New marine park proposed off Eden in NSW, Australia

The National Parks Association (NPA) has called for the creation of a new marine park off Eden as part of its campaign for a web of marine protection areas stretching from Tweed Heads to Cape Howe.

The NPA, a non-government conservation organisation, said the proposed Twofold Marine Park would cover the area from Merimbula Point to Green Cape.

Its Torn Blue Fringe (italics) report calls on the State Government to implement the largest ever marine protection plan that it says would provide complete protection for more than 200,000 hectares of NSW oceans.

“The NSW Government has stalled with its marine protection efforts. No new marine protected areas have been announced since 2005,” said the NPA’s marine program manager Nicky Hammond.

“Whilst NSW currently has just 6.7 per cent of our oceans protected as marine sanctuaries, international scientific consensus calls for a minimum 20 per cent.

“The Twofold Marine Park is one of the top three priorities in this network.

“Current habitats such as seagrasses and mangroves in this area are completely unprotected even though its habitats are important nursery grounds for the next generation of fish.

“Additionally this area is a primary nesting ground for albatross and an important route for migratory humpback whales.

“Approximately 65 per cent of this coastline already is within national Parks, offering a great opportunity to link marine and terrestrial conservation efforts.”

Ms Hammond said the Twofold Marine Park proposal was complemented by four other marine park proposals and a range of aquatic reserves proposals across the state, including the creation of a Sydney Marine Park, which would be the world’s first to be based around a major city.

One proposed aquatic reserve is located off Tura Head.

Member for Bega Andrew Constance has called on the NSW Government to reject outright the proposal for a Twofold Marine Park.

He said the NPA proposal would decimate industry jobs in the region and wreck local communities.

“It confirms what I have been saying all along about moves to set up another marine park off Eden,” Mr Constance said.

“These inner Sydney based conservationists are saying that because the great white and grey nurse shark are endangered then the commercial fleet in Bermagui and Eden must be shut down.

“These people would have us all eating Mekong Delta catfish rather than the world class Australian product that is sustainably managed and caught off the NSW Far South Coast.

“The move to lock up vast areas from fishing is an outrageous attack on a traditional Australian pastime enjoyed by people of all ages,” he said.

“This latest demand is a massive threat to local economies in towns like Bermagui, Tathra, Merimbula and Eden which have strong tourism industries underpinned by recreational fishing.

“There are already strict bag and size limits in place for recreational anglers, and studies undertaken by the Commonwealth Government have unequivocally found that recreational fishing has a negligible impact on local fishing stocks.

“(NSW Premier) Nathan Rees must rule out this latest plan for fishing bans immediately - otherwise the NPA are taking over the NSW recreational and commercial fishing industries.

“The solution Nathan Rees and (Environment Minister) Carmel Tebbutt must consider is more fisheries inspectors and better education programs, and not more state-wide lock-outs,” Mr Constance said.

He said Ms Tebbutt had referred the NPA report to the NSW Marine Parkes Authority for comment.

A well-attended public meeting in Eden in September made clear its opposition to the establishment any new marine park south of Bermagui.

Bega Valley shire mayor Tony Allan said he had spoken to senior public servants in National Parks and had been assured that no further marine parks or protection zones were contemplated for south east NSW.

Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe added 2008-12-11