East Marine Region - AFFA's

[Andy]

Not sure if you gents are interested or not, but as you may be aware Garret released the Areas For Further Assesment in the East Marine Region last week.

If you are not aware, I suggest you take a look here: http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/east/index.html

The areas for further assesment are here:
http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/publications/east/fs-afa.html

These links are for the east marine region, so only apply to those in NSW and QLD. The same website also contains links to all marine regions in australia, inluding the AFFAs for north and west. Well worth researching, as the affas are basically the new lock out zones, unless we do something about it now.


For the QLD/NSW people, ECOFishers QLD has a federal petiton up and running, sponsored by Senator Ron Boswell. ECOFishers NSW is also distributing this petition. Links are below.

Link to the petition
http://www.ecofishersqld.org.au/Link...fc%3d&tabid=66

Link to information sheet.
http://www.ecofishersqld.org.au/Link...hQ%3d&tabid=66

[poly]

rotten buggers
shock wtf shock wtf

[Keithy P]

Thanks Andy,
I can't access the eccofishers links, I dont know if its just mine?

[Doug]

Can't get either of those ecofisher links Andy.

[Andy]

What about this?

http://www.ecofishersqld.org.au/News.aspx

[Andy]

Try again, seems like the link was cut short:

Petition:
http://www.ecofishersqld.org.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=HhMPaHklVfc%3d&tabid=66

Info sheet:
http://www.ecofishersqld.org.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=T3mRMpQw9hQ%3d&tabid=66

[chin]

For the Hunter region, (my neck of the woods) they want to "protect" the sea bed, slopes, canyons etc.
I bet the ever-present string of 80 or so coal ships anchored off the coast aren't prevented from dropping their reef and historical wreck destroying anchors anywhere they please.
Here we go again. doh

[Andy]

For the Hunter region, (my neck of the woods) they want to "protect" the sea bed, slopes, canyons etc.
I bet the ever-present string of 80 or so coal ships anchored off the coast aren't prevented from dropping their reef and historical wreck destroying anchors anywhere they please.
Here we go again. doh

If PEW have their way (credit to Garret for not giving it to them) then there would be no coal ships either.

What got me annoyed in moreton bay was how they state government claimed they were protecting biodiversity. In my stomping ground there is a huge green zone over a big mud desert. Nothing bay rays and sharks passing by. However, at the southern end of the green zone is a really good sea grass area that is now full of dugong, not a green zone because the airport is being extended out there. And how are they extending the airport? By dredging up a seagrass bed from the middle banks out near moreton island, also not a green zone.

This has nothing to do with protecting the environment, it is only there to appease the green vote and silence the 'eco' terrorists. I am more green than all of them, because I want the fisheries to be there so I can catch a fish, and for my kids, and there kids.

[Keithy P]

I think that is the issue at the forefront of the debate. The majority of us are incredibly supportive of action that preserves biodiversity, if an area was zoned "no take" to preserve an ecosystem or even a single species I recon the most of us would would let it be. I do support the notion of further study because I believe the only way we can preserve the marine environment is by examining our impact, not just our primary impact of extracting critters, but also the secondary impact such as the damage to benthatic ecosystems via trawling affecting the food web... Its all connected. That business with the coral sea; A few of my boys go to escape reef once a year, they never see another boat because very few boats actually head out there. I would love to be able to get out there one day and fish, though I am not sure that it should be legal to drift net out there (I dont know what they can do I am just using it as an example). The only way that they can make effevtive legislation is by perfoming research. There is alot of legislation kicking about currently which I think is just rediculous, its not even lack of research because we know its stupid! Dont get me started!!

There is the old senario that I am sure I have said here before so please forgive my repetative (drunken) ranting, but it really gets my blood boiling when blokes say something like "The fishing is nowhere near as good as it used to be... we all used to be able to fill the whole boat up every weekend... we dont catch any where near as much anymore" and they wonder why.

just my two cents, I am someone who fishes most days of the week and hopes to for as long as I am breathing

[Andy]

I think that is the issue at the forefront of the debate. The majority of us are incredibly supportive of action that preserves biodiversity, if an area was zoned "no take" to preserve an ecosystem or even a single species I recon the most of us would would let it be. I do support the notion of further study because I believe the only way we can preserve the marine environment is by examining our impact, not just our primary impact of extracting critters, but also the secondary impact such as the damage to benthatic ecosystems via trawling affecting the food web... Its all connected. That business with the coral sea; A few of my boys go to escape reef once a year, they never see another boat because very few boats actually head out there. I would love to be able to get out there one day and fish, though I am not sure that it should be legal to drift net out there (I dont know what they can do I am just using it as an example). The only way that they can make effevtive legislation is by perfoming research. There is alot of legislation kicking about currently which I think is just rediculous, its not even lack of research because we know its stupid! Dont get me started!!

There is the old senario that I am sure I have said here before so please forgive my repetative (drunken) ranting, but it really gets my blood boiling when blokes say something like "The fishing is nowhere near as good as it used to be... we all used to be able to fill the whole boat up every weekend... we dont catch any where near as much anymore" and they wonder why.

just my two cents, I am someone who fishes most days of the week and hopes to for as long as I am breathing


Spot on. It should be done using credible research and science, not because an american green organisation says so.

[Giffo]

"The fishing is nowhere near as good as it used to be... we all used to be able to fill the whole boat up every weekend... we dont catch any where near as much anymore" and they wonder why.

Exactly right Keithy,I have said the same thing around the fire when away fishing,and some people can't see the impact that had.