Coalition may hold key for Aussie anglers

The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) has welcomed the recent statements by Coalition leader Tony Abbott on the marine park planning process at the Brisbane Boat Show.

The ARFF says it is still waiting to see the full details on the Coalition’s plans for the marine park planning process. However, the foundation says that if they have interpreted Mr Abbott’s statement properly, the Coalition will allow recreational anglers access to marine parks (green zones) subject to a scientific, economic and social assessment.

If this is the case then the Coalition may hold the key to whether Australia’s four million recreational anglers will be locked out of over 1.3 million kilometres of Australian marine parks as proposed by the Gillard Government.

ARFF spokesman Allan Hansard said that Australia’s recreational anglers are the true marine environmentalists and will actively support necessary conservation measures to protect Australia’s unique marine biodiversity and structural characteristics.

"We are the eyes and the ears on the sea and it is in our interests to ensure our seas are healthy for future generations to enjoy," he said. "However, locking Aussie anglers out of marine parks will remove an effective and cost efficient way of ensuring marine parks provide a high level of protection from threats such as illegal commercial fishing and environmental damage.

"The Gillard Government’s approach to marine parks is the same as the foreign anti-fishing lobby. They want to treat Australian families that go fishing in a tinny in the same way they treat an industrial scale fishing factory or an oil rig and lock them out of Marine Parks just for wanting to catch a fish.

"We are pleased that Mr Abbott and the Coalition have recognised the difference.

 "We would like all sides of Government to see sense on this issue and not lock Australia’s recreational fishers out of marine parks unless there is a sound scientific justification to do so. We will continue to work constructively with all sides of Government to see this achieved," Mr Hansard concluded.