The following is a Media Release put out by the Narooma Port Committee in relation to NSW Marine Parks in general, and Batemans Marine Park in particular. Prof. Kearney?s paper presented at the fisheries seminar puts this media release into context.
I would strongly urge ALL fishing clubs/organizations to put out similar media releases
Also you may remember Minister Verity Firth claiming that 84% of people who live in Jervis Bay Marine Park area think it is a good thing etc. ?You are no doubt aware of a recent Jervis Bay study which showed that over 80 per cent of the local population supported the Marine Park. This is similar to findings in other marine parks?
Naturally I have had a careful look at the 112 page survey and I am about to go public with a ?discussion? on this. It will be more embarrassment for the Government in terms of ?spin?.
In a short while we will be seeking a response from Minister Tebbutt to some of the more severe claims by Professor Kearney. In particular to his claims of misspent millions.
Of interest is that there was a huge Customs boat down here assisting Marine Parks Authority to detect illegal trawling .. the spending goes on and on and on!!
http://narooma.yourguide.com.au/news...k/1352817.aspxRegards
Philip Creagh
MEDIA RELEASE
NAROOMA PORT COMMITTEE
Chairman Dr. Philip Creagh BVSc.
Secretary Mr. John Moore
PO Box 596, Narooma, NSW, 2546
Ph. (02) 4476 3604
NSW Marine Parks are doomed to fail in their objective to protect marine biodiversity, the fish and the environment.Dr. Philip Creagh, chairman of the Narooma Port Committee, together with all anglers affected by the nonsensical zoning rules within NSW Marine Parks, call on the NSW Labor Government to immediately annul the zoning arrangements in the six NSW marine parks, particularly on the beaches and in the estuaries. As Dr. Creagh explained ?this follows the shocking revelations of a deliberate process of misleading the people of NSW, by the NSW Labor Government and the NSW Marine Parks Authority, that the marine environment is being ?protected? in NSW.
We also call for an immediate independent review of all NSW marine parks by the NSW Labor Government.?
The reasons behind this are outlined in an address given by Professor Robert Kearney, Thursday, 30th October 2008 at the NSW Department of Fisheries in Cronulla, NSW.
Dr. Creagh continued "Professor Kearney has shown that the Marine Parks Authority has used its powers to stop fishing in large swathes of the six parks in NSW with absolutely no scientific proof that current fishing practices have any detrimental effect on either NSW fish stocks, or marine biodiversity. Throughout his paper the theme details the real threats to the marine environment as pollution, agricultural run-off and control of sediment inflows. However he astonished the audience when he revealed that the Marine Parks Authority claims that ?Marine Park zoning arrangements are not designed to address threats such as pollution, disease, invasive species and climate change?. As Professor Kearney stated ?NSW marine parks are merely fisheries allocation tools ... even after 15 years they show only marginal change, which cannot be shown to be real benefits, let alone cost-effective ones.? Dr. Creagh wondered what the reason was to have any Marine Parks at all, with no effort to control the real threats?
He went on ?The Narooma Port Committee for a long time has considered the zoning regulations, especially sanctuary zones on beaches and in estuaries, as extremely biased with no scientific merit and implemented by NSW Labor to appease the NSW Greens in order to secure their support at the 2007 State Elections.
Marine parks denote a ?warm and fuzzy? feel that the Labor Government and the Marine Parks Authority have relentlessly used to put a spin on their specious claims of so called ?benefits and protection?. Little did we know that Minister Firth was both misleading NSW Parliament, and slandering Professor Kearney, on 27th February 2008 when she claimed he was ?literally the lone voice in the scientific community opposing NSW Marine Parks?. It is worth reminding the community that Professor Kearney is one of Australia?s leading marine and biodiversity experts.?
Professor Kearney went even further with his criticisms of the scientists within the Marine Parks Authority, when he demonstrated that following his claims they had misrepresented scientific papers on the benefits of beach sanctuary zones, they simply deleted the data and documentation from their report. ?Deleting data which counters a preferred point of view without full and open discussion is scientific fraud? Professor Kearney stated.
Professor Kearney was scathing in his assessment of the socio-economic benefits of the Parks, when he stated that the Marine Parks Authority does ?not even consider the real costs to recreational fishers, particularly the elderly, the young and the poor, who are the groups most disadvantaged by the current zoning arrangements ? the obvious primary beneficiary of the actions by the Marine Parks Authority is the marine parks industry.?
Professor Kearney finished his talk by claiming that it is NOT science ?to assume that a sanctuary zone is the same as a protected area, to simply draw a line on the water and call it a sanctuary zone does not empower the zone with magical qualities? as the NSW Marine Parks Authority and their scientists continuously claim.
Dr. Creagh concluded ?The NSW Labor Government is wasting tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds in an attempt to hoodwink the NSW public into believing they are protecting our Marine environment. Professor Kearney has capably demonstrated the contempt and cynicism by the Marine Parks Authority and why one million NSW fishers do not trust either the Government or the NSW Marine Parks Authority. This deluding of the public must cease and a first step would be rescinding all the zonings in all of the six NSW marine parks.?
ENDS
Dr. Philip Creagh 6th November 2008
The Narooma Port Committee:The Narooma Port Committee is fighting for:
Fair and equitable zoning within the Batemans Marine Park, in particular scientific issues surrounding sanctuary zones.
Challenging misinformation from extreme Green Conservation groups in relation to Montague Island and the protection of the Grey Nurse Shark.
The Narooma Port Committee is a volunteer, community based organization made up of representatives from the recreational and commercial line fishermen, Charter Boat operators, Tackle stores, boating industry, accommodation facilities and licenced clubs who use the port of Narooma, on the far south coast of New South Wales.
The Committee has an ancillary role in lobbying Government, or Council, in any matters that affect the Boating interests of Narooma, NSW.
Curriculum Vitae for Professor Robert Kearney PhD, DSc, AMBob Kearney is Emeritus Professor of Fisheries at the University of Canberra. He is currently Chairman of the Research Committees of the Hermon Slade Foundation and the Australia and Pacific Scientific Foundation.
His career in fisheries and environmental research and management includes the following previous positions: Principle Fisheries Scientist for the Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries in Papua New Guinea and Personal Advisor to the Minister of Fisheries and Forestry, Founder and Director of the Skipjack and Tuna Programs for the Secretariat of the South Pacific Community, Chief Scientist of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, Director of the New South Wales Fisheries Research Institute, Professor of Environmental Science and Head of the School of Resource Environmental and Heritage Sciences at the University of Canberra, Foundation Board Member of the Australian Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Board Member of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Foundation Board Member of two Cooperative Research Centers (Aquaculture and Freshwater Ecology), Member of the Australian Government Biodiversity Advisory Committee and the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, and Chairman of the Board of the WorldFish Center.
He is the author of approximately 150 scientific and technical papers and the recipient of more than 20 million dollars in research grants. Major research achievements include the first assessments of the tuna resources and related fisheries in the central and western Pacific and identification and first documentation of the need for a regional fisheries agency to manage these fisheries. More recent research projects include modelling Australia?s fisheries production and consumption to 2050 and beyond, reducing conflict between recreational and commercial fishers, and injecting industry perspectives into the use of marine protected areas for conservation and fisheries management purposes. In 2005 he was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of his contribution to international and Australian fisheries research and management.
