Dugong
Protection [A] Wild Life Sanctuaries in Hinchinbrook Channel [World Heritage]
Shoalwater Bay, Ince Bay, Harvey Bay-Tin Can Bay, Port Clinton, Stewart
Peninsula-Newry Islands-Ball Bay are set to have gill nets [walls of death]
reintroduced.
National
parks and world heritage areas border Hinchinbrook Channel with Hinchinbrook
Island National Park being the largest Oceanic Island National in the world.
RE: Queensland DPI Fisheries
Inshore Fin Fish Management Plan.
Queensland DPI Fisheries have listed in a draft
proposal to have full scale gill netting reintroduced in all state DUGONG
A protection areas in Queensland
state marine park and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park waters. Managers
have been under strong pressure from the commercial fishing sector to try and
push through a proposal that has the potential to decimate our marine life
including Dugongs, turtles, and dolphins and erode biodiversity. The
Federal Government established the Dugong protection areas in Queensland in
consultation with the DPI, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority James Cook
University with an expert team headed up by renowned dugong researcher Dr Tony
Preen. I spent a lot of time working with Dr
Preen as his eyes in Hinchinbrook Channel recording such things as Dugong counts
and movements and sea grass density.This extensive research and data over many
years led to the establishment of the DPAs. The
research pointed to the fact that set fishing nets are the major contributor to
Dugong fatalities in many areas. Through all this Queensland DPI Fisheries
reluctantly agreed and the DPA protection areas were gazetted. The federal
government paid out millions of dollars to compensate commercial fishers for
loosing access to the Dugong Protected areas.
Was this whole process for
nothing?
The commercial fishers were paid compensation by the federal government they
took the money and said thanks very much. Now
there is a real chance that some of those very people who received compensation
have obtained new licenses and are pushing for access back into those areas they
were compensated to leave.To my knowledge the issue of reintroduction of gill
netting in Dugong protection areas was never raised at any of the previous
consultative meetings attended by recreational fishers in 2006. No
one would have thought that the downgrading of Dugong Wild Life Sanctuaries to
maximize fisheries yield was up for discussion, considering so much compensation
was paid by the federal government to commercial fishers not to gill net these
Sanctuaries in the future. Will the federal
Government once again be put in a position where they may have to pay out
commercial fishers once again for what ever reason?
Or will the state government find itself labial to pay compensation to echo tour operators and associated businesses if the heritage values are reduced by impacts on the wildlife and resources, which in turn may affect incomes. Are we prepared to take a huge steep backwards and endanger venerable marine mammals once again? If there has ever been a case of Double Dipping this proposal has to be up there with the best of them.
Ever since exclusion zones were put in place the DPI Fisheries have been under pressure from the Queensland Commercial Fisherman’s Organization to set nets reintroduced back into Dugong [A] Wild Life Reserves such as Hinchinbrook Channel. Now we have a situation where they are going to try and use the Inshore Fin Fish Management Plan to do just that. We may well ask since when have fisheries managers been given the mandate to become wildlife custodians?
The average citizen out there has no idea of what they are trying to do. The awareness campaign put in place by Queensland DPI Fisheries has been painfully slow to reach the masses, it all looks good from their side of the fence but out there in the real world ignorance prevails. One thing is for sure and we challenge them to make public any submissions other then those from the commercial sector supporting the reintroduction of set gillnets back into DPA A rated areas
This has been done in a non-transparent way where all stakes holders may not have been made aware of the clause 9 content before it was placed into the proposal let alone be given the chance to comment on it.
The framework of the next round
of these consultative meetings is divisive and will only throw fuel on the fire
and ensure the continuation of the them and us attitude. Any
proposals put forward at a commercial meeting would not see the light of day
until
A draft release, as has happened in the case of
section 9 relating to gill netting in Dugong
Protection Areas.
The catalyst in such proposals has been brought about by far to many endorsement
holders set lose on a diminishing fishery. In
the area of catch sharing the recreational sector faces ever increasing
limitations, while on the other hand managers have never considered any form of
commercial quotas to N1 or N2 endorsements to aid overall sustainability.
The draft plan was released early December 2007 and submissions must be in to Queensland fisheries by mid March 2008 the bulk of this time is taken up by holiday periods when people have lots of other things on their mind and may negatively affect responses.
In sections of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Dugongs A protection areas include Cleveland Bay, Hinchinbrook Channel and Missionary Bay, Shoalwater Bay, Harvey Bay-Tin Can Bay, Port Clinton, Ince Bay, Stewart Peninsula-Newry Islands-Ball Bay some of these are designated yellow zones and are in the federal GBRMP and may not be subject to change but for all other state marine park waters it looks like protection may disappear and all this in some of the most ecologically sensitive areas along the tropical coast.
It seems crazy that we could end up with sections of a DPA netted and other parts net free and all this in the “Smart State” It is proposed to reintroduce set nets making the dugong protection rating a farce in state waters. The types of nets that will be used are a 200m net made of large line size monofilament needed to mesh barramundi and a 400m general-purpose monofilament net. These nets are anchored in one spot and form a wall for their intended or unintended victims. These are the very types of nets that have caused so many Dugong deaths in the past. As a token gesture DPI fisheries propose they will only allow 1 set net per fisher who must be in attendance, there is no proposal to limit the number of commercial netters and in real terms there could be dozens of hi impact pulse nets in a given any area at any one time.
At the sharp end of this proposal is the wording “ LOW RISK NETS” the big question that needs to be asked here is …………………
What in fact is the physical difference between a low risk net and the currently used high-risk nets? Nothing is mentioned in the proposal.
One could easily believe the use the wording low risk nets is just sugar-coating to make the proposal more palatable to the general public who have no idea what is involved. In the Queensland east coat net fishery there are 670 N1 AND N2 licenses the type of nets that are proposed reintroducing to the Dugong Protection A areas. Yet managers only talk about one net per operator in the new proposal. The real truth is 670 license holders can move anywhere in the state including the DPA A areas if permitted. So talking about only allowing one net per fisher is totally misleading.
Net fishing is all about placing the net in a fish aggregation area or movement corridor this in itself would create a situation where many one net operators would be competing for fish thus nets would be set close together. Given the fact the all set netting is done at night or in times of flood and away from any form of scrutiny what chance would a 200kg Dugong have once it became entangled. A mammal this size could potentially sink a small net boat in attendance and even inflect severe injuries to the netter if he tried to untangle the trapped animal. There has been some talk of a code of practice to release entangled animals from nets, one thing is for sure there might be real problems finding a volunteer to show how its done especially in a crocodile habit. Once a Dugong swims into a set net it panics and rolls wrapping the net around itself. Once the animal is trapped in the net they are held under the water and die very quickly. One thing is for sure the netter is going to wait till an entangled animal settles down [or drowns] before trying to free it rather that take a knife and start cutting his gear up.
The size of impact of such a
proposal is unknown but one thing is for sure it would be devastating.
To ensure gillnetting is not reintroduced into existing state or federal Dugong
Protection Areas the battle must be fought on the conservation
front. Any mention of the proposed
reintroduction of gillnetting in DPAs as being an impact on current fisheries
stocks will only aid and abet state law makes push the legislation through.They
will try and make it a catch sharing issue and claim that most recreational
fishers would only consider the absence of gill nets as a fishery enhancement
tool. Nothing could be further from the truth
since the introduction of the protection areas Recreational catch rates have
remained static due to many reasons including habitat loss, agricultural runoff,
and a large increase in recreational fishers visiting the area. Surly
DPI fisheries must have to produce some form of RIS to establish the impacts on
marine resources and what effects would be on bioderversity, food chains and
most of all
Natural values.
I speak with some authority on this subject as I have been at the coalface
operating guided sight seeing tours and low impact catch and release fishing
tours in Hinchinbrook Channel for 15 years. It
is almost a daily occurrence on our tours to sight Dugong, turtiles and
crocodiles and dolphins in the channel, which has to regarded as on of the most
important transit corridors for marine mammals along in the central section of
the marine park. The latest Dugong sighting
was in an area adjacent to the mouth of the Herbert River on the 6th
January 2008 and was witnessed by a couple from the Sunshine Coast. I
have not seen any major change in fish numbers since the DPA was put in place;
the only quantifiable trend fish seem to be a little wider spread.
Given the fact that commercial netters now have reduced areas to fish because of the rezoning by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority the thought of being allowed back into Dugong A areas is a real carrot. There are some in the commercial sector that feel this proposal will only inflame tension and conflict between stakeholders and is a step backwards in public relations. In many of the protection areas echo tourism ventures have evolved taking tourists to view the beauty of the area and the extensive wildlife.
Especially in areas such as Hinchinbrook channel where millions of dollars have been spent in nurturing echo tourism ventures, we cannot afford to take a step backwards to the dim dark ages. Are their investments in the future to be put at risk for a hand full part time netters [many of whom have lucrative incomes from other interests] when all is said and done gill net fishing in an environmentally sensitive areas is a “Third world approach to resource management”. At the end of the day you cannot blame the genuine commercial fishers they are just trying to make a living within the law, but for proposal 9 in this draft it is a case of Bad Management.
Once it becomes know that full-scale netting is taking place the natural attraction and values along with bio diversity will soon disappear.
We cannot stand by and let this proposal get any further considering the danger to Dugongs, other marine life and to the tourism industry, which generates hundreds of millions, more dollars more than the net fishery. This proposal has the potential to remove the opportunity for your children and their children to experience a true marine wildlife wilderness. As we have seen in the resent election people power can move mountains so objections to these plans should be focused to concerned government ministers who are extremely intelligent and realize being involved in wildlife protection is a mirror to creditability. It is ironic that Queensland DPI fisheries claim to be responsible in this proposal yet; they have seen fit to place an image on the front cover of the draft depicting commercial harvesters using the very equipment that has caused so many Dugong deaths.
Please follow this link to the
page relating to Dugong protection areas.
http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/extra/pdf/fishweb/HaveYourSay-SummaryBrochure-Dec2007.pdf
Go
to your local fisheries office for a copy of the proposal and a response form.
Call DPI fisheries 132523 and request the have your say documents to be posed to
you.
Attend Public Meetings and voice you
opinion.
Even
though the official meeting timetable lists the meetings as recreational or
commercial the general public is entitled to and is encouraged to attend
commercial meetings to hear first had what is being proposed and voice their
view.
Ayr: Monday 25th Feb
1pm-4pm Recreational /7pm-9pm Commercial
Calledonian Hall, Edward St Ayr
Townsville: Tuesday 26th
Feb 1-pm- 4pm Commercial/7pm-9pm Recreational
Townsville Plaza Hotel 598 Flinders Mall Townsville
Cardwell Wednesday 27th 1pm-4pm
Commercial
Inspiration,10 Poinciana Boulevard
Port Hinchinbrook.
Ingham 28th Feb 7pm-9pm
Ingham Bowls Club Ann St Ingham
Cairns Wednesday 20th 2pm-5pm Commercial 7pm-9pm Recreational
Trinity Room Rydges Tradewinds 137 Esplanade, Cairns.
Innisfail Thursday 21 Feb
Commercial 1pm-4pm /Recreational 7pm-9pm, Innisfail RSL 18-28 Fitzgerald
Esplanade Innisfail.
A full list of other area meetings in the
draft plan documents.
A good idea is to also respond by letter to………
Mr.
Andrew McNamara MP
Minister for Sustainability, Climate and Innovation
P O Box 15155
City East
Brisbane 4002
If it were possible to have a referendum on this issue and a clear-cut question
was asked!
Do
you agree to have set gill nets reintroduced into Dugong [A] Wild Life
Sanctuaries and Reserves?
I would suggest a 99.9% against such a proposal would not be unrealistic.
Take particular notice of section 9 relating to safe netting practices in DPAs,
the truth is that when set gill nets are in the water and given the potential
for human error, marine mammals will die from entanglement and no amount of
proposed safe practices can guarantee deaths will not occur.
Alan Goodwin
Crackajack Sportfishing and Adventures
172 Patterson Parade
Lucinda 4850
Ph/Fax 47778365
Mob 0417192318
crackfish@aapt.net.au