This is of grave concern to us all at Hinchinbrook

 

 

Dugong Protection [A] Wild Life Sanctuaries in Hinchinbrook Channel [World Heritage] Shoalwater Bay, Ince Bay, Harvey Bay-Tin Can Bay, Port Clinton, Stewart Peninsula-Newry Islands-Ball Bay are set to have gill nets [walls of death] reintroduced.

 

 

National parks and world heritage areas on both sides border Hinchinbrook Channel with Hinchinbrook Island National Park being the largest Oceanic Island National in the world.

 

 

RE: Queensland DPI Fisheries Inshore Fin Fish Management Plan

 

Queensland DPI Fisheries have listed in a draft proposal to have full scale gill netting reintroduced in all state DUGONG  protection areas in Queensland state marine park and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park waters.

Managers have been under strong pressure from the commercial fishing sector to try and push through a proposal that has the potential to decimate our marine life including Dugongs, turtles, and dolphins and erode biodiversity.

The Federal Government established the Dugong protection areas in Queensland in consultation with the DPI, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority James Cook University with an expert team headed up by renowned dugong researcher Dr Tony Preen.

I spent a lot of time working with Dr Preen as his eyes in Hinchinbrook Channel recording such things as Dugong counts and movements and sea grass density.

This extensive research and data over many years led to the establishment of the DPAs.

The research pointed to the fact that set fishing nets are the major contributor to Dugong fatalities in many areas.

Through all this Queensland DPI Fisheries reluctantly agreed and the DPA protection areas were gazetted.

The federal government paid out millions of dollars to compensate commercial fishers for loosing access to the Dugong Protected areas.

Was this whole process for nothing?

The commercial fishers were paid compensation by the federal government they took the money and said thanks very much. Now there is a real chance that some of those very people who received compensation have obtained new licenses and are pushing for access back into those areas they were compensated to leave.

To my knowledge the issue of reintroduction of gill netting in Dugong protection areas was never raised at any of the previous consultative meetings attended by recreational fishers in 2006.

No one would have thought that the downgrading of Dugong Wild Life Sanctuaries to maximize fisheries yield was up for discussion, considering so much compensation was paid by the federal government to commercial fishers not to gill net these Sanctuaries in the future.

Will the federal Government once again be put in a position where they may have to pay out commercial fishers once again for what ever reason?

Or will the state government find itself labial to pay compensation to echo tour operators and associated businesses if the heritage values are reduced by impacts on the wildlife and resources, which in turn may affect incomes.

Are we prepared to take a huge steep backwards and endanger venerable marine mammals once again?

If there has ever been a case of Double Dipping this proposal has to be up there with the best of them.

Ever since exclusion zones were put in place the DPI Fisheries have been under pressure from the Queensland Commercial Fishermans Organization to set nets reintroduced back into Dugong [A] Wild Life Reserves such as Hinchinbrook Channel.

Now we have a situation where they are going to try and use the Inshore Fin Fish Management Plan to do just that.

We may well ask since when have fisheries managers been given the mandate to

Become wildlife custodians?

The average citizen out there has no idea of what they are trying to do.

The token awareness campaign put in place by Queensland DPI Fisheries has failed to reach the masses, it all looks good from their side of the fence but out there in the real world ignorance prevails.

One thing is for sure and we challenge them to make public any submissions other then those from the commercial sector supporting the reintroduction of set gillnets back into DPA A rated areas

This has been done in a non-transparent way where all stakes holders may not have been made aware of the clause 9 content before it was placed into the proposal let alone be given the chance to comment on it.

The framework of the next round of these consultative meetings is divisive and will only throw fuel on the fire and ensure the continuation of the them and us attitude.

Since the

Any proposals put forward at a commercial meeting would not see the light of day until

A draft release, as has happened in the case of section 9 relating to gill netting in Dugong

Protection Areas.

The catalyst in such proposals has been brought about by far to many endorsement holders set lose on a diminishing fishery.

In the area of catch sharing the recreational sector faces ever increasing limitations, while on the other hand managers have never considered any form of commercial quotas to N1 or N2 endorsements to aid overall sustainability.

The draft plan was released early December 2007 and submissions must be in to Queensland fisheries by mid March 2008 the bulk of this time is taken up by holiday periods when people have lots of other things on their mind and may negatively affect responses.

In sections of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Dugongs A protection areas include Cleveland Bay, Hinchinbrook Channel and Missionary Bay, Shoalwater Bay, Harvey Bay-Tin Can Bay, Port Clinton, Ince Bay, Stewart Peninsula-Newry Islands-Ball Bay some of these are designated yellow zones and are in the federal GBRMP and may not be subject to change but for all other state marine park waters it looks like protection may disappear and all this in some of the most ecologically sensitive areas along the tropical coast.

It seems crazy that we could end up with sections of a DPA netted and other parts net free and all this in theSmart State

It is proposed to reintroduce set nets making the dugong protection rating a farce in state waters.

The types of nets that will be used are a 200m net made of large line size monofilament needed to mesh barramundi and a 400m general-purpose monofilament net.

These nets are anchored in one spot and form a wall for their intended or unintended victims.

These are the very types of nets that have caused so many Dugong deaths in the past.

As a token gesture DPI fisheries propose they will only allow 1 set net per fisher who must be in attendance, there is no proposal to limit the number of commercial netters and in real terms there could be dozens of hi impact pulse nets in a given any area at any one time.

At the sharp end of this proposal is the wordingLOW RISK NETSthe big question that needs to be asked here is

What in fact is the physical difference between a low risk net and the currently used high-risk nets? Nothing is mentioned in the proposal.

One could easily believe the use the wording low risk nets is just sugarcoating to make the proposal more palatable to the general public who have no idea what is involved.

In the Queensland east coat net fishery there are 670 N1 AND N2 licenses the type of nets that are proposed reintroducing to the Dugong Protection A areas.

Yet managers only talk about one net per operator in the new proposal.

The real truth is 670 license holders can move anywhere in the state including the DPA A areas if permitted.

So talking about only allowing one net per fisher is totally misleading.

Set net fishing is all about anchoring the net in a fish aggregation area or movement corridor this in itself would create a situation where many one net operators would be competing for fish thus nets would be set close together.We all must never forget a gill net that is set anchored at both ends is always ging to be a "a high risk devise"

Given the fact the all set netting is done at night or in times of flood and away from any form of scrutiny what chance would a 200kg Dugong have once it became entangled.

A mammal this size could potentially sink a small net boat in attendance and even inflect severe injuries to the netter if he tried to untangle the trapped animal.

There has been some talk of a code of practice to release entangled animals from nets, one thing is for sure there might be real problems finding a volunteer to show how its done especially in a crocodile habit.

Once a Dugong swims into a set net it panics and rolls wrapping the net around itself.

Once the animal is trapped in the net they are held under the water and die very quickly.

One thing is for sure the netter is going to wait till an entangled animal settles down [or drowns] before trying to free it rather that take a knife and start cutting his gear up.

The size of impact of such a proposal is unknown but one thing is for sure it would be devastating.

To ensure gillnetting is not reintroduced into existing state or federal Dugong Protection Areas the battle must be fought on the conservation front.

Any mention of the proposed reintroduction of gillnetting in DPAs as being an impact on current fisheries stocks will only aid and abet state law makes push the legislation through.

They will try and make it a catch sharing issue and claim that most recreational fishers would only consider the absence of gill nets as a fishery enhancement tool.

Nothing could be further from the truth since the introduction of the protection areas Recreational catch rates have remained static due to many reasons including habitat loss, agricultural runoff, and a large increase in recreational fishers visiting the area.

Surly DPI fisheries must have to produce some form of RIS to establish the impacts on marine resources and what effects would be on bioderversity, food chains and most of all

Natural values.

I speak with some authority on this subject as I have been at the coalface operating guided sight seeing tours and low impact catch and release fishing tours in Hinchinbrook Channel for 15 years.

It is almost a daily occurrence on our tours to sight Dugong, turtiles and crocodiles and dolphins in the channel, which has to regarded as on of the most important transit corridors for marine mammals along in the central section of the marine park.

The latest Dugong sighting was in an area adjacent to the mouth of the Herbert River on the 6th January 2008 and was witnessed by a couple from the Sunshine Coast.

I have not seen any major change in fish numbers since the DPA was put in place; the only quantifiable trend fish seem to be a little wider spread.

Given the fact that commercial netters now have reduced areas to fish because of the rezoning by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority the thought of being allowed back into Dugong A areas is a real carrot.

There are some in the commercial sector that feel this proposal will only inflame tension and conflict between stakeholders and is a step backwards in public relations.

In many of the protection areas echo tourism ventures have evolved taking tourists to view the beauty of the area and the extensive wildlife.

Especially in areas such as Hinchinbrook channel where millions of dollars have been spent in nurturing echo tourism ventures, we cannot afford to take a step backwards to the dim dark ages.

Are their investments in the future to be put at risk for a hand full part time netters [many of whom have lucrative incomes from other interests] when all is said and done gill net fishing in an environmentally sensitive areas is a Third world approach to resource management

At the end of the day you cannot blame the genuine commercial fishers they are just trying to make a living within the law, but for proposal 9 in this draft it is a case of Bad Management.

Once it becomes know that full-scale netting is taking place the natural attraction and values along with bio diversity will soon disappear.

We cannot stand by and let this proposal get any further considering the danger to Dugongs, other marine life and to the tourism industry, which generates hundreds of millions, more dollars more than the net fishery.

This proposal has the potential to remove the opportunity for your children and their children to experience a true marine wildlife wilderness.

As we have seen in the resent election people power can move mountains so objections to these plans should be focused to concerned government ministers who are extremely intelligent and realize being involved in wildlife protection is a mirror to creditability.

It is ironic that Queensland DPI fisheries claim to be responsible in this proposal yet; they have seen fit to place an image on the front cover of the draft depicting commercial harvesters using the very equipment that has caused so many Dugong deaths.

Please follow this link to the page relating to Dugong protection areas.

 

http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/extra/pdf/fishweb/HaveYourSay-SummaryBrochure-Dec2007.pdf

 
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/05/10/1919799.htm

How can I do my bit to help insure set gill nets are not allowed back into Dugong A Sanctuaries?

 

Go to section 9 of the response form and be careful to only check the box that says I STRONGLY DISAGREE.

After all the proposal asks you to agree in the first instance with the use of something that does not exist namely a Low Risk Net

 
Go to your local fisheries office for a copy of the proposal and a response form.

 

Call DPI fisheries 132523 and request the have your say documents to be posed to you.

 

Attend Public Meetings and voice you opinion.

 

Even though the official meeting timetable lists the meetings as recreational or commercial the general public is entitled to and is encouraged to attend commercial meetings to hear first hand what is being proposed and voice their view.

 

Ayr: Monday 25th Feb 1pm-4pm Recreational /7pm-9pm Commercial

Calledonian Hall, Edward St Ayr

 

Townsville: Tuesday 26thFeb 1-pm- 4pm Commercial/7pm-9pm Recreational

Townsville Plaza Hotel 598 Flinders Mall Townsville

 

Cardwell Wednesday 27th 1pm-4pm Commercial

Inspiration,10 Poinciana Boulevard Port Hinchinbrook.

 

Ingham 28th Feb 7pm-9pm

Ingham Bowls Club Ann St Ingham

 

Cairns Wednesday 20th 2pm-5pm Commercial 7pm-9pm Recreational

Trinity Room Rydges Tradewinds 137 Esplanade, Cairns.

 

Innisfail Thursday 21 Feb Commercial 1pm-4pm /Recreational 7pm-9pm

Innisfail RSL 18-28 Fitzgerald Esplanade Innisfail.

 

Full list of other area meetings in the draft plan documents.

A good idea is to also respond by letter to

 

Mr. Andrew McNamara MP
Minister for Sustainability, Climate and Innovation

P O Box 15155

City East

Brisbane 4002

 

If it were possible to have a referendum on this issue and a clear-cut question was asked!

Do you agree to have set gill nets reintroduced into Dugong [A] Wild Life Sanctuaries and Reserves?

I would suggest a 99.9% against such a proposal would not be unrealistic.

Take particular notice of section 9 relating to safe netting practices in DPAs, the truth is that when set gill nets are in the water and given the potential for human error, marine mammals will die from entanglement and no amount of proposed safe practices can guarantee deaths will not occur.

 

Alan Goodwin

Crackajack Sportfishing and Adventures

172 Patterson Parade

Lucinda 4850

Ph/Fax 47778365

Mob 0417192318

crackfish@aapt.net.au

 

 

 http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/corp_site/key_issues/conservation/natural_values/dugongs/dugong_protection_areas

 

 
 
http://www.jcu.edu.au/top/JCUPRD_017973.html
 
http://www.reef.crc.org.au/publications/brochures/dugong_2002.pdf
 
 

Dugong Update.

 

 

 

 

The proposal to reintroduce commercial netting back into Dugong A protection areas is being pushed hard by members of the Queensland Seafood Industry Inc Cardwell branch and may well have its origin with this group of people.

The group is trying to reach a tundra agreement with strategies, which by their own omission may appear in DPI Fisheries documentation.

This move may well be an attempt to erode the current tundra agreement between the Girragun and the GBRMPA not to take turtles and dugongs.

I guess they may feel that if such and agreement could be reached it could be used as a bargaining chip to get a foot in the door.

They are putting forward proposals to the elders that claim there will be no impact on the integrity of the DPA.

They are pushing proposed trade offs by netting some DPA A areas and leaving other areas not netted, caps on the numbers nets to be used and a permit system overseen by the Girragun to regulate outside netters accessing the area.

At this point in time the Girragun have not agreed to anything as they are listening to all parties and will not be entering into any premature agreement with any stakeholder group.

Nowhere in the official DPI response forms is there any reference to forming new boundaries within a DPA.

So it is abundantly clear that the proposals put forward to the Girragun by this group are not included in the response documents for public comment, therefore they cannot really be considered in this round of public consultation.

My summation of the situation is that this groups proposal could back fire on the commercial fishing industry as a whole by having the Dugong protection issue revisited by federal and state governments.

Now that we have a federal labor in power in Canberra agreements with labor states will have a much smoother passage.

Public support for Marine mammal conservation is at an all time high these days given what has been going on with whaling the southern oceans, so any proposal that will endanger any marine mammals would be widely rebuffed by the community as a whole.

There is a very real chance both state and federal governments may decide to put the Dugong protection issue to bed once and for all, especially after compensation was paid

To remove set netting from the sanctuaries.

The way that this may be done is for the state government to hand over Dugong protection dark blue areas of state waters for inclusion in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

This may well see all Dugong protection areas both A and B declared yellow zones.

I am sure that commercial operators in other parts of the state would be up in arms if they lost access they have under the current legislation by actions of one small group.

Politicians are people who are in the numbers and votes game so this decision will be made in their best interests.

With local council elections just a few weeks away the silence on this issue has been deafening

It is disappointing that none of the candidates for Hinchinbrook shire have identified what an emotive issue this is within the community, considering the number of registered boats in the shire and the size of the potential block of votes available.

Be interesting to see if any turn up at the public consultation meetings to state their position at either the Cardwll public consultation meeting at 1pm-4pm Wednesday 27th February or the Ingham meeting at the Ingham Bowels Club on Thursday 28th February 7pm-9pm

 

 

 

 

 

Dugong Conservation in Hinchinbrook Channel

 

Questions that needs to be answered regarding this proposal.

Why are commercial netters trying to gain access into Dugong Sanctuaries?

One can only conclude that resource levels that are available outside the Sanctuaries are not economically viable.

You do not have to be Einstein to work that out unsustainable management strategies driven by commercial stakeholders along with population growth are two of the factors contributing to these types of proposals beings tabled.

Sadly commercial net harvesting is a short-term gain long-term pain activity

Net harvesters have to be subsidized by other incomes or endorsements to survive.

This will always be the case where the harvester does not sow what he reaps.

Fisheries managers are saying this proposal is only an extension of netting activities that are all ready allowed in dugong A protection areas.

The public needs to know these facts that are currently in the fisheries act regarding dugong A protection areas.

The central section of Hinchinbrook Channel no nets of any form are allowed.

Areas at the northern and southern end of the channel general purpose net are allowed.

But what people do not know that these general-purpose nets must be worked, that is they cannot be stationary or set in one position.

The net must be run out and then immediately retrieved this in it self is the very reason general purpose nets are not being used currently, as they are not in the water long enough to be viable.

Managers are saying they want to introduce two new types of low risk nets, this is a totally misleading statement, the low risk nets are the ones that are currently allowed to be used, the ones they plan to introduce are in fact the high risk ones. It is the way the nets are proposed to be set that is the big problem.

Nets need to be anchored both ends to catch fish that are forced into the net by tidal flow.

This very configuration has lead to so many documented Dugong deaths in the past.

In proposal 9 in the draft there will be no restriction of the number of netters allowed in the channel, one net each, it will become worse that that current crab fishery overcrowding where there are so many jockeying for position and a share of available product.

Netters can claim they are going to adopt practices and strategies to avoid Dugong deaths but at the end of the day when the sun goes down and in the black of night it becomes all about dollars and cents first and foremost.

Managers who are supporting this proposal need to take a long hard look at the damage this will do to the commercial fisheries profile out there in the real world.

Any person or government department who openly want to support a proposal that will endanger threatened marine mammals and destroy their sanctuary are misinformed or simply don’t care.

There is a mountain of evidence out there relating to Dugong fatalities, just Google

Dugong fishing nets the search results are a sad indictment.

This is 2008 not 1968 and society will stand idly by and let marine mammals suffer.

We need to conserve our marine mammals not endanger them.

 

 

 

To have your say and strongly disagree with proposal 9 regarding the reintroduction of full scale gill netting in Hinchinbrook channel pick up a response form from DPI fisheries offices, Tony’s Basic Tackle Halifax or Jason at Complete Angler Ingham.

All concerned residents can and are encouraged to attend public consultation meetings in Cardwell on Wednesday Feb 27th 1pm-4pm at Inspirations resort Port Hinchinbrook and

Ingham Feb 28th 7-9pm Ingham Bowls club.

 

Alan Goodwin

Crackajack Sportfishing & Adventure Tours

Lucinda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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