18
December 2009 - Environment Minister Peter
Garrett today announced that the listing
of three shark species as migratory species
under the national environment law would
be very unlikely to affect catch and release
fishing.
Mr Garrett said under
the Environment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 the Government was
obligated to list the porbeagle, longfin
mako and shortfin mako sharks once the species
was listed on Appendix II to the Convention
on Migratory Species (CMS).
“The national environment
law – the EPBC Act - makes it clear that
where a species is listed on the CMS Australia
must include them in our national list of
migratory species.
“While the EPBC Act
is currently the subject of a review, it
currently provides no flexibility for domestic
judgments about whether a species listed
on the CMS should or shouldn’t be listed
under the Act.
“However, the Government
is conscious that listing these species
as migratory under the EPBC Act could have
significant implications for recreational
fishers in Commonwealth marine areas where
the mako are targeted for catch and release
fishing.
“As catch and release
activities, when carried out properly, are
not likely to have a significant impact
on populations of these shark species they
equally are unlikely to be subject to enforcement
action.”
Mr Garrett said the
Government recognised that globally many
populations of mako sharks were depleted,
however there was no evidence suggesting
that Australian populations are similarly
threatened.
“We will therefore be
working with fishery managers to improve
data on mako and porbeagle sharks in Australian
waters in order that we can ensure that
we make future decisions about these species
based on the best available science.”
The Minister said the
listing of the species was expected to occur
on 29 January 2010.
Commercial take of mako
and porbeagle sharks will only be permitted
where fishers are acting in line with arrangements
accredited under the EPBC Act. The Government
is reviewing existing accreditations to
ensure they remain adequate in light of
the listing of mako and porbeagle sharks.
+ More
New southern Basin water
purchasing for 2009-10
14 December 2009 - A
total of $270 million in new water purchasing
initiatives in the Murray-Darling Basin
has been announced today by the Acting Minister
for Water, Peter Garrett.
A series of three short
tenders of $90 million each will be conducted
in the southern connected River Murray system
in the first half of 2010.
"The first of the
tenders in the southern connected Basin
will open on 11 January 2010 and close on
29 January 2010," Mr Garrett said.
"Following this,
the two subsequent tenders are scheduled
to open for three weeks each commencing
in March and April 2010 respectively."
Mr Garrett said the
new tender rounds formed part of the Government's
$3.1 billion commitment to buy water from
the market to put back into the rivers of
the Murray Darling Basin.
"By purchasing
water from willing sellers and investing
in irrigation infrastructure, we are smoothing
the transition for irrigation communities
as they adjust to new, lower limits on water
use that we can expect under the Basin Plan,"
Mr Garrett said.
"Across the Murray
Darling Basin, the current challenges posed
by drought and climate change have been
compounded by decades of mismanagement."
A decision on 2009/10
water purchase tender opportunities elsewhere
in the Basin will be made in early 2010.
The 2009/10 tender plan
has been designed to improve the transparency
of the water purchasing program. At the
end of each tender, once the assessment
is complete, the Department will publish
information about the average price paid
in the most recent tender for the various
entitlement types.
As at 30 November 2009,
the Australian Government had secured the
purchase of 651 billion litres of water
at a cost of $1.01 billion.
Guidelines and the application
form will be available in January prior
to the opening of the tender. For copies
of the guidelines and application form call
1800 218 478 or visit www.environment.gov.au/waterpurchasing.
Applications cannot be submitted earlier
than 11 January 2010.
