Bream Fishing Banned in Blackwood River!!!

Found this today which might just be the governements way of ending netting (and all recreational fishing) in the Hardy Inlet!

Note well that it mentions the Hardy Inlet specifically!!!!!!

By definition within CALM's Marine Parks legislation "Fishing" is described as an extractive activity which is necessarily deleterious to the resource therebye BANNED (This includes all catch and release forms of fishing - including bream comps)

New south-west marine park
The process to establish a marine conservation reserve in the South-West is under way, with the appointment of a community-based advisory committee to develop the proposal.

Environment Minister Judy Edwards today announced the members of the new advisory committee she had formed to examine the creation of a new marine conservation reserve in the waters of the Geographe Bay-Leeuwin Naturaliste-Hardy Inlet area.

The members are: Bob McKay (chair); Terry Adams; Wayne Baddock; Ross Bromell; Ken Colbung; Gary Kendrick; Peter Macdonald; Steve Mitchell; Renee Mouritz; Carolyn Narkle; Graeme Walker; Ray Walker; and Peter Warrilow.

Dr Edwards said the formation of the community-based advisory committee was a crucial step in the State Government's commitment to protect the unique environment for future generations - as well as create a world-class marine conservation reserve system.

"The Geographe Bay-Leeuwin Naturaliste-Hardy Inlet area is one of the State's conservation treasures," she said.

"Its marine plants and animals are of considerable significance, including an unusual array of both tropical and temperate species.

"It is also of great cultural and spiritual significance to the region's Aboriginal communities, who have occupied the area for at least 40,000 years and for whom the ocean and its inhabitants are prominent features of the Dreaming.

"The area is of major significance for commercial fishing and the tourism industry and is highly valued by people from a wide area for activities such as surfing, diving, fishing, boating and nature appreciation."

Dr Edwards said balancing conservation, commercial, cultural and recreation values would be the priority for the advisory committee in developing a proposal for a multiple-use marine conservation reserve.

"The committee will consider a range of issues concerning the creation of reserves such as appropriate boundaries, objectives, and management strategies to ensure the sustainable use of the area," she said.

"In conjunction with the committee, the Department of Conservation and Land Management will undertake a broad community consultation program to ensure the public has opportunities to provide input."

Dr Edwards said members of the committee had been selected from nominations from the local community and stakeholders.

"The advisory committee members have been chosen for their expertise, knowledge and interest in the area rather than on the basis of representing a specific sector," she said.

"They bring a balanced and broad range of experience in conservation, commercial and recreational fishing, Aboriginal interests, tourism, water activities and marine science to the planning table.

"Preference has been given to local, rather than Perth-based nominees, to facilitate local community involvement and to bring important local knowledge of the area's values and uses to the planning process.

"State-wide stakeholders and Government agencies will also be able to participate in the planning process through attending committee meetings and submissions to the committee."

Source: Media release by Minister for the Environment [1 August 2003]

Dunno - about any of YOU stakeholders - but I can tell you for a fact that as a STAKEHOLDER with charter licenses covering the proposed Marine Parks area's, I certainly wasn't "invited" to have any input into this draft management plan process or to be a member of any committeee's such as the Minister has announced (who are in the main scuba people).

What About You Ira - did you get an invite to participate?????

OR

Are we expected to try and put a STOP to this crap after the fix is already in and it's a done deal, between a few people with vested interests behind closed doors with a wink and a nod as is the case with the Blackwood's water being pumped to Perth (see my "draining the Blackwood" string on this board!)

There are EVIL anti fishing forces afoot dear people, these PETA types have infiltrated the conservation movements (and departments) and are out to kill off fishing in all it's guises forever.

Either put a stop to it bye derailing it NOW before it gets a foothold - or like a virus - it will spread until theres no where else left to catch a fish, photograph it and let it go, for THAT is the ultimate aim of these PETA types.

AND dont think it stops at the Hardy Inlet - CALM already have such draft management plans being created for the Broke Inlet AND the Walpole Nornalup that you all rave on about so much.

Get active people and start the emails to ministers and the press (Liam Bartlett?)

Cheers!

[Bear]

Trouty,
Do we have more info on the people who have been elected to the committee. Maybe we should be getting into their ear as well.

Scary times ahead.

[Angry]

>>>>>"In conjunction with the committee, the Department of Conservation and Land Management will undertake a broad community consultation program to ensure the public has opportunities to provide input."<<<<<

"Broad community consultaion" my arse. Poli's through this line in everywhere, usually after the decision is made.

[Geoff R]

Short of sitting on top of a hill and pink misting somebody, or taking to them with a sawn off baseball bat I feel like banging my head against a brick wall.
If they take away "Down South" from us I reckon I'll give up fishing, this business and many others will go down the gurgler because of it. What are these F&%$en Dickheads Thinking
Someone put me out of my misery Please
Geoff P

[MATTY]

i suppose this is the best way that the gov. could solve this little problem about netting,couldn't afford to upset the pro lobby or have a fishing voter backlash.this marine conservation park thing is gathering momentum not just here but all over australia,the
QLD proposal for the barrier reef is a real sh@t fight.
i dont know if any of you saw the 9 news the other day about rec fishing but the gist of the story was that rec fishing as it is now is unsustainable.there are articles and news items in a lot of different publications here and overseas attacking rec fishing.
someone or organization have an agenda here and its very worrisome.
by the way frank prokop was on the abc radio monday arvo only caught the last few seconds,anyone got any info on this ??

[Bear]

Did you guys read Frank's column in DohDohDoh?

Worth a read.

[Evileye]

thes people are absolute arseholes, they dont know what they are doing at all, just put one of you guys up and youll sort it out quick smart, we non parliament employed people must be the only ones who know what were doing! this sucks.

Evileye

[Angry]

I saw that burst on rec fishing, and I saw there ideas to fix it was make more restrictive rules (which I am not against if they are for valid reasons). But as usual they seam to miss the freaking point. There is no point making tougher rules, if your not enforcing the rules that are currently in place.

Seems that everthing time I get passionate about a past time it gets legislated it into oblivian.

I keep feeling like we're treated like extremists, and all I want is to able to fish with my kids.

At this rate we will be limited to fishing on Playstation,

Now I'm ANGRY

[Richo]

Once again the Gov`t has handpicked its own Advisory Committe, and will then pay them shitloads to justify the Govt`s actions and get the results they want, not what we want.

And if Catch and Release cannot be desribed as environmentally friendly then what is.??

QUOTE "The Geographe Bay-Leeuwin Naturaliste-Hardy Inlet area is one of the State's conservation treasures" QUOTE

So lets get this straight, we are going to turn it into a Marine Park sort of thing and then destroy the f&%#@n place by raping its water stocks. Is this going to be the same sort of committee, just there for show, and to bullshit the public into thinking our opinions are being considered, when a decision has already being made.

Most disappointing Trouty. Far from impressed. Where to from here. More letters etc, anything will be better than nothing.

cheers

[MATTY]

haven't read the column in DohDohDoh yet bear,but have read cribbies column in DohDohDohDohDohDohDoh,well worth a read,some interesting comments to say the least.
will read DohDohDoh when i get home,this whole thing is starting to give me the shits (i'm a bit slow i know but..)

I only know the dude Wayne Baddock, whose on the committee.

He teaches my sons class in Busselton (Marine & outdoors education) @ Busselton High school.

Basically in my estimation he's likely been 'selected' because he's a scuba diver who will no doubt go along with CALMS desire to lock the whole fricken place up forever (so only scuba divers can access it)...

That said, he's a hell of a nice guy - and it wouldn't hurt for anglers to bend his ear so he KNOWS what our desires are as regards the continuation of catch & release rights.

I think the two WALKER bros are basically recreational anglers thru n thru so again they should be awared of what we anglers want.

In the interim I'm doing my best to get selected as a "sector advisory committee" member to have input on the drafts once the core group have their say and before thre drafts go to public consulatation.

Cheers

[Richo]

Trouty,

Is there an address where Committee members can be sent our concerns in writing??

Pink Mist sounds by far the best option!
Nah seriously, our govt is f@#$%^d.
How does catch and release fishing hurt an environment.
Has anyone put the idea forward to them that Catch and Release anglers can be used to help studies. We can help find out stock numbers, where the fish are holding (movements, etc)...if they cant see us as a helpful tool...they are in need of a punch in the nuts!

Dave

[dan_WA]

Old CALM seem to have a bit too much arrogance in their tones lately !, I guess it's the same everywhere (NPWS in NSW isn't much better). Their intentions of just "locking away" huge areas seems to be gathering momentum in many fields.
Sure the south west is unique in it's ecosystems' composition
THAT'S WHY WE GO THERE FOR GODS SAKE !!!
Locking away large areas that may be inaccessible (could) be a good idea, but when the area they are considering is smack bang in one of the states meccas for fishing, surfing, 4wd, scuba etc..... well that's just ludicrous !

Hey I know, lets all go down ti timezone and play the fishing game there !

It really get your bain ticking the more you think of it. All the govt. authorities are claiming doom and gloom about "youth today". Hell they should be getting fully behing such responsible, and environmental awareness-creating sports such as fishing. Get them out from in front of the TV - isn't that the best way to promote conservation ? - show people what they risk losing !!!

Obviously you can ring Wayne Baddock via the Busselton high school - I don't seem to have his mobile number here in front of me ( I have it somewhere, can't find it) but no doubt the Busso high School will give it to you!.

08 97 549333

Probably best to ring him outside school hours?....(lest he be distracted from teaching my young bloke!)

You'd think the ministers media release would have included contact numbers for her appointed committee - if she wanted the public to tallk to these folks wouldn't you?

Then again, - this is the same environment minister who gave us pipelines down the middle of the Lefroy brook - and Fish deaths in the Swan River, so MAYBE it's NOT so surprising it's all done in such a way as to keep the public from having any say at all - which is what they would want.

You know - talking to these public servants, in the last hour or so - they all get highly indignant, about any suggestion that the public consultation process is fundamentally flawed, and that the outcome is already a done deal - like it's some sort of personal "slight" ontheir individual integrity, as an officer of whichever department...

BUT,

When you see the way the West Coast Fishing review was written with regard to the "double blind" multiple choice questions, as regards the continuation of recreational netting in the Hardy Inlet, is it any wonder we have little "faith" in the process at all?

Same with the Yarragadee groundwater pumping - no faith left at all - the public consultation process is ongoing while the pipe tendershave already been called and some 150 holes already drilled.

This Govt simply HAVE no credibility...is what it amounts to at the end of the day...people are seeing thru this sham that passes for "public consultation".

In the best traditions of the "Yes Minister" political satire series on TV, (where you never call an enquiry into something unless you've already put in the fix to pre determine the outcome) THIS is the apparent methodology bye which this govt seems to work here in WA...when it comes to managing our natural resources.

What we think, want or say doesn't seem to mattter ONE IOTA to these cretins...

THIS is the manner bye which, MINORITYS (the PETA / scuba diving types) TAKE Control of the process...and TAKE AWAY our rights as anglers thru nefarious actions and surreptitious methods designed at the outset to achieve a pre determined outcome, and to THWART any attempts to change that pre determined outcome.

I STILL maintain my position that ANGLERS need to form a "Riverkeepers" organisation to 'wrest back control' of our riverine estuarine ecosystems so that we and our kids can stand a chance of enjoying their values in perpetuity to provide the enjoyment of catch & release angling.

Cheers