management and reporting systems within Parks Victoria are such that it is not possible to determine where these funds were applied."

"DSE is responsible for state marine environmental policy. However, it has not developed a policy to direct management of the marine environment—one that encompasses all marine areas, integrates well across catchments and coastal areas, and enables consistent planning across both MPAs and other marine waters to achieve agreed outcomes.
Shortcomings exist with planning at the state level. While Parks Victoria had developed a plan for marine national parks and sanctuaries—Victoria’s System of Marine National Parks and Sanctuaries: Management Strategy 2003–2010—it had neither fully implemented nor evaluated it before it expired in 2010"

http://www.audit.vic.gov.au/reports__publications/reports_by_year/2010-11/20110302_marine_parks.aspx
“Furthermore, the Auditor-General found $34 million of the $38 million the Labor Government provided to Parks Victoria for the management of marine protected areas could not be reliably accounted for.”

http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/media-centre/media-releases/332-labor-sinks-in-marine-parks-report.html

This clearly shows that while we have had an increase in both marine and terrestrial protection areas, we have not stopped the loss of species. So what are these so called protection areas doing?

Just 0.8% of out marine species are considered threatened, compare that to the others, and out of this O.8%, not one is a species targeted by anglers, in fact the only species to have become extinct are fresh water species that live in our national parks rivers.