IN what has been described as a “softener” for the introduction of unpopular marine park in South Australia, fishos caught fishing in no-take zones face fines of up to $315, but the penalties won’t be issued until 2014.
SA Premier Jay Weatherill has said the action is not a political move to delay hardships until after the next state elections.
“This is a very important reform which I think has been through one of the best public consultation processes I have seen in government,” Mr Weatherill told ABC radio.
Shadow environment and conservation minister Vicki Chapman said the Premier was aware there was ‘enormous public anger’ about the new parks.
“Consultation has just been a con,” Ms Chapman told the ABC.
“We had the Select Committee interim report delivered this week and the very next morning the government go out and basically say ‘blow that, we are not interested in reading that, we’re doing what we want to do’.”
Weatherill dismissed Ms Chapman’s claims, saying an overwhelming majority of the Local Advisory Group recommendations were accepted.
Maps of the 19 Marine Parks were released last week. The new zones are: 1 – Far West Coast; 2 – Nuyts Archipelago; 3 – West Coast bays; 4 – Investigator Straight ; 5 – Thorny Passage; 6 – Sir Joseph Banks group; 7 – Neptune Island; 8 – Franklin Harbor; 9 – Gambier Islands; 10 – Upper Spencer Gulf; 11 – Eastern Spencer Gulf; 12 – Southern Spencer Gulf; 13 – Lower Yorke Peninsula; 14 – Upper Gulf St Vincent; 15 – Encounter Bay; 16 – Western Kangaroo Island; 17 – Southern Kangaroo Island; 18 – Upper South East; 19 – Lower South East
Full details of the Marine Parks are available from the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources website.
More at: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/11/30/3644489.htm
