No-fishing sanctuary zones in new Sydney Marine Park ‘fall short’

A MARINE ecology expert has condemned NSW fishers for suggesting plans for a Sydney marine park amounted to a “lockout” with 97.6 per cent still open to fishing.

Fishing along the south east coast of Sydney is hugely popular.

• Sydney Marine Park: NSW Government 'hypocrtical'
• New Marine Park for NSW
• Calls for a Sydney Marine Park

A MARINE ecology expert has condemned fishers for suggesting plans for a Sydney marine park amounted to a “lockout”.

University of Technology, Sydney professor David Booth said the proposed sanctuary zones which would prevent recreational fishing covered just 2.4 per cent of ocean between Newcastle and Wollongong.

“It leaves 97.6 per cent open to fishing,” Professor Booth said. “The global standard is at least 20 per cent to protect wildlife … 2.4 per cent is still not enough.

“Of course the fishers will say it’s a lockout but I don’t think it’s a lockout when there’s 97.6 per cent available.”

David Booth, professor of Marine Ecology at UTS has also previously lobbied to install artificial reefs in Sydney Harbour to increase biodiversity. Picture: Joel Carrett

Prof Booth cited multiple studies which found no-fishing reserves would have to be expanded to reach global sustainability targets.

“The present globally unbalanced situation, with more than 98 per cent of seas open to some form of fishing, deserves immediate multinational attention,” a December 2017 study between the University of Tasmania and the UTS found.

“There’s more evidence than you can poke a stick at,” Prof Booth said.

He said a “golden” 20 per cent no-fishing zone allowed for intergenerational equity and regeneration.

“Below about 20 per cent … there’s not enough fish in the general area to spawn and regenerate. On 2.5 per cent there’s no way.”

In a study titled “A Rationale For Minimum 20-30% No-take Protection”, experts found that population collapse and the amount of biological compensation necessary to maintain adult populations “increase dramatically” when that figure falls below 10 per cent.

Prof Booth said the fishing lobby was powerful in NSW and could undermine the new marine park plan, which is now on public exhibition.

Meanwhile, recreational fishers have banded together to fight the plan, with Facebook Stop The Lockout group attracting 37,000 likes in less than two weeks. Fisher Steve Peach said: “Most recreational anglers support sensible and sustainable management of our fisheries but lockouts in my opinion are entirely the wrong way to go about it.”