Scientists and conservationists pan State Government plans to allow fishing in five marine park sanctuary zones
Scientists and conservationists have called for a truce in the battle to save SA’s marine sanctuaries, which have overwhelming public support.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Fox, Taylor join criticism of SA plan for marine sanctuary fishing
- Anglers to gain access to closed zones in five SA marine parks
- South Australian marine parks: Five-year status report
- How to get the most out of your Advertiser subscription
Any changes to the state’s marine parks must be put off beyond 2022 to allow for a thorough scientific review and public consultation, scientists and conservationists say.
The State Government plans to allow fishing in five sanctuary zones and has ordered a review.
But critics say it is too early, arguing the parks, established in 2012, need to be in place for at least a decade before a review can be meaningful.
They say the scope of the current review is inadequate.
Professor Rob Lewis, a former director of both the SA Research and Development Institute and the old fisheries department, said the science did not support the proposed changes.
“It (should be) about evidence informing decision making, rather than having an outcome, maybe a political outcome, and then fudging the information to somehow justify that,” he said.
“They really should defer this and do it properly so they actually meet the requirements. You need more information and you need wider communication.”
The sanctuary zones where some fishing would be allowed are Isles of St Francis, North Neptune, Clinton Wetlands, Cape du Couedic and Coorong Beach South. To compensate, sanctuary zones at Nuyts Reef and Isles of St Francis would be expanded, raising the overall area protected.
But Prof Lewis said the changes would be detrimental, shifting highly significant biological hot spots out of the sanctuaries in return for areas of lower value.
“The argument that they have slightly increased the area of sanctuary zones does not take into consideration the change in quality of these areas,” he said. “It’s all about shifting sanctuary zones from highly significant biodiversity habitats to less significant, because the high biodiversity hotspots are actually the high productivity areas.”
A survey of 807 South Australians has found overwhelming support for marine sanctuaries, especially among fishers. The YouGov polling commissioned by the Wilderness Society of SA found 88 per cent think marine sanctuaries are a good idea and three in four people want to see them doubled in size.
“South Australians and particularly recreational fishers strongly value marine sanctuaries and do not support established sanctuaries being cut back,” Wilderness Society director Peter Owen said.
“The proposed reductions in sanctuary zones would remove key monitoring sites from within marine parks before trends in recovery of depleted fish stock and biodiversity values can be properly assessed.”
The Conservation Council SA, The Australian Marine Conservation Society and Sea Shepherd were among the organisations to send detailed submissions.
Public consultation on the current review ran from May 29 to July 10, with thousands of submissions that the government will consider before a final submission is put to parliament. Environment Minister David Speirs said: “The proposed changes ... would improve the balance between sustaining our economy, rec-reational opportunities and environmental preservation.”