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Surf Casting and Angling Club of W.A. (Inc.)
Reply From the Ministers for Environment and Fisheries to the Club's Letters on the Jurien Bay Marine Park Indicative Management Plan. |
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Recent reply from the Environment Minister.
Ref:06455
Mr Terry Fuller, Secretary, The Surf Casting and Angling Club of WA (Inc.)
P0 Box 2032
Marmion WA 6020
Dear Mr Fuller
PROPOSED JURIEN BAY MARINE PARK
Thank you for your letter of 30 September 2001 regarding the Indicative Management Plan for the Proposed Jurien Bay Marine Park.
I have noted your concerns in relation to both the planning process and the contents of the Plan and make the following comments.
The Marine Parks and Reserves Authority (MPRA) has considered the 81 public submissions and has recommended some amendments to the Indicative Management Plan in light of the submissions. The amended Plan is due to be forwarded to me shortly for consideration, and I will then seek the concurrence of both the Minister for State Development and the Minister for Fisheries for the creation of the marine park and the release of the Management Plan. A summary of public submissions will also be available when the Management Plan is finalised.
I do not believe it is necessary to undertake another public submission process. There has already been an extensive planning and consultation process and further consultation is unlikely to raise new issues that have not already been discussed extensively. The creation of marine reserves is always a complex task as it involves so many competing interests and it is difficult to achieve an outcome that fully satisfies all parties.
While I agree with you that fishing for rock lobster has a potential impact on the environment, it is a relatively low impact industry in terms of by-catch (ie. species other than rock lobster) and habitat damage and has recently been certified (in March 2000) as a "healthy and well-managed" fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council. The Council is an independent non-government organisation established in 1996 by the World Wide Fund forNature and Unilever. Fin fishing, particularly recreational fin fishing, is quite a different management proposition and so can not be easily compared with rock lobster fishing.
With the planned construction of a coastal road and the general increase in fishing pressure throughout the central west coast, there is currently a window of opportunity to establish management strategies for recreational fishing and other pressures, to ensure the marine environment will be protected in the long term. The proposed marine park will provide opportunities to increase protection for fish stocks, maintain the balance of marine organisms on which these fish feed, and study the effectiveness of zoning and other management strategies.
While I appreciate your organisation's views regarding the proposal, I am sure you do not dispute the need for increased protection and management of the marine environment. The management objectives and strategies for the proposed Jurien Bay Marine Park may not be ideal from all points of view, however, the marine scientist Dr Graham Edgar who has extensive experience in other Australian marine protected areas and has been studying the proposed Jurien Bay reserve for the last three years states that "...the proposal as presently described will create the best marine protected area in southern Australia - with a long gap to second place".
I hope that this letter helps to explain some of the strategies within the Indicative Management Plan for the proposed Jurien Bay Marine Park and I look forward to your future support for this proposal.
Yours sincerely
Dr Judy Edwards MLA
MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE
29th FLOOR, ALLENDALE SQUARE, 77 ST. GEORGE'S TERRACE, PERTH 6000
Telephone: (08) 9220 5050 Facsimile: (08) 9221 4665/8 E-Mail: judy-edwards@dpc.wa.gov.au
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Earlier reply from the Fisheries Minister.
MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY AND FISHERIES; THE MIDWEST, WHEATBELT AND GREAT SOUTHERN
LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
11th Floor, Dumas House, 2 Havelock Street, West Perth, Western Australia 6005
Telephone (08) 9213 6700 Facsimile: (08) 9213 6701
Internet: http ://www. wa.gov.au/cabinet/chance
Ref:8-3225
Mr T Fuller, Secretary, The Surf Casting and Angling Club of WA (Inc.), P0 Box 2032, Marmion WA 6020
Dear Mr Fuller
Jurien Bay Marine Park Indicative Management Plan
Thank you for your letter of 30 September expressing concern about the public consultation and planning process associated with the proposed Jurien Bay Marine Park.
As you may know, the previous Minister for the Environment established a Community Consultative Committee which undertook an extensive consultation process and developed a Draft Management Plan for the proposal. This draft plan was considered by the Marine Parks and Reserves Authority who provided advice about some amendments before it was released. The draft was released for a period of three months for public comment and during that time, a range of interest groups including Recfishwest and your organisation provided an input. In addition, the Department of Fisheries made a submission outlining the matters of importance to the recreational fishing, commercial fishing and aquaculture industries.
The Department of Fisheries has advised me that the Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) is currently considering the public submissions and will make a recommendation to the Minister for the Environment about the final plan in the near future. I understand that CALM will produce a summary of submissions detailing how each submission has been considered during the preparation of the final plan. I also understand that the summary will be made available to the public.
The proposed establishment of the Jurien Bay Marine Park is part of the Government's policy to establish a system of representative marine reserves in Western Australia. The establishment of marine parks occurs for biodiversity conservation purposes and does not necessarily contribute to the management of fish stocks. Planning for and gazettal of marine parks usually results in some reallocation of marine resources between user groups.
This process can produce outcomes that do not benefit all users. I understand that the draft plan is likely to place some form of limitation on all user groups including recreational fishers.
In your letter, you indicate that lobster potting has been banned in the Cottesloe Reef Fish Habitat Protection Area. However, this is not the case as the use of pots by recreational fishers is still permitted.
May I take this opportunity to thank your organisation for its interest in the management of the marine environment.
Yours sincerely
23 October 2001
Kim Chance MLC
MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
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