Marine Parks

[Tarki]

Marine parks are for CONSERVING the biodiversity, NOT for managing the fishery. This fact is often lost on extreme Green preservationists (as distinct from conservationists) who want to preserve everything and save the world, by locking it up and throwing away the key.They expect everything will stay the same! What a load of bovine excretus! More power to ECOfishers, true marine conservationists. Conservation through sustainable use is the way to go and you people have scientific support.  Tarki.

[Grantm]

Its great to see a group showing some commen sense and looking for comprimise, backed up by proper research.

A really hope you guys can unite all the groups and make an impact.

[plfishfingers]

Hi Guys
I am glad some one is thinking of us commercial fishos. I am a charter operator that fishes Pittwater chasing Kingfish.
It baffles me that there are these extreme groups and they get listened to by the government. As you all know these groups have invaded different reef areas and within a few months have us all banned from well known fishing spots.
It used to be that the majority ruled but now days its the minority that gets its way.
 Scuba diving groups are also to blame as are some snorkelling groups. These groups were the ones that cried blue murder with the reduction in Grey Nurse Shark populations. Of course most of the crap that was told was exactly that,CRAP. Fisherman were blamed as a whole even though it is well documented that spear fisherman killed more of these fish than anyone else. This spearfishing was documented by Ben Cropp and he as well as others killed more than their fair share back in the 70s and 80s. Funny enough this is when they started to notice less of them and well you know the rest.
Barrenjoey Head as well as Box Head are on their hit lists in our area. The writing is on the wall for all to read.
Look at what happened in Victoria, Port Phillip Bay. Fishos were told that there was nothing to worry about as there was only 5% of the Bay that would be No Fishing Zones. Everyone thought that this is a good thing as more fish will breed and the waterway will come back strong over the following years.5% isn't much of a big bay like Port Phillip.
What the fisherman were not told was that 90% of the productive reefs were to be protected and that only a few close in areas suitable for fishing were left. These areas now have more pressure put on them than ever before.
This is what will happen in NSW if something is not done now.
As a dumb ass fisho I can only see one solution too this whole mess.
As already mentioned all parties need to go to the table and discuss appropriate measures that need to be implemented. The last resort is to ban people from fishing the area.
Closures to protect breeding fishes would be a more realistic approach. But of course this would mean that the DPI would have to declare the species they would be trying to protect.
The only way to beat the government is to play them with their own rules. For instance if an area is closed to fishing but Scuba groups are allowed in discrimination should be shouted from the roof tops. Its just a matter of enough people banding together and fighting for a common goal.
I will be keenly watching this site to see if any progress is being made.
Keep up the great work
Peter

[Tarki]

Ecofishers are marine conservationists.They practise conservation through sustainable use, which is in line with mainstream marine science. Ecofishers are exposing and exploding the " scientific myths" pedalled by extreme Green groups. Their latest myth is called the " Spill Over Effect" and it is real chook yard science. Here are my scientific views about the mythical spill over effect.
The "spill over effect", of fish breeding in sanctuary zones of marine parks is a total fallacy. It also highlights a comprehensive ignorance of fish biology and spawning techniques. Extreme Green preservationists, (as distinct from sustainable use conservationists - ecofishers) tout the "spill over effect" as a most significant benefit of sanctuary zones in marine parks. That theory is simply invalid chook yard science - a form of quackery. Sanctuary zones are not nesting boxes for fish.
All marine fish lay pelagic eggs. Once they are fertilized, the eggs rise in the water column to the surface. There they are at the mercy of the waves, wind, tides, currents and even predators. They are dispersed all over the surface of the sea. Even the zygotes form part of the plankton.
Finally they descend through the water column many kilometres, even hundreds of kilometres from where they were initially spawned. Even resident species lay pelagic eggs.
Another extreme Green myth exposed and exploded.         Tarki.


                                      LABOR  LOCKS  LOCALS  OUT.
The newly zoned Cape Byron Political Park, (Brunswick Heads, Byron Bay and Lennox Head) gives offshore recreational fishers a mere 28ha of intermittent reef to fish for ONLY four months of the year. That tiny triangle represents only 0.1% of the entire 22740 ha marine park. Yet high impact ocean prawn trawlers get to use almost 50% of the park (General Use Zone) every night of the year. And the Marine Park Authority would have us believe these parks are to protect the biodiversity. What hypocritical political spin. So get organised fishing families. There is a marine park coming to a coastal area near you real soon ....if the Labor government is returned with Green preferences in March 2007.  Check out this scandulous marine park, with 27.5% sanctuary zone for yourself on  mpa.nsw.org.au (Cape Byron) Now do you think it is time to join ecofishers and defend your rights against the extreme Greens? I do.                 Tarki.

[Tarki]

The" SPILL OVER EFFECT."   What is it and how is it supposed to work?

The "SPILL OVER EFFECT," is a stupid theory that the extreme Greens developed to justify their strong support for sanctuary (lock-out) zones in marine parks. The theory is this. You create huge areas of no-take-anything zones in coastal waters and the fish will come there to breed, because they will be safe from these terrible fishing families. After some time, when the "stocks have recovered," (they don't say from what) and all these offspring of the fish theoritically breeding in these sanctuary zones have eaten all the available food from the ecosystem, instead of eating each other, (no fish would never do that,now would they? Oh no.) they SPILL OVER into adjoining areas where those greedy family fishers can harvest them. After all, we can even supply the fish with a copy of the zoning plan, written in piscatorial-ese, so the randy  migratory fish can find these underwater brothels for a gang-bang any time after dark and at any phase of the moon. It is irrelevant to the extreme Greens whether the surrounding SPILL OVER area is of the same habitat type as the sanctuary zone for when fish numbers have increased, they will simply spill over, because there is no more room in the sanctuary zone. That's the theory and if it wasn't so serious it would be funny. That fellow fishers is some of the extreme Green nonsense we are up against. Won't you join the campaign? Tight lines

[Tarki]

To those avid offshore fishos around Port Stephens and others up and down the coast. The newly zoned Cape Byron Political Park, is to be the model for ALL other marine parks Labor is stampeding to establish to win Green preferences for the March election 2007. Now if you have Grey Nurse sharks in the area or a Critical Habitat Zone already, look forward to having that increased to at least 1.5 km radius, as a total sanctuary zone around the site. That's what the Greens want and that's what you will get. That is what they got in Byron Bay and the reason..."it is now Government policy!" This is despite the fact that the Labor govt operates shark meshing programs off Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong beaches that snares and kills Grey Nurse sharks.....they admit to killing 10 in the last 10 years. Does anyone else find that to be a double standard?
let's hear from you. 1.5 km radius (not diameter.It is 3km diameter ) around these fabulous and favourite fishing spots. Where are you all going to fish? On the sand? For reef species like snapper, teraglin, mulloway, pearl perch etc? Come on, let's hear from you.

[Tarki]

ECOfishers needs a theme song. It could even be played on this site. I nominate Johnny Cash singing "I  WON"T  BACK  DOWN"  Anyone else got any other good ideas? If I hear one more news reader or political commentator use the words PRISTINE WATERS around Byron Bay," again I'll vomit. The overrated and over priced place has had two abattoirs and a whaling station in recent years, all discharging their offal and waste into the Bay through what was known as the "BLOOD PIPE". Over to you.

[Bluecod]

Tarki,

Where have you been!

You're speaking some good talk, but this forum is new and those that visit are already converted.

Grantm and myself have been trying to drum up some interest on some of the fishing sites, how about you drop a few posts into Fishraider, Sydneyfishfinder and some of the more larger mainstream sites.

Cheers,

bluecod

[Tarki]

G'day Bluecod and Co,
                             I'm a total novice at this "posting" jazz. To me it means licking a stamp on the other side of the Queen's head, whacking it on an envelope and posting it in one of those big red bins at the post office! So as you can see, I know the subject matter, but not the technology. Hence, you might like to "post" something like this for me.   Lock downs in Sydney. Lockouts north of Newcastle. Marine (Political) Parks, for Port Stephens, and already at Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay. No point in travelling along the Pacific Highway north of Newcastle for your family fishing holiday... it's too dangerous. Besides there are fewer places in which to fish, with unjustified lockout sanctuary zones. Go to www.ecofishers.com  to get the latest drum about how marine parks impact on local communities under the psuedo guise of protecting the biodiversity. Remember the saying," You can't fool all of the people all of the time."  Now is the time to let the people know. I'm sure you can "post" that for me and you don't even have to get your tongue wet! (I never did like the flavour on the back of those stamps.Why can't they have caramel, vanilla, chocolate flavours etc....)

[Bluecod]

Tarki,

Grantm and myself have been "posting" for a while and would like to see some new blood come in, and you seem to be doing a good job here. Basis for this request is that folks on these sites only ever see me and Grantm going off about it - they may take more notice if some extras kick in too

Here's a link for you? http://www.fishraider.com.au/Invision/

and another http://www.sydneyfishfinder.com.au/forum/index.php

[Tarki]

To 1,000,000 recreational fisfing families out there. Email this note to a friend and ask them to send it on and on and on.

Governments at all levels have drained our wetlands,concreted our foreshores,removed the mangroves,added sewage, stormwater,toxins exotic plants and animals to our waterways and they dammed our rivers. Now they want to ban negligible impact recreational fishing in parts of their marine parks,as if it is all our fault. ECOfishers will be damned if they will. Check out the issues and join the campaign on www. ecofishers.com    You cannot afford not to be informed and support the cause, for there is a marine park coming to the coast near you soon.

[Tarki]

Zoning plans for marine (political) parks are designed by bureaucrats and "external experts", not by nature. I work in and with nature all the time. Government and the Marine Park Authority, attempts to manage nature in straight lines, as if it were a fence. No science or sense in that either!
Time to join the cause folks. Enough is enough. We have all been to apathetic for too long.....and see what happens. We get treated like second class citizens. Time to act. Tarki.

[Tarki]

The extreme Green anti fishing lobby,now says that sanctuary zones are to allow fish stocks to recover. What the public wants to know is recover from what? And how?
These groups use imprecise and unfounded statements and by so doing, undermine the validity of the real conservation message. All to often they misrepresent the facts. And the consequences of their emotional and aggressive stance is that they have left a legacy of confusion, frustration, and gross mistrust in conservation objectives among the Cape Byron Political Park communities. And to counter that community mistrust, the extreme Green anti fishing lobby are now saying the community is scaremongering!!!  No wonder the community won't support this political park.  And so it simply won't work.

Cats got your tongues out there? Let's hear from you. Ask a question, make a comment, express a point of view..... but don't start a rumour. That's the province of the extreme Green anti-fishing lobby.                           Tarki.

[Tarki]

 Folks,
       When the extreme Green anti fishing lobbies,(National Parks Association, Nature Conservation Council, Wilderness Society etc) start citing and quoting excerpts from studies done at Maria Is (Tasmania) and the Leigh Marine Laboratory (Auckland NZ) and Boudii Marine Reserve - Dr. Bill Gladstone (NSW) just remember to respond by saying in your letters to the editor,   "the results of scientific analysis in one situation are not necessarily applicable to other situations. They are usually site and species specific. They are "snapshot studies" with little or no interpretative value. Hence they are totally irrelevant. Scientists don't compare apples and oranges."
 Have a safe and jolly Xmas. Don't forget the local seafood. It beats imported Catfish from the Mekong delta!            Tarki.

[Tarki]

 Anyone want help / advice with the Marine Park user survey? Just enquire here. Been there, done that.        Tarki.