8th October 2008
Ms Jan Olley
National Parks Advisory Council
National Parks & Wildlife Division
Main St.,
ALSTONVILLE, 2477
Dear Ms Olley,
We request an urgent review of the Management Plans for each of the Coastal Nature Reserves in the Tweed Shire, namely, Cudgen, Wooyung and Billinudgel whose boundaries have all been gazetted to the Low Water Mark and Amateur Fishers Vehicles prohibited from accessing the intertidal areas of these Reserves.
This ban is not acceptable to Amateur Fishermen and Women who are holders of a Tweed Shire Council Beach Vehicle Permit, particularly when access is allowed to Professional Vehicles.
I refer you to the Management Issues and Strategies of the PoM of the Nature Reserves where it states ?Commercial Fishing Activities have been undertaken on the Beach within the Reserve for a number of years yet you fail to recognise that Amateur Fishing Vehicles have accessed the total beach area since wheels were put on Motor Vehicles and during that time no damage has occurred to these beaches whatsoever.
Fishermen who hold a Beach Vehicle Permit request that Amateur Fishers and Commercial Fishers be given equal rights of access to the Intertidal area of the Reserves and be licensed to do so by the Tweed Shire Council nothing more, nothing less.
If you have any doubts about putting forward this amendment we would request that you enter into dialogue with ECOfishers (Tweed) either on site at Pottsville or we would be happy to travel to Alstonville for further discussions.
The ?Lock Out? of the Wooyung Reserve has caused a great deal of anguish to local Permit Holders as there is now only 0.8km of beach accessible before the boundary of the
Reserve. Then to access any further beach it is necessary to retrace the route back and off the beach and travel down the public road 4.5km to gain access to the beach again. This is a ridiculous situation since the length of the Reserve is barely 2.5km and Commercial
Fishers are allowed to traverse this area with any number of vehicles.
The outcome that would be acceptable to fishers who hold a Beach Permit would be to be granted access to the Intertidal areas below the Mean High Water Mark, as is given to Professional fishers. Access to the area above the High Water Mark is not requested nor expected.
The draft PoM for the Wooyung Nature Reserve stated that all submissions were referred to the Regional Advisory Committee for consideration. It is now known that the Advisory Committee failed local fishers and rejected comments that were submitted supporting retention of access to this Reserve, particularly those submitted by members of the Pottsville Fishing Club.
The Legislative framework does state ?If after adequate investigation, operations not included in the Plan are found to be justified, the may be amended in accordance with Section 73(B) of the NPW Act.?
Therefore ECOfishers request the Advisory Committee to support the following amendment to the PoM for the Wooyung Nature Reserve.
ADD Under ?Other Use? Amateur Fishing Activities
ADD ? ?Strategies? Issue Licenses for Amateur Fishers that hold
Tweed Council Beach Vehicle Permits.
This action would remove discrimination and give local amateur fishers the same rights as given to Professionals.
An early reply would be appreciated.
Yours Sincerely,
?.
David Cranwell
Spokesperson for ECOfishers Tweed Branch
Tweed Fishing Clubs Assn
Pottsville Fishing Club.
