Mr Phillip In gram
President
Anglers Action Group
PO Box 630
Narrabeen NSW 2101 (stamped 1 SEP 2008)
Dear Mr Ingram
Thank you for your letter of 26 May 2008 regarding attitudinal surveys in the Solitary Islands and Jervis Bay Marine Parks. The Minister has asked me to respond on her behalf. I apologise for the delay.
You may be aware that the zoning plans for the Solitary Islands and Jervis Bay Marine Parks are currently being reviewed. As part of that review the Marine Parks Authority engaged in extensive community consultation to identify any issues with the current zoning plans. This included:
- meetings with key stakeholders, including local recreational fishing clubs, charter operators, tourism businesses and associations and local chambers of commerce;
- focus group meetings with recreational fishers, commercial fishers, businesses, conservation groups and marine scientists;
- publication of an information package, that included information on scientific research conducted over the last 5 years and management programs carried out in the marine parks;
- street stalls attended marine park staff, where members of the community could ask questions about the review; and
- a public submission period of two months, where members of the community were invited to make submissions on the effectiveness of the current zoning plans in meeting the objects of the Marine Park Act 1997.
In conducting the reviews of the zoning plans, the Authority recognized that it would be an appropriate time to assess the level of knowledge and understanding of the Marine Parks and their zoning plans in the communities surrounding them. In January 2008, the Marine Parks Authority commissioned an independent consultant (McGregor Ran Research) to conduct randomized telephone surveys of residents of the areas surrounding Jervis Bay Marine Park and Solitary Islands Marine Park.
Four hundred residents were randomly contacted for each survey, and asked a series of questions to ascertain how well they understood the purpose of the marine parks and the zoning plans; what their opinion was about the benefits and drawbacks of the marine parks; and what specific issues they believed affected marine parks. The methodology was designed by McGregor Tan Research, and is a standard methodology used for market research surveys. A sample size of 400 was chosen to obtain results that would be statistically reliable.
The surveys showed that the overwhelming majority of people support the marine parks and the sanctuary zones within them, with 80% supporting the sanctuary zones in Solitary Islands Marine Park and 82% supporting the sanctuary zones in Jervis Bay Marine Park.
Of those surveyed who identified as fishers, 68% supported the sanctuary zones in the Solitary Islands Marine Park, and 76% supported the sanctuary zones in Jervis Bay Marine Park.
The Marine Park Authority has not commissioned this particular type of survey previously; however it is now of the Authority?s ongoing research program, which includes research on marine biodiversity, the usage of marine parks and social and economic factors. Other similar research includes a small business survey and park usage surveys. A summary of the results of these projects is included in the public information package for the zoning plan reviews, available on the Marine Park Authority website at
www.mpa.nsw.gov.au.
If you would like further information please contact Adrian Toovey, Manager Aquatic Protected Areas Section, on 02 9585 6589.
Yours sincerely
LISA CORBYN
Director General
Yours sincerely
Verity Firth
