[Greens-Media] FW: MEDIA RELEASE: 'Decision on Marine Park Amnesty Too Little, Too Late' (Greens NSW MP Dr Mehreen Faruqi MLC)

[Mehreen Faruqi]

Media Release
19.12.14
Decision on Marine Park Amnesty Too Little, Too Late
Greens NSW MP and Spokesperson for the Marine Environment, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has called the partial lifting of the amnesty for fishing in marine parks sanctuary zones too little, too late.
Dr Faruqi said:
"Quite frankly, this decision to revoke the fishing amnesty in just two thirds of sanctuary zones is too little, too late. The Government has spent the last almost twenty months quite deliberately dithering on this issue to the detriment of the marine environment.

"Whilst I welcome the removal of the amnesty on many beaches, around a third of these protected areas will now have fishing permanently allowed, including more than 60% of Batemans Marine Park sanctuary zones which will be devastating for the marine ecology of the area.

"The science says that allowing fishing in these sanctuary zones for the last 19 months will have significantly undermined the marine park ecology.

"This is in effect a decision to remove a third of our precious sanctuary zones from the marine parks system.

"The Government proclaims it is sticking to the science, but perhaps they should have thought about that before declaring the amnesty, not after.

"Jervis Bay Marine Park, for example, will have all its sanctuary zones rightly restored, meaning there was absolutely no reason to allow fishing there, and to undermine the marine ecology, in the first place.

"The Greens strenuously opposed giving the Minister the power to alter sanctuary zones for exactly these reasons. At the time, Labor voted against our amendment that would have prevented the Minister from reducing the size of sanctuary zones" Dr Faruqi concluded.

More Information : http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/539405/media_release_141219_decision_fishing_amnesty1.pdf

Media contact: Matt Hilton for Dr Mehreen Faruqi 9230 2625| 0423 106 247