14/12/2005
- The Australian Government today released detailed proposals
for the creation of an extensive network of Marine Protected
Areas (MPAs) in the oceans off south-eastern Australia that
again confirms Australia as a world leader in marine environment
conservation. Development of
the South-east MPA network is being integrated with the
Securing our Fishing Future package jointly announced
by the Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation,
Senator Ian Macdonald, and the Minister for the Environment
and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell.
The 14 candidate MPAs cover more than
170,000 square kilometres of Commonwealth waters off Tasmania,
Victoria, southern New South Wales and eastern South Australia.
The boundaries and zoning of these MPAs announced today
will now be subject to consultations in January and February,
then finalised in March 2006.
Senator Campbell said the launch of
the network followed extensive scientific research and
consultations over a number of years, including with the
commercial fishing industry the oil and gas industry and
the conservation movement.
“Science tells us this is a remarkable
region in environmental terms, with about 80 per cent
of species in this region found nowhere else on the planet
and these MPAs will protect representative samples of
the ecosystems in which these creatures live,” Senator
Campbell said.
He said 40% of the proposed network
would be highly protected, with another 40% protected
in areas where no commercial fishing will be allowed.
The Government also today announced
further details of the major fisheries management reforms
being implemented as part of the $220 million Securing
our Fishing Future package to ensure the sustainability
of Commonwealth managed fisheries and to secure the fishing
industry’s future.
Senator Macdonald said he had directed
the Australian Fisheries Management Authority to implement
a range of new measures to address overfishing and to
prevent overfishing in future.
“The Government has made it clear
that it wants an acceleration of plans for the prevention
of overfishing, the rebuilding of fish stocks and management
of the environmental impacts of fishing,” Senator Macdonald
said.
Senator Macdonald said the moves were
necessary following significant concerns within Government
and the industry about the poor state of Commonwealth
fish stocks and the future sustainability and profitability
of the industry.
The Ministers said it was essential
that the details of both the proposed MPA network and
the new fisheries management regime were available to
fishermen so they had the full picture of their future
operating environment.
“Having this information at their
disposal will enable fishermen to make informed decisions
about whether they want to continue in the fishing industry
or take advantage of the Australian Government’s generous
adjustment package to exit the industry through the concession
buy-out.”
The Ministers said combining the adjustment
processes for improved fisheries management and MPAs would
provide greater certainty for fishermen by ensuring industry
was subject to one adjustment process, not two.
For more information visit www.deh.gov.au/coasts/mpa/southeast/index.html |