Restoring The Fraser Coast as a Recreational Fishing Destination Presented by The Fraser Coast Fishing Alliance Our natural advantage is being wasted .... • The Great Sandy Marine Park is the ONLY Marine Park in Australia (possibly the world ? ) that allows unrestricted numbers of commercial fishers to NET in what “Should Be” TRUE YELLOW CONSERVATION ZONES ! • The Great Sandy Marine Park is a World Heritage listed area and has been designated as an important Biosphere Region under UNESCO in 2009. The Great Sandy Biosphere includes many of Australia’s iconic natural features, internationally recognised as having significant cultural and conservation values including a RAMSAR Site, a major turtle ecosystem and home to Queensland's largest urban coast’s dugong population ! • Across the Fraser Coast region, catch rates for anglers have dropped from 7.8 fish landed per person per trip in 1986 to 0.81 fish per person per trip in 2003. This is unfortunately the most current research but concerns are that this decline continues even further today with localised depletion experienced across a number of key species like Whiting & Golden Trevally . • The majority of commercial fishers comply with regulations. However, there are many practices that are exploitative, questionable and almost impossible for the Fisheries officers to police. • Our unique natural asset should be a tourist mecca but is being ‘managed’ to the detriment of recreational fishers and tourism, so that a small number of commercial fishers and associated businesses might benefit. • Fishermen and tourists are well informed today via social media and are increasingly traveling to regions with Net Free Zones like Mackay , Rockhampton & Cairns ! • The Fraser Coast desperately needs a sustainable economic boost. Other regions such as Northern Territory are reaping the benefit of the economic multiplier effect that recreational fishing readily offers with low input costs. The Fraser Coast is unique …… • It has the largest unconsolidated coastal sand mass and sand island in the world - World Heritage listed Fraser Island. • It has more fish diversity than the whole of the Great Barrier Reef, being a crossover zone between tropical and temperate waters. • It has world recognized dugong population and sea grass beds. • It is a major breeding feeding and mating area for marine turtle species. • It is the renowned winter whiting recreational fishery, attracting many interstate tourists staying for weeks to months. • It is the recognised southern limit of wild barramundi on the east coast of Australia. • It has three major rivers with modern operational fish- ways which are necessary for barramundi to breed. • It is the home to other globally iconic fish such as threadfin salmon, permit (snub-nosed dart), bonefish, golden trevally, snapper and triple-tail which will attract visitors if their numbers can be allowed to rebuild. Correct the Great Sandy Marine Mark “Anomaly” STOP commercial gill-netting in our YELLOW CONSERVATION ZONES ! It is essential and appropriate that there be no commercial gill-netting for fish in the areas currently marked as the Great Sandy Designated Area ! NOTE : The only SIGNIFICANT difference between a “Conservation Park Zone” and a “General Use Zone” is the use of commercial NETTING [other than bait netting]. How can any government or the Department of National Parks classify the “Great Sandy Designated Area” a “Conservation Park Zone” when unrestricted numbers of commercial fishers are allowed to NET in what “should be” TRUE YELLOW CONSERVATION ZONE AREAS ! A World Treasure … Great Sandy Biosphere … In 2009 the Great Sandy Region was awarded Biosphere Reserve status by UNESCO, the global organisation that also awards World Heritage Listings. The decision gives worldwide recognition to the Fraser Coast region, neighbouring Gympie area and the Bundaberg coastline, and puts us in the same class as the Galapagos Islands, the Central Amazon, the Everglades and Uluru. The concept of the UNESCO’s Biospheres program is to protect natural resources while using them at the same time – balancing conservation and sustainable development. • Fringing coral reefs and more marine diversity than the entire Great Barrier Reef • World’s tallest and most complex rainforests growing in sand • Almost half of Australia’s bird species • Critical habitat for rare and endangered species – 7558 recorded species of flora and fauna • RAMSAR wetlands – internationally declared feeding and resting area for migratory birds • Whale sanctuary and major transitory point for humpback whales on their annual migration – Now being considered as a “Whale Heritage Site “ - BUT gill-netting still allowed ! • Major feeding, mating and breeding site for endangered marine turtles – BUT gill-netting still allowed ! • Declared a “dugong sanctuary” with Queensland's Largest urban dugong population – BUT Gill- netting still allowed !... Value of recreational fishing on the Fraser Coast … • The estimated value of recreational fishing on the Fraser Coast [as at December 2011] is: $203,812,337 [made up of $66,962,378 per year going fishing and visiting recreational fishers spending $136,849,959 on accommodation] PLUS an additional $177,965,336 of capital equipment. • Every time an angler goes out on the Urangan Pier there is $31 in economic value contributed to our local region. • Every time a boating angler goes out of the Urangan Harbour or from one of our boat ramps, there is $71 in economic value contributed to our local region. • There is a small number of Commercial Licence Packages including endorsements in Hervey Bay and the Great Sandy Strait with a GVP (gross value of production) of approximately $2 million. Commercial gill netting is a small percentage of this. • There are approximately 300,000+ visitations to the area per year by recreational fishers. For every additional bed-night we can obtain a minimum of $275 in economic value to our region. • Even a modest 5% improvement in bed-nights associated with recreational fishing and sports- fishing would overwhelm the total commercial fishing GVP. • Hervey Bay is the second most important recreational fishing area in Qld after Morton Bay and is within a 4-hour drive of the whole of the South East Queensland region (2 to 3 hours by road and 45 mins by air from Brisbane and its international airport). Regional airports at local cities make the area readily available to international fishers. (refer QLD Govt SWRFS 2010) There’s quite a lot of fiction being peddled .… • “Netting bans will put many people out of work” – Reality: DPI&F data shows many local netting operations are not economically viable (Switala & Moore 1999) – Reality: Only a small number of operators have a history of working in the Great Sandy Designated Area & would be would offered compensation. – Reality: The economic multiplier of improved recreational fishing participation will create many more jobs in the community • “People want to buy fresh local fish” – Reality: The majority of consumers look at price first and foremost – Reality: Most locally caught seafood is exported or sent to southern markets – Reality: Most locally sold retail seafood is imported and frozen – Reality: Most true local fish that is eaten fresh is caught and eaten by local anglers and their family and friends – Reality: Fresh local fish can still be commercially caught in the 90% of waters still open to netting • “Netters have just as much right to harvest inshore fish as recreational anglers” – Reality: High levels of netting depletes local fish stocks – Reality: Turtles and dugong are still dying in nets – Reality: Fish stocks are natural assets of the people of Queensland and Australia but are being taken for the exclusive profit of a few – Reality: Commercial netters are given priority rights over the general public – Reality: Anglers cannot compete with 600 metres of net. Areas must be set aside for line fishing – NET FREE ZONES • “It is just an attempt to destroy commercial fishing on the Fraser Coast” – Reality: Propaganda from the commercial sector! Even if all commercial gill net fishing was banned 5 km offshore, most commercial fishing would be unaffected, including trawling, crabbing, commercial line fishing and offshore netting. • “Banning nets will have serious economic impact on coastal communities” – Reality: Simply Not true. Not all commercial fishing will be banned, and the opposite has occurred around established Net Free Areas. Commercial fishing has been proven to improve in areas surrounding protected areas. – Reality: The total East QLD inshore commercial gill net catch value is less than 5% QLD’s recreational fishery value, and about 10% of the total commercial catch. • “Current commercial netting in QLD has proven to be sustainable” – Reality: Localised depletion of important fish species is being experienced in many regional areas across Queensland – Reality: Compared to the NT , NSW & Vic – Remove the Nets = massive turnaround of sport-fishing and tourism. Commercial Net Buy Back History In Qld In March 2012 The Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA), Fraser Coast Fishing Alliance ( FCFA ) , Sunfish Queensland (Sunfish), the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators (AMPTO) and WWF – Australia (WWF) came together in unity to support and collaborate on the issue of “commercial net fishing in Queensland “ - an issue of great importance to the environment of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland’s regional economy and the seafood industry and the nearly one million