The Examiner last week revealed that the long-awaited review into the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park had commenced and a NSW Department of Primary Industries spokesperson saying the new management plan would identify the full suite of values the park provides, the threats to those values, and outline management objectives and actions/programs to improve the management of the park. Marine parks and their zones can now be seen on the NSW e-Planning Spatial Viewer. A DPI spokesperson said that the draft management plan would be publicly exhibited for a minimum of two months so that community members can provide feedback. A SOMS spokesperson said that public comments about proposed re-zoning were concerning.
"We'd prefer people followed the rules because it can be an expensive day out for fishers who are caught, infringement notices totalling $10, 000 were issued for those 40 offences. This includes increased tourism and associated employment opportunities and improved planning and management of the area for better conservation outcomes. Of the NSW marine estate, which extends 1500km from Queensland to Victoria and covers approximately 1 million hectares, only 7 per cent is protected in sanctuary zones. What area does the World Heritage proposal cover? Port Stephens is also an important destination for whale and dolphin watching which underpins the local tourism 2005, the Port Stephens Great Lakes Marine Park was established. The park was established in December 2005 and its zones and management rules commenced in 2007. Only existing State Reserves, National Parks and Marine Parks are being nominated for inclusion. Habitat classification schemes are often used as surrogates in the absence of biodiversity inventories, to depict spatial variation in biodiversity and support conservation planning. The only comparable part of a marine park to terrestrial conservation is the no-take sanctuary zone. Port Stephens - Great Lakes Marine Park offers plenty of activities and exploring. For more information, visit and click on the button below.
Solitary Islands Marine Park (Coffs Harbour). Locate yourself with GPS. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. Changes to the rules regarding fishing from some ocean beaches and headlands were introduced in June 2018. Extractive activity is any action that extracts, or removes, any resource. Protecting fish stock inside the Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park is the motivation behind a newly formed delegation of Port scientists and marine experts seeking to preserve the region's sanctuary zones. The group, known as Save Our Marine Sanctuaries (SOMS) and comprising of Marine Parks Association and EcoNetwork members, has hit back at public comments from recreational fishers on the state government review into marine parks currently being undertaken, while putting forward their own views backed by scientific research on the value of sanctuary zones. A World Heritage listing does not affect land ownership rights, local legislation and regulations nor limit the range of existing activities in the area, be it grazing, commercial or recreational fishing. Corrections or suggestions?
Approximately 90 per cent of the world's fisheries are fully or over fished. World Heritage Sites are cultural and/or natural sites considered to be of 'Outstanding Universal Value' which have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to become part of the universal heritage of all humankind. "Results from Sweeney Research surveys showed that 67 per cent of the NSW public agreed that there should be sanctuary zones with no extractive activities and supported 'maintaining and increasing the size and number of sanctuary zones', while a further 82 per cent indicated that they considered maintaining the abundance and diversity of marine life in the marine estate to be of crucial importance, " the spokesperson said. Although aquaculture is prohibited, the leases are in a special purpose zone within the sanctuary zone. NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) fisheries officers are out in force on the water again this holiday period ensuring that fishers are abiding by the rules. NSW Department of Primary Industries Deputy Director General, Fisheries, Dr Geoff Allan, announced the downgrading of protection saying, 'the decision to rezone the 10 sites from sanctuary zone to habitat protection zone to make shore-based recreational line fishing lawful, means that recreational line fishing from the shore will continue to be allowed along 44 kilometres of coastline in the Cape Byron, Solitary Islands, Port Stephens-Great Lakes and Batemans marine parks. Boating is allowed, but fishing and anchoring on sea grass beds are prohibited. Sanctuary zones that have been established for 15 or more years, are large, and well enforced really start to show amazing results, with the fish breeding in the sanctuary repopulating the surrounding fishing areas. Intermittently open and closed lake (Smiths Lake). Cabbage Tree Island (John Gould Nature Reserve), the primary breeding site for the threatened seabird – Gould's petrel. This is the time for us to stand up and demand our sanctuaries be restored.
Marine Park Sanctuary Zones. Vessel-based fishing and spearfishing continue to be prohibited at all 30 ocean beach and headland sites and any other pre-existing restrictions including bag and size limits also continue to apply. Data compiled by volunteer divers were utilised in a continental-scale investigation of ecological differences between reefs in no-take sanctuary zones in marine protected areas (MPAs) and adjacent…. To get involved in the campaign or find out more contact Sharnie. Representativeness: areas selected for inclusion in MPAs should reasonably reflect the biotic diversity of the marine ecosystems from which they derive. Adequacy: There should be a level of reservation to ensure the ecological viability and integrity of populations, species and communities.
Sanctuary Zones are intended to provide the highest level of protection of the marine environment. If you choose to 'Accept all', we will also use cookies and data to. As far as they go, our underwater National Parks are excellent, and protect some unique marine communities and amazing dive sites. "It is disappointing to see that fishers are not abiding by the rules within the Marine Park, " Mr Tully said. Many people who live in these regions will not thank the government for this decision. "It would be great to see a positive outcome for tourism and recreational fishing especially since the advent of COVID-19. The area is well known for its pristine beaches and dynamic marine environment. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher.
The park is divided into zones with various levels of fish and habitat protection and possible uses. "Recreational fishers can now easily ensure they only fish in zones where fishing is permitted, and don't accidentally creep into sanctuary zones, " Mr Tully added. Minnie Water Back Beach. The World Heritage process will provide a framework for a comprehensive approach to managing these areas and to protect in perpetuity the universal values of the area for the benefit of all. 2-3 sea pens will be placed within the lease to farm Kingfish. If you choose to 'Reject all', we will not use cookies for these additional purposes. You should contact those businesses or organisations for confirmation, clarification and more informatio n before taking any action. "The ban was restored to 20 sanctuaries in 2014 while the status of the other 10 was the subject of a review that resulted in a decision to permanently reduce protections. The nominated land and water within the catchment and estuary closely represent the original Worimi Nations country, going back several thousand years. Bateman's Marine Park. SOMS believes that if conservation and sanctuary zones are not given precedence in marine parks, a socio-political process will result in marine theme parks with little conservation value. Non-personalised content is influenced by things like the content that you're currently viewing, activity in your active Search session, and your location. We care about the protection of your data.
The east coast of Australia's marine environment is one of the fastest warming marine areas on the planet. What are the benefits of a World Heritage listing? If this bid is successful, it will be the only designated World Heritage estuary and catchment in Australia. Unfortunately, NSW's system of MPAs generally fails to follow the CAR principles. Select 'More options' to see additional information, including details about managing your privacy settings. NSW marine park zoning Maps are available for smart phones and tablets via the Avenza PDF Maps app and the FishSmart mobile app and are free to download. You can also visit at any time. Reliable mapping tools. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The information about the businesses and organisations on this site has been provided or is included in their websites, social media or marketing materials. The Marine Park extends from Cape Hawke Surf Life Saving Club near Forster south to Birubi Beach Life Saving Club at the northern end of Stockton Beach, through the offshore waters to three nautical mile limit of State waters.
What you get with Avenza Maps. This industry provides over 2000 jobs and brings over $400 million into the local economy; • Sea pen location within a Habitat Protection Zone of the Marine Park; We are asking members to help us stop the construction of these sea pens in our Marine Park. SELECTING MARINE RESERVES USING HABITATS AND SPECIES ASSEMBLAGES AS SURROGATES FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY. NSW Government established the park in December 2005. SCUBA diving and snorkelling. If you have questions about licensing content on this page, please contact for more information and to obtain a license. However, the suitability of these surrogates may be affected by unrecognised sources of variation in biodiversity, including environmental variation within the same habitat.
"For the majority of fishers, it is not so much about catching fish, but the simple pleasure of being out there and enjoying a relatively pristine environment. When you reach out to him or her, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.