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NEWS
Commercial fishers condemn Sydney marine park
'Pros' join anglers in taking a stand against NSW Labor's proposed Sydney marine parkThe NSW commercial fishing community is extremely disturbed to learn that the NSW Labor Party is using the concept of a new marine park in Sydney as its election platform.
Tricia Beatty, Executive Officer of the Professional Fishermen’s Association of NSW, said that the proposal has the potential to be “devastating” for seafood consumers and for the commercial fishing and marketing sectors of NSW.
Opposition Leader John Robertson announced that if the Labor Party is successful when we go to the polls on March 2015 then he will declare a Sydney Marine Park which would extend from Pittwater right down to Port Hacking and take in fishing grounds further south to Wollongong.
"This will have significant impact on our industry’s ability to provide local fresh prawns, fish, lobsters and crabs to NSW and Australian-seafood loving people," Ms Beatty said.
"The current NSW Government is looking to rectify the mistakes of the previous Labor Government’s hastily declared marine parks and the damage done to regional communities throughout NSW.
"Some areas of NSW, such as Bateman’s Bay, have been severely reduced and families threatened due to the removal of both commercial and recreational fishing from their once economically thriving regions," said Ms Beatty.
"The NSW fishing industry has been suffering under these mistakes and is eagerly awaiting the NSW Government Marine Estate Management Authority’s (MEMA) strategy and review of existing arrangements. We understand that the MEMA is looking at the management of NSW marine resources based on science, threats and risk assessments – not political point scoring.
"The establishment of any marine park must be based on a sensible approach that includes the assessment of the marine ecosystem as a whole, the benefits of the marine park and the socio-economic impact that these proposals will have on our NSW coastal communities, not political agenda.
"The MEMA has committed to conserving marine biodiversity without compromising regional communities — balancing the various needs of our commercial and recreational communities.
"We support conservation of the marine environment more than anyone — after all, our livelihoods depend on a healthy marine resource for generations to come — but we want this conservation based on real threats and real scientific evidence, or not at all," Ms Beatty said.
As they stand today, Australian commercial fisheries are already recognised globally for world-class sustainable seafood production.
"In NSW alone, the commercial sector spends millions of dollars every year in research, management and policing to ensure fishing opportunities are sustained for current and future generations," adds Ms Beatty.
The Professional Fishermen’s Association of NSW says it reject the Labor Party's ill-considered proposal and urge all New South Wales people who want a healthy, sustainable seafood industry for generations to come to reject their policy on the March polling day.
Second photo from the Hook and the Cook youtube video on snapper trapping off Sydney.
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