THE long-awaited announcement by the federal Government of its plans to review Australia’s national marine parks system signals a major win by the recreational fishing sector.
Years of hard work spent lobbying against the efforts of anti-fishing groups to lock Australia’s 5 million anglers out of vast tracts of ocean have paid off.
The Australian Fishing Trade Association, in conjunction with organisations like the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation and Keep Australia Fishing, invested hundreds of thousands of dollars plus thousands of man hours into working with both sides of politics to come up with workable policies.
As it turned out, the current Government spent more time listening to us than the previous one.
The end result of that is that we now have the opportunity to craft a much better marine protection system than that which was previously proposed.
The review system implemented by the Government will allow for more effective consultation. Importantly, rec fishing representatives will be front and centre throughout the process, thus ensuring our voice is heard and considered.
That just didn’t happen under the previous government.
Instead of having to fight tooth and claw against unfair lockouts, groups like AFTA, ARFF and KAF – via our representatives on the various panels being established by the Government – now have the opportunity to implement national policies aimed at protecting and developing recreational fishing opportunities.
Importantly, we also have the opportunity – some might even say the obligation – to advocate for sensible sustainability measures aimed at increasing habitat protection and improving water quality
Combined, we as a sector have been presented with significant opportunities and responsibilities. Let’s not waste them.
See more on the government’s marine parks review HERE and HERE.
Jim Harnwell is the editor of Fishing World magazine.
