There will also be a specific catch and release zone
Al McGlashan says anglers are finally being acknowledged under radical changes to fishing rules in Batemans Marine Park
NSW
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Marine park lockouts have been nothing but a disaster for NSW. Unlike everywhere else in
the world, where anglers are recognised as key assets to the parks’ wellbeing, in NSW the
green-influenced Labor Party targeted them as the villains. In 2007 Labor introduced their
marine park lockouts and effectively shut the door on every day Aussies and many of their
own supporters from some of the best fishing grounds in the state. More than a decade on
and now, with the coalition in power, the marine lockouts are still proving to be nothing
but toxic for the Government.
Instead of helping fish stocks, they appeared to have done the opposite for our most iconic
sportfish like snapper and kingfish with stocks continuing to decline since the introduction
of the parks. If only all the money squandered had been used for research so we could
better understand the fish we are trying to protect. And marine parks do nothing to fix the real issues like plastic and pollution.
Anglers, who are actually out on the water, as opposed to the Deep Greens in their coffee shops, are all too aware of the problems surrounding marine parks and have long been lobbying for change.
Last week we had a monumental win. For the first time sanctuary zones have been opened up to fishing. The Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall announced five new fishing zones would be created in the Batemans Marine Park on the South Coast. The five sanctuary zones identified for increased access are Brou Lake South, Freshwater and Foresters Bays, Montague Island and Nangudga Lake.
The announcement couldn’t have come at a better time, with the summer break kicking off,
making it a massive win for kids and families who all want to wet a line over the holidays.
“Fishing is one of this State’s iconic pastimes and as Minister I’m keen to support our
recreational fishing industry, which generates $3.4 billion in economic output each year,”
Mr Marshall said. It really is a pleasure to be recognised instead of blamed!
Member for Bega Andrew Constance, who has long been a huge supporter of rec fishing, has seen first-hand the effects of the lockouts on his local community.
“The Greens and Labor locked up 85 per cent of the region’s best fishing grounds with the stroke of a pen, which was an absolute blow to our community’s recreational fishers,” he said.
What is even more exciting for me is the introduction of a catch and release zone in Brou
Lake South. This is a non-extractive regulation and has very low impact so it is something I
would like to see included across all marine parks. It sets the precedent to bring our
marine parks in line with the rest of the world, where parks work with the community so the marine environment can be both enjoyed and protected. Just imagine what opening up places like Seal Rocks again would be like! It’s also great to see NSW Fisheries stepping up and backing the changes, especially after their disastrous role in the Sydney marine park fiasco.
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