The FCFA welcomes today's press conference announcing the Final Re-Zoning Plan for The Great Sandy Marine Park. This review has been in progress since the Great Sandy Marine Park was introduced in 2006!

Media Release details here - https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/98200

The Final Decision RIS and associated maps can be viewed and downloaded via the following links –

https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/401114/gsmp-community-summary.pdf

https://www.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/401115/gsmp-dris.pdf

This should be broadly welcomed by the recreational fishing sector and environment groups. It will greatly assist in rebuilding fish stocks and protect endangered species. I note that Tunnel and set pocket nets have be maintained even though 70% of the submission called for them to be removed. The document suggests that this decision has been made to maintain the supply of fresh local fish for this who do not catch their own.

Anyone who has fished consistently throughout the Great Sandy Marine Park from Baffle Creek in the North to Double Island Point in the South during the last few decades will confirm they have observed significant localised depletion across several of our key recreational species. The new zoning plan will assist in restoring and protecting fish stocks throughout the Great Sandy Marine Park for future generations while creating new employment opportunities.

Bringing an end to destructive gillnetting inside the Conservation Park zones is well overdue and should never have been established in the first place. The Great Sandy Marine Park was the only marine park in Australia that allowed commercial gillnetting in Conservation Park zones.

You only need to look at what has happened on the Fitzroy River at Rockhampton to see the benefits of removing commercial netting and creating net-free zones. New employment opportunities will arise from increased recreational fishing tourism and local fishers, which flows out across these regional communities.

The Fraser Coast Fishing Alliance Inc. is also NOT one individual - More than thirty thousand people have signed the petition calling for these changes, which confirms this new re-zoning plan has broad community support, and we thank everyone who has supported us!

Regards
Scott Mitchell

Chairman FCFA