Government monitoring zero

Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan

Please find attached contents of a draft 1 page letter to assist F&B readers in sending their submission to Governments on the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan.  Even if recreational fishers don’t wish to type much themselves they can just cut and paste this suggested text and submit as a bare minimum.

All recreational fishers should make a submission if they want to have a say in future fishing matters in the Great Barrier Reef.  NO submissions from the recreational fishermen will mean that Government will interpret that recreational fishermen have NO interest in recreational fishing in the Great Barrier Reef.  Readers should be strongly encouraged to make a submission and add in anything else in their submission that they wish.
Please remind readers that submissions close next Monday on 27 October 2014.
The easiest way to make a submission is via the submissions e-mail address at GBRlongtermplan@environment.gov.au

Dear Australian and Queensland Governments

I wish to congratulate you on your initiative to develop the Reef 2050 Long-term Sustainability Plan to protect and manage the Great Barrier Reef.

Whilst supporting the general objective of the plan I believe that the plan fails to recognise the importance of recreational fishermen as a critical stakeholder group contributing to the management and monitoring of the Great Barrier Reef.  

My comments on the draft plan are as follows:

• Bony fish should be and are one of the indicator species that is considered in measuring improved biodiversity outcomes. The bony fish that are indicator species should include most key recreationally important fish species ranging from tropical salmons, mangrove jack and grunter through to fingermark, queenfish and red emperor. Current monitoring of these species by any Government Agencies is near zero. Governments must provide resources to responsibly monitor these resources so these species can be used as indicator species for the Reef 2050 Long-term Sustainability Plan.
• The specific target that refers to just coral trout being managed to maintain 60% of the unfished population is nothing short of irresponsible given the vast number of recreationally important species (including those mentioned above) that need to be maintained at healthy population levels. This target should responsibly include most key recreationally important fish species and NOT just coral trout. The 60% of unfished population level stated should also be justified in delivering a recreational fishermen’s desires for more and bigger fish of all these species swimming around in waters of the Great Barrier Reef into the future.
• The target to complete the Queensland’s fisheries management review and implement measures to achieve and maintain sustainable commercial and recreational fisheries is strongly supported provided all of the responsible recommendations of the review are appropriately funded after the review, and into the future. This target is nothing but an aspiration of Governments unless adequate funds from the Reef Trust and other funding sources are allocated by Governments to recreational fishing.

I thank you for consideration of this submission.