By Bob Lister,
Chief Executive,
Tasmanian Fishing Industry Council
New Government Proposals Will Further Reduce Access to Marine Waters.
Tasmanians are being subjected to two new and separate government plans to create even more marine protected areas (MPAs) in waters off our coastline.
The State government is promoting at least two MPAs within State waters and Environment Australia in partnership with the National Oceans Office are considering MPA proposal options as part of the South East Regional Marine Plan programme in Commonwealth waters out to 200 nautical miles.
Whatever your reviews on MPAs most people will not welcome the likely loss of recreational and commercial opportunities associating with locking up even more areas of marine waters.
About twelve months ago the then Minister for Primary Industries David Llewellyn issued a written reference to the Resource Planning and Development Commission (RPDC) asking them to conduct an inquiry into two marine bioregions and to recommend on the establishment of a marine protected area within each of those regions.
The areas of the inquiry are within the interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australian Bioregions and are known as the Davey Bioregion and the Twofold Shelf Bioregion.
In layman’s terms this means that the RPDC is looking into all the options to create MPAs in the Bathurst Harbour/Port Davey area and the Kent Group of Islands in Bass Strait.
A Background Report prepared by the RPDC was released for public consideration on 29 July 2002 and written submissions were invited by 23 August 2002.
Whilst the fishing industry and other concerned people have previously defeated two ill fated attempts over many years to establish MPAs in these areas, this new and latest proposal is a different matter.
The new procedures for considering the creation of MPAs have been set out in the development of a Tasmanian Marine Protected Areas Strategy document which was released last year after some 18 months or so of debate and is essentially a blue print as to the process to be followed to create MPAs.
The now released RPDC Background Report is just that. This first step in the strategy process is to establish the history and facts associated with both areas prior to the RPDC later considering and then releasing options on where and how MPAs could be created.
Certainly the creation of MPAs is a very contentious issue in Tasmania and I well remember the very aggressive coastal meetings all around our State (including meetings in Devonport, Smithton and Strahan) a couple of years ago when the MPA strategy paper was released for general comment.
Minister David Llewellyn recently repeated his assurance that the establishment of the proposed MPAs (in whatever form) in the two areas will not restrict abalone or rock lobster fishing as these fisheries are operated on an ecologically sustainable basis, however Minister Llewellyn no longer holds this portfolio responsibility.
Also the Tasmanian government has agreed to establish a process for providing special adjustment payments on a case by case basis, after the establishment of an MPA, to individuals who may be directly and adversely affected by an MPA – but say no action is contemplated that would trigger this difficult issue.
MPAs of course don’t have to be "no take". Low impact fishing can be permitted under IUCN categories and we certainly hope that this will be the case in these two areas.
As a matter of general principle TFIC is opposed to the creation of "no take" MPAs unless we can be satisfied that it is scientifically and demonstrably in the best interests of our commercial fishing industry members and coastal communities.
On this basis we will be responding to the Background Report and intend to hold industry meetings in relevant areas of our State when the draft recommendation report is released by the RPDC later this year.
Whatever the RPDC eventually recommends to the new Minister will require Cabinet and then Parliament approval so we may need to make a lot of noise at some later date on both proposals.
But to be positive we all need to participate in this process and to fairly consider the papers that the RPDC produces. We can then make up our individual minds and develop opinions for or against whatever is proposed.
For offshore waters the draft South East Regional Marine Plan is being considered and prepared by the National Oceans Office and there is increasing industry unrest about what this plan will mean for our commercial fishing industry in waters outside of three nautical miles.
The plan is intended to include MPAs and indeed Environment Australia has been actively promoting specific MPA options direct to the National Oceans Office.
At recent SERMP stakeholder working group meetings attended by National seafood industry members we considered and recorded a number of outcomes we wish to achieve through the development of the South East Regional Marine Plan.
Listed below are just some of the issues identified by seafood industry members which could apply to both inshore and offshore areas and whilst not intending to be a complete list it does however indicate our major issues and concerns associating with these proposals.
• We are very concerned about the possible displacement of fishermen and fishing effort by the creation of no take marine protected areas.
• We need to maintain full security of access with no area closures unless those decisions are based on mutually agreed and sound biological and ecological reasons.
• We do not want political base decisions without proper science and research justification.
• The plan should provide for protection of the marine environment particularly in relation to introduce marine pests, land based impacts and the effects of oil and heavy metal pollution.
• Compensation should apply for any displacement from an area.
We are now collectively progressing the above issues and concerns with the National Oceans Office to ensure that they are addressed in the finalisation of the South East Regional Marine Plan.
The draft SERMP is due for consideration by the National Oceans’ Ministerial Board in December and this will include broad areas of interest within which candidate MPAs would be identified along with a list of basic features within these areas. The final plan should be released by April 2003.
There are obviously interesting times ahead as the State and Federal proposals if successful will both impact significantly on recreational boating and commercial fishing businesses along with coastal communities.
When you become aware of these MPA proposals I strongly urge you to consider all issues and the significant benefits that the Tasmanian community currently enjoys as result of recreational and commercial fishing activities.
Bob Lister is the Chief Executive of the Tasmanian Fishing Industry Council which represents all commercial fishermen, fish processors and marine farmers in Tasmania who produce high quality seafood valued in excess of $300m. per annum and who employ approximately 7,000 Tasmanians.