http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/info_services/media/media_archive/2007/2007_02_20
20 February 2007
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) urged fishermen to ignore misguided advice they could now fish in Green Zone.
The statement follows a court decision yesterday about the reliability of a GPS device used in a case against two fishermen.
“However we are disappointed by the mischievous claims that the decision calls into question the policing of the zones.
“These unhelpful statements are just confusing recreational anglers. Thousands of people fish on the Reef each year and they manage to successfully avoid going in to Green Zones.
“It is misleading to suggest that fishermen who have been fined for illegal fishing on the Reef in the past were all convicted on the basis of navigational errors, particularly when very few pleaded not guilty.
Mr Tanzer said the vast majority of fishermen did the right thing when out on the Reef.
“Scientific research shows ‘no take’ areas are improving the Great Barrier Reef’s fisheries,” he said.
“Coral trout and stripey sea perch have been found to have increased as much as two times in Green Zones since July 2004.
“It’s important future generations are given the chance to enjoy fishing on the Reef as well.
“Everyone understands this is dependent on stopping poaching.”
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http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Govt-attacked-over-Barrier-Reef-policy/2007/05/10/1178390439535.html
The Great Barrier Reef may be compromised by new legislation that hands power over its zoning to the government, Labor says.
Wide-ranging changes to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park's management passed the lower house on Thursday with Labor support.
One of the major changes ensures the reef's current zoning plan cannot be changed for the next seven years.
But several opposition MPs said they were concerned about a provision that hands the power to change zoning after the seven year moratorium to the environment minister.
She said the knives had been out for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority since the National Party made a deal for preferences with the Fishing Party in Queensland in 2004.
The deal reportedly helped Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce win Queensland's last Senate spot, which gave the government its firm grip over the Senate.
The Fishing Party claimed the deal included a promise from the Nationals to review legal protections over the reef that the government created in 2004, which banned fishing over a third of the reef.
Senator Joyce has since been critical of park authority, saying it was made up of unelected scientists with too much power and should be under ministerial control.
"We do need to watch these new arrangements carefully and make sure its independence is not compromised, and politics doesn't take over from science in the management of the reef," Ms Livermore said.
Labor was also critical that the bill failed to include any measures to protect the reef from climate change.