Recent claims by WA philanthropist Andrew Forrest, that suggest changes to the current Commonwealth Marine Parks Plans will benefit recreational fishing in WA are simply wrong!
Recfishwest, the fishing community and our stakeholders have worked hard for years on Marine Park equity for all and we believe the current plans provide just that.
The current plans were developed using best available science with considerable input from all user groups.
The value of recreational fishing has been recognised in the current plan, which is a good balance between community fishing access and the environment!
The recreational fishing community are champions of the aquatic environment – we too support plastic free oceans and healthy fish stocks.
We continually invest in projects focused on habitat protection, restoration & enhancement, rejuvenating our waterways and environmental stewardship.
We would welcome any assistance Mr Forrest could provide to help recreational fishers continue deliver these positive outcomes for the marine environment.
Recfishwest support marine parks that are created for the purpose of recreation, science, education, conservation and enhanced visitor experiences. We believe marine park zoning must be underpinned by science and should be implemented using simple, practical management that is risk-based, transparent and subject to regular review.
To read more about our position about Marine Parks, visit: https://recfishwest.org.au/news/new-commonwealth-marine-parks-announced/
