A NEW Queensland-based volunteer rec fishing organisation is urging local fishos to contact their state government in a bid to instigate a full review of the state’s fisheries.
Fisho was sent the following information by the organisation involved, the Network for Sustainable Fishing:
The Network for Sustainable Fishing (NSF) is an ever growing voluntary, non-political, non-funded network of persons from all walks of life supporting the need to set Queensland’s inshore fisheries, commercial, charter and recreational, on a course towards genuine sustainability at acceptable stock levels. We want them to be the best they can be, the best in Australia.
What are we all about?
NSF is about awareness of our fishery facts, whether proven scientifically or just ‘fairly obvious’. It will be too late for some of our more vulnerable inshore fish stocks if we wait for the “fairly obvious” to be proven scientifically before we act. We have the experience, the basic knowledge and the courage of our convictions to act now before it is too late.
We are about doing something to help sustain and repair inshore ecosystems, rebuild biodiversity and help fish stocks recover. The requirements for this to occur include our immediate focus:
“developing the political will to improve the management and operation of Queensland’s inshore fisheries such that stocks reach and are sustained at levels of abundance and production similar to the 1970s”.
What needs to be done and how can YOU help?
Firstly and most importantly, please circulate this on your own networks. This first mailing will reach several hundred people, with your help we can reach many thousands. After all we are said to have 750,000 people fishing our waters annually.
On 6 March, Minister for Ag. Fisheries and Forestry, Dr John McVeigh, announced there would be a full review of fisheries management in Queensland. We have been asking for this for years, thank goodness he has listened and is prepared to act.
Now it has been suggested that this should only be an internal review. If this is the case, history will be repeating itself: no real progress will be made. Fresh independent and appropriate specialist knowledge, skills and experience are sorely needed.
Please would YOU email Dr McVeigh with something along the following lines; please do cut, adapt and paste as you see fit. All the material necessary to back up your request can be readily accessed from reports, summaries and correspondence available from the website of Fishers for Conservation – www.ffc.org.au.
To: agriculture@ministerial.qld.gov.au; policychair@lnp.org.au; president@lnp.org.au; bruce.mills@ministerial.qld.gov.au;
Subject: Support for full independent review of fisheries management in QLD
“Dear Dr McVeigh,
Congratulations on your recent announcement of a full review of fisheries management in Queensland. This is an area long neglected and one in need of urgent attention.
Many people are aware we are missing out on valuable economic and recreational opportunities by allowing our inshore fisheries to be progressively degraded.
There are very real risks of the numbers of certain estuary and inshore fish species continuing to drop so low in certain areas that they may never recover. There are already reports of this occurring in some places.
Please do ensure the Fisheries Management Review is adequately funded and fully independent of the current administration. If you can do this, it will be a sound investment, very popular and may prove to be one of your most important achievements.”
