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 (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 '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 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 Queenslanders who wet a line recreationally fishing each year.

Commercial net fishing occurs throughout Queensland waters. Of interest to the parties here is the large mesh and gill netting component of the East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery, which operates from the Queensland border north to Cape York. The commercial fishing endorsement for these fishers is the N1 and N2 symbols. Management arrangements for this fishery are complex, with complicated interdependencies on various management measures, including net fishing closures, mesh sizes, net lengths, licence symbols, commercial quota, size limits, closed seasons, Dugong Protection Areas A and B, all overlaid with Great Barrier Reef and Hervey Bay and Great Sandy Straits Marine Parks’ zoning arrangements.

Understanding the difficulty government’s face in reforming Queensland’s fisheries, QSIA, FCFA, Sunfish, AMPTO and WWF came together and agreed on four key issues to focus the attention of all political parties of those issues where there is common ground. 1) QSIA, FCFA, Sunfish, AMPTO and WWF all agreed that this fishery is the key commercial sector requiring rationalisation, investment and reform in Queensland. There are too many commercial licences issued, leading to excessive effort capacity and little room for those fishers who view their future in net fishing able to demonstrate stewardship. The fish species are targeted by many recreational fishers and often in the same locations as those in the commercial sector leading to conflict over the resource. Despite many management interventions over the years, there are still dugongs, turtles and dolphins caught in nets in waters of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

2) QSIA, FCFA, Sunfish, AMPTO and WWF all agree that the commercial net fishery needs to be rationalised through the removal of half the net endorsements on the East Coast of Queensland (N1 and N2 symbols). It is proposed that this is undertaken through a voluntary tender process that considers effort history.

3) The parties agree that a budget of around $6-9M is necessary for this reform. This amount would ensure the adequate removal of N1 and N2 symbols at a fair and equitable price. It would also provide some compensation for closures in important recreational fishing locations and areas of high conservation value to protect species of conservation interest.

4) Ultimately, the parties agreed that the fishery governance needs to move towards finer spatial scale management, through regionalised arrangements. This will need to be coupled with appropriate and properly resourced state-wide consultation processes, which meet the needs of all stakeholders. Further measures to increase protection for species of conservation interest and address localised conflict between the recreational and commercial sector could be addressed through this process. Executive Summary of the Commercial Net Buy Back May 2015

Between 2012 and 2014, the ran three buyback schemes with a total budget of $9 million. The buyback target was to reduce 50% of the commercial large mesh netting licences from the Queensland East Coast. The buyback yielded 74 commercial fishing vessel licence packages which included: • 135 netting symbols (116 large mesh netting symbols and 19 small mesh netting symbols); and • 194 ancillary fishery symbols, which could be used to access other commercial fisheries such as crab, line and trawl.

The buyback represented a 31.9% reduction in large mesh netting authorities on the East Coast. A result approx. 20% short of the initial target! While total fishing effort varies from year to year based on external influences such as weather, seasonal variations in fish abundance and market forces, the total net fishing effort fell by 8% over the period of the buyback (from approximately 23,200 fishing days in 2012 to 18,770 in 2014).

The recently released Sustainable Fisheries Strategy also sets sustainable catch limits based on achieving maximum economic yield for all Queensland fisheries (around 60% biomass). Sea Food Consumption.

Unfortunately truth and the facts have been largely absent in the public campaign being waged against the introduction of Net Free Areas. You will see the actual commercial harvest facts and figures presented by Fisheries Queensland, which will enable you to understand the real viability issues facing the industry.

Like it or not, Queensland purchasers and consumers of fresh fish are choosing to buy product largely based on price position in the marketplace, not place of origin. Go into any supermarket and look in the seafood cabinet and you are unlikely to find any fresh fish for sale caught by the inshore commercial netting sector. But you will find ample supplies of farmed and imported fish for sale.

ABS figures reveal that around 70% of seafood purchased by Australians is through major supermarket chains. Supermarkets only stock products with high sales records, so if there really was a strong demand for local fresh fish among consumers, they most certainly would be catering to it – but they aren’t, because that market segment is so small as to be of little consequence to the large retailers. So where are the fish that are being netted from our waters ending up?

The overwhelming majority of the catch is immediately dispatched and sold into southern and some international markets, with a very small percentage ever sold in local fish shops and retail outlets. It’s a simple matter of economics – you always sell to the highest bidder and a buyer willing and able to take all your product. I’m sure we’d all do the same thing and this is not something that netters should be criticized for.

The real local consumers of inshore fresh fish are the 40,000 recreational anglers who live in . We like nothing better than coming home after a day’s fishing with a feed of fish for the family – whiting, flathead, Blue salmon, a barra and a Doggie mackerel or three - yum!

We heard similar arguments about the supply of “fresh local fish” being taken away when the “Net Free Zones” to our North at Mackay, Rockhampton & Cairns came into effect in November 2015. The FACT is for 2016, nets accounted for approx. 64 tonnes of barramundi from areas immediately adjacent to the Central Queensland Net Free Zones, and no less than 241 tonnes of fish overall. Put into historical perspective, the long term average barramundi catch from the Fitzroy River has been around 40 tonnes/annum for decades. It has only been since the climatic anomaly around 2010 that the catches from the river were way in excess of the average and that was never going to last anyway.

So, where is the issue? There isn’t one!

There are more fish still being caught locally in nets than could ever be sold on the local market and most is still being sent directly to southern markets as always has ! The Great Sandy Designated Area incorporates areas of YELLOW CONSERVATION Park Zones in:-

• & tributaries • The Elliott River & tributaries • The & tributaries • The & tributaries • The Great Sandy Strait and Tin Can Bay Inlet

This anomaly overturns EVERYTHING a TRUE Yellow Conservation Zones is there to protect!

The commercial sector will boast that it also allows Recreational fishers to use three lines or rods per person with a combined total of six hooks when fishing in this area. Recreational fishers in TRUE conservation park (Yellow) zones in the Marine Park are now able to use up to two hand-held rods or handlines per fisher, with no more than two hooks in total for each fisher. There are also six rivers and creeks in the State Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park Zoning Plan allow the use of two lines and hooks.

The Fraser Coast Fishing Alliance will be insisting that recreational anglers will be allowed up to two hand-held rods or handlines per fisher, with no more than two hooks in total for each fisher once the Great Sandy Marine Park is "corrected" and the Great Sandy Designated Area is REMOVED ! 4 QFISH GRIDS FOR COMMERCIAL CATCH

The next slides shows the Qfish grids covering the Great Sandy Marine Park. The grids covering the marine park are U32, V32, W32, V33, W33, V34 and W34. Grid T32 has been included with U32 to include data on the upper part of Baffle Creek. This does not include Eulialah Creek as that is in grid T31 and that data cannot be separated from other locations in that grid.

Both the Mary and Burrum Rivers are in grid V33 and no separate data are available for these rivers. Data from grid U32 includes part of Baffle Creek, , and Elliott River. No separate data are available for these systems.

Sandy Straits is covered by 4 grids being V33, W33, V34 and W34. However each of these grids also include data from outside Sandy Straits so it is not possible to assess the catch within Sandy Straits.

The Mary River above The Great Sandy Marine Park Boundary ( approx. Beaver Rock ) Should also be declared a NEW NET FREE ZONE !

The QSIA, FCFA, Sunfish, AMPTO and WWF all agreed that there are too many commercial licences issued across Qld, leading to excessive effort capacity and little room for those fishers who view their future in net fishing able to demonstrate stewardship. The fish species are targeted by many recreational fishers and often in the same locations as those in the commercial sector leading to conflict over the resource. Despite many management interventions over the years, there are still dugongs, turtles and dolphins caught in nets in waters of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

The recently released “Sustainable Fisheries Strategy” also sets sustainable catch limits based on achieving “maximum economic yield” for all Queensland fisheries (around 60% biomass). Correcting the Great Sandy Marine Park will also assists in achieving this new goal.

Make our Mary River a Net FREE ZONE !

There has been between 15 – 25 Tonnes of wild barramundi commercial caught from our Mary River and surrounding tributaries annually over the past 5 years with another 30-40 Tonnes of wild king threadfin salmon also caught commercially!

Just imagine what will happen if these fish where not removed from the Mary River & tributaries in these numbers ….

The Fraser Coast will be able to claim the title of having our countries “Southernmost Wild Barramundi ” and anglers heading North to the other Net Free Zones will stop and stay in Maryborough & Hervey Bay to fish – creating a much needed tourism boost across our region ! Removing inshore commercial netting …. … critical to the value-chain of our local economy

Businesses Employment The Fish and that benefit and the Tourism the Fishing from Local Tourism Economy

• Restoring fish numbers • Fraser Coast tourism • Energised and growing • Job creation and the in the inshore waters of inflow, drawing visitors tourism businesses: underpinning of the Fraser Coast for: that would have gone to existing employment • Beach fishing – more other Australian and • Accommodation – of the family’s ‘bread & overseas fishing houses ,apartments, • A positive ‘knock-on’ butter fish’ of whiting, destinations that have motels effect into other areas bream and flathead Net Free Areas of our local economy • Pier fishing – keeping • Food services – kids off the streets with • Complementing whale restaurants, hotels, cafes • Exploiting the whiting, flathead, watching which is only ,take-away, supermarkets multiplier effect to gain mackerel and bream 3 months per year and regional economic • Estuary fishing – has come under value restoring iconic sports- pressure from • Transport, vehicle and fish such as competition boat hiring services barramundi and • Positive participation in threadfin salmon, as • Air and water transport the growth of regional • Re-opening the eco- Queensland well as grunter and jew tourism opportunities fuel, bait & chandleries • Rebuilding our local without having to weave Reef, Rock and around commercial nets • Travel agency and tour • Putting confidence Offshore fish stocks and belligerent pros operator services back into the Fraser for a diverse fishing Coast experience • Seizing the opportunity • Protecting – dugongs, • Arts, recreation and to build a world class entertainment services • High return for turtles, dolphins and destination for sports- negligible initial cost whales fishing • Retail trade Economies have NOT faltered where nets have been removed ….. The removal of commercial netting from the “Designated Great Sandy Area” which is approx. only 11 % of the entire Great Sandy Marine Park - WILL NOT EFFECT :-

• Trawler fishing – Otter trawling ALL occurs outside of the Great Sandy Designated Area ( with exception a couple of beam trawl operators )

• Prawns – ALL occurs outside of the Great Sandy Designated Area ( with exception a couple of beam trawl operators & some stripe nets in the Mary River )

• Scallops & bugs - Which ALL occurs outside of the Great Sandy Designated Area

• Spanner crabs – which are harvested outside of the Great Sandy Area

• Fish and prawns farmed commercially in Queensland

• Commercial Line Fishing IE: Mackerel, trout etc.

• The FCFA would support commercial line fishing in the Great Sandy Area by “long term local operators” on a Permit & quota basis.

• The FCFA supports ‘Continued commercial crabbing in the Great Sandy Area by “long term local operators” on a Permit & quota basis.

IT WILL EFFECT & REMOVE Commercial Gill Netting! Maximum economic yield

The stated intention is to “maximise the economic value that Queenslanders receive from sustainable management of their fisheries resources.”

Without exception, studies of the economic value of inshore fish resources show that a kilogram of fish caught by a recreational angler is worth between 10 and 100 times the value of that same fish caught by a commercial fisher. Barramundi in particular has a huge multiplier effect and is on the fairly short list of iconic species recognized and valued internationally.

What we have here is the opportunity to get the best economic and community bang for our buck from our fish resources and start rebuilding those fish stocks that are seriously depleted at the moment.

Visitor Expenditure generated through Recreational Fishing in the Fraser Coast equates to approximately $39 million per annum. It is important to note that this figure is based on visitors only, and it does not take into account the value generated by recreational fishing by keen fisherman who reside within the Fraser Coast - this figure would be significant. Increased Recreational Fishing Tourism will benefit the entire Fraser Coast !

The figure of $39 million is compiled by the International Visitor Survey (IVS) and the National Visitor Survey (NVS) which is collated by Tourism Research Australia. This data is then distributed to the State Tourism Organisations and then distributed to the regional tourism organisations such as Fraser Coast opportunities.

Through the Fraser Coast Destination Tourism Plan, it is estimated that if the Fraser Coast is to increase its share of the Queensland Recreational Fishing Market by 8% by the year 2020, the value of visitor expenditure generated purely through recreational fishing would equate to approximately $107 million per annum by the year 2020. Again this does not include local expenditure – purely visiting anglers.

Recent commercial catch data from across our Fraser Coast and Great Sandy Marine Park suggests the real value of the key species (including Tailor) is approx. $1.67m. The value of the total commercial catch is approx. $3.3m based on an average $5/kg. Based on $4/kg it is $2.6m and based on $6/kg it is $4.0m. This is based on the State average Gate price for the key species. These figures are approximate and more detail would be required to produce more accurate figures. But it is clear that the commercial harvest coming specifically form the “Great Sandy Designated Area” is of low commercial value with Mullet being largest component of the fishery by value at approximately $0.77m. Summary from recent Recreational fishers’ satisfaction and expectations of Queensland’s net-free zones - June 2017

On 1 November 2015, three net-free zones (NFZs) were established in Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton. The objective of the NFZs is to increase recreational fishing opportunities in Queensland, thereby supporting tourism and economic growth. Surveys undertaken in 2015 and 2016 examined whether recreational fishers’ satisfaction and expectations of fishing in NFZs changed following the introduction of the NFZs. Recreational fishers who had fished within the NFZs were asked a series of questions about their satisfaction with their recent fishing experiences, and their expectations about recreational fishing in the NFZs over the coming 12 months. The surveys were undertaken during November and December in 2015, and November and December 2016.

Recreational fishers’ satisfaction with fishing in the NFZs is generally positive and appears to be increasing. Overall, fishing satisfaction over the previous 12 months was greater in 2016 than in 2015.

Keen recreational fishers had the biggest increase in satisfaction—mean satisfaction increased more than 25% from 2015 to 2016!

The expectation of actually being able to catching a fish in our Great Sandy Marine Park once commercial netting is removed will improve recreational fisher numbers, participation and tourism. IT’S TIME to end damaging commercial netting in the Great Sandy Marine Park!

The Great Sandy Marine Park is THE ONLY Marine Park that allows commercial netting in what “should be” TRUE YELLOW CONSERVATION ZONE AREAS!

Ending damaging commercial netting in the Great Sandy Marine Park – which has already been tentatively listed as a World Heritage Area, will bring a much needed boost to an environment deserving of proper marine protection.

Using commercial nets to:

• Target spawning aggregations - MUST BE STOPPED

• Target bream, whiting and flathead in conservation park yellow zones - MUST BE STOPPED

• Target top level predators like mackerel , trevally, barramundi , threadfin salmon and shark - MUST BE STOPPED Whales are caught in nets along the east coast of Australia each year. Is it possible to justify nets being allowed to be used in the whale watching capital of the world? • Target low food value but high recreational fishing value fish like Golden Trevally, Snub nosed dart ( Permit ) , Queenfish, Giant Herring etc. - MUST BE STOPPED

• Incidentally catch dugongs and marine turtles is definitely - MUST BE STOPPED

NOTE - The Great Sandy Designated Area incorporates areas of conservation park zones in :-

• Baffle Creek & tributaries

• The Elliott River & tributaries

• The Burrum River & tributaries

• The Mary River & tributaries Source: ABC –

• The Great Sandy Strait and Tin Can Bay Inlet How you can help “Correct” our Great Sandy Marine Park & STOP unrestricted numbers of commercial fishers netting ins what “should be “ TRUE YELLOW CONSERVATION ZONE AREAS !

• Become involved with the Fraser Coast Fishing Alliance Inc. and join for as little as $1- We meet at the Hervey Bay RSL Club on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 7pm

• Adopt and share the material in this presentation as a matter of principle and embed it in the ongoing agenda of your businesses, associations and industry groups – make it part of your regular dialogue and share with friends and associates.

• SIGN & SHARE the Petition @ https://www.change.org/p/dr-steven-miles-stop-commercial- netting-in-the-great-sandy-marine-park

• Engage your local state member regarding the issues in this presentation

• Engage the federal ministers for tourism, fisheries, environment and national parks

• Engage the Premier - In the political world, the more people that contact their MPs, the more they are likely to listen and act.

• Go to our web site - http://www.frasercoastfishingalliance.com.au/

• LIKE our page and engage with us on Facebook – • https://www.facebook.com/FraserCoastFishingAlliance Thank you and we look forward to you support …..

• Scott Mitchell – Chairman – 0428 484 499 – [email protected]

• Chris Jones – Secretary – [email protected]

• Dennis Fellingham – Treasurer – [email protected]

• Become a member of the FCFA -

– www.frasercoastfishingalliance.com.au

– https://www.facebook.com/FraserCoastF ishingAlliance