No NSW marine park lock-out for recreational fishers, says minister

The NSW Government has today given the clearest sign yet that it will dump controversial fishing lockouts at 25 sites, including parts of Sydney Harbour, by the end of next week.

Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair issued a statement today saying the government had “guaranteed” that recreational fishers would not lose rights under a controversial new marine parks proposal that wanted to ban them from the sites.

“The feedback we have received has been robust but vital to being able to make this decision today,” Blair said in a statement. “While consultation will continue, I felt it was paramount to allay the uncertainty and fear the fishing industry is currently experiencing.

“I am a keen fisherman myself and understand both the economic and social values the
industry brings to our State. MEMA [the NSW Marine Estate Management Authority] put forward this proposal because they had identified 25 areas that require better management to ensure their sustainability.

“What is now clear is that their proposed management methods and in some cases the sizes of the sites, offered up a narrow option that unfairly impacted on low risk activities, such as fishing and spear-fishing,” he said.

“As a result, the NSW Government has taken lockouts off the table. We are confident there are many other ways to manage these sensitive areas, that have fishers as part of the solution and we will continue to explore these options for the rest of the consultation period.”

Rumours of a back-down on the controversial marine park plans surfaced late last week, and come ahead of a planned mass protest in Sydney’s Hyde Park by recreational fishers angry that the proposal would go too far. If a decision comes to exempt recreational fishers from the ban, it could come as early as the end of next week when a final report on the marine park proposals is presented to parliament for consideration.

“Today’s decision does not change the fact we are still working towards a marine park that
protects key marine habitats, species and the environment we all know and love,” Blair said.

“In order to manage them and protect them for future generations we need an approach that
is accepted and sustainable for the people of NSW. I encourage everyone to continue to have their say as we work to deliver a final marine park solution in the coming weeks.”

The consultation process closes on September 27. A departmental spokesperson told boatsales.com.au last week that a call for submissions ahead of the consultations had prompted a “flood” of feedback from the public.

Blair said the NSW government had made a commitment to develop a marine park strategy “based on risk assessments and consultation”.

“We remain committed to that promise and will continue to do the hard work to make sure we get an outcome that is sustainable now and well into the future,” he said.