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This week the Queensland Government has released a draft zoning plan for the Great Sandy Marine Park. The good news is that the Red Cross Hatching has been removed from the yellow conservation zone making it in line with every yellow zone in the world. The green zones have been increased from 4% to 12.5% which will help to increase fish stock that went from 7.8 fish per person per trip in 1986 to 0.81 fish per person per trip. This catastrophic decline in fish stock has seen fishing tourism decline over the years in Hervey Bay. This has lead to a rise in fishing tourism in Moreton Bay and 1770 where the marine park zones were more effectively introduced. The draft is a little disappointing in that a small number of tunnel nets and pocket nets will remain in the yellow zone, but overall it is a great result

I have been in a number of discussions with Mr Scott Mitchell over the years and he believes there is a scope to improve the draft as follows:

It is a great leap forward - and I agree that there is scope to improve it, and that's why we need everyone to engage and make submissions via the online survey and add the additional concerns/changes in the comments. I have made the following suggested changes :-

Question 16 - I suggests we STRONGLY DISAGREE to the retention of tunnel netting in the Yellow Conservation Zone areas ! There should be NO commercial netting in Yellow Conservation Park Zones.

MNP11 - Goes out further now and takes in some key recreational fishing area/marks - I would like to see it taken back in towards Big Woody and possibly widened towards MNP10 to maintain the Green Protection Area if needed.

MNP16 - Could be reduced to allow fishing on the top Eastern and Western sides of Big Woody ( out from the shoreline) as it is a key recreational fishing area and is essentially all hard rock - I support protecting the coral areas - but I would like to see recreational fishing allowed around the shoreline at the top of Big Woody

HPZ09 - Shoreline section of HPZ05 and HPZ02 , Habitat Protection Zones - I would propose changing the habitat protection zones that are being shown along the shoreline of K'gari from North Ngkala Rocks to Moon Point be Changed to Yellow Conservation Zones - in line with the CPZ13 , CPZ17 and CPZ21 - essentially continuing the Yellow Conservation Zone CPZ16 ALL the way around K'Gari to Moon Point.

HPZ11 - Habitat Protection Zone in the Burrum River and Sherwell Rivers be changed to a Yellow Conservation Zone. Otherwise, it will allow commercial netting in that area! I believe it was changed to allow easier shoreline structures to be approved, erected and maintained like jetties etc. ... but it just

Thanks Scott

Yours Sincerely
Meade Murphy
Publicity Officer