The long-awaited DRAFT re-zoning plan for the Great Sandy Marine Park has been released!

NOTE - ALL of the Red Cross-Hatched - Designated Great Sandy Area has been removed without exception. This decision is a huge win for recreational anglers, fish stocks and the marine environment.

While this DRAFT plan is a significant win for recreational fishing and the marine environment - THERE ARE areas that NEED to be reviewed to maintain access to key recreational fishing areas.

These are some changes our members and the local community have suggested so far: -

* Question 16 - 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 areas/marks. We suggest the current MNP 10 is left at its Northern limit and is widened to the West to maintain the proposed Green Protection Area percentage or look at another area where deep seagrass could be protected.

* 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. We propose a 300-metre Yellow Conservation Zone be applied from the shoreline around the top of Big Woody island.

* HPZ09 - Shoreline section of HPZ05 and HPZ02, Habitat Protection Zones - It is proposed that 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! We believe it was changed to enable shoreline structures to be more easily approved, erected and maintained, like jetties etc. The Great Sandy Marine Park Zoning Plan - Summary of Key Proposed Changes suggests that HPZ 11 covering the Upper reaches of Burrum River and Cherwell River will EXCLUDE commercial fishing with large mesh gill nets and ring nets - BUT WE NEED this to be FORMALISED and written in stone. This rule must also be applied to the "light blue" zones at Buxton and Walkers Point.

* THIS MUST ALSO BE APPLIED TO MPZ-13 around the iconic Urangan Pier as well.

* MNP 23 - Move the new proposed Green zone further South, away from Tinnanbar township - is there any scope to move it from the North side of Kauri Creek to the South side of Kauri Creek mouth while still protecting the key habitat?

* MNP 25 - Amend the Green Zone outside flats/mangrove areas around the entrance to Myers Creek to a Yellow Conservation Zone. This is an important recreational fishing area.

* MNP 26 - Wolf Rock green zone be amended to allow recreational fishing access to The Pinnacles.

PLEASE make your submission to the On-Line
Survey here -

https://intheloop.des.qld.gov.au/great-sandy-marine-park-zoning-plan

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE ON THE 23rd of OCTOBER!