South Coast Marine Parks plans

Recfishwest is urging ALL FISHERS who care about protecting access to cherished fishing spots to make a South Coast Marine Parks submission before the June 16 deadline.

Whether you live and fish on the South Coast, or visit the South Coast to fish, or just would like to fish on the South Coast at some point in the future – the time has come for all of us to take action to defend fishing by making a submission on the Government’s marine park plans.

CLICK HERE TO READ OUR TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE A SUBMISSION

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There is nothing quite like standing on a south coast beach, rod in hand, facing the salt spray as the water laps at your feet.

Dreams of mulloway, salmon, big tailor and skippy, or maybe a snapper often become a reality on many of the pristine beaches between Bremer Bay and the SA border. Many of these beaches are things of folklore in recreational fishing networks, having been at the centre of many fishing milestones for generations of fishers.

It’s therefore important to note that the draft zoning scheme for the South Coast Marine Parks considers “moving the boundaries of some sanctuary zones 200 metres from the mainland high water mark to allow for commercial and recreational fishing from and close to the shore.”

Read the full story here.

We were on the South Coast last week talking to local fishers like Mitchell Waideman and hearing their concerns about the State Government’s South Coast Marine Parks proposals.

Hear what Esperance Land Based Fishing Club President Mitchell Waideman has to say on some of the proposed no fishing zones in the marine parks proposals in the video below.

Over the next few months, we will be doing all we can to ensure we get the best outcome possible in protecting access to important fishing spots, like Warrenup Beach in the video.

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Recfishwest says that some of the proposed no-fishing zones in the Government’s South Coast Marine Park plans released today are “completely illogical and unjustifiable”.

Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland said, “Proposing no fishing zones in front of caravan parks, boat ramps and along several popular beaches demonstrates marine park planners in Perth are out of touch with the south coast community.

“We stand firmly for sustainability; however, we cannot support the marine parks in their current form.”

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Every one of our 10 SunSmart Fishing Clinics Southern Tour was completely booked out this year, highlighting once again how popular and important fishing is on our south coast.

More than 350 excited kids took part in the clinics running from East of Esperance all the way along the coast to Augusta – with all participants enjoying learning about fishing basics, looking after the environment and being SunSmart.

This was a record attendance for the tour with record numbers of fish caught and released by the young eager anglers to match!

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The Minister for the Environment Reece Whitby has pushed back the date for the release of the proposed south coast marine park plan for public consultation to early February next year.

It was widely anticipated that the plans would be released before the end of 2023, but Minister Whitby, speaking on ABC Regional Drive, announced the decision to delay the release until next year.

He said, “I understand that people go away on holidays and have other issues on their mind and want to get away and relax a bit. So, I think an appropriate time would be in the New Year after the school holidays. I think early February is about the right time.”

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If you want a perfect example of why land-based fishing access and experiences need to be protected on the south coast – then the recent Esperance Land Based Fishing Club‘s Open Classic competition rang the bell loud and clear.   

With 130 avid fishers competing, their hopes of snagging some impressive competition prizes rested on their cherished land-based fishing spots producing the goods for solid catches of fish species that thrive along the south coast – and it was another cracking year.  

The club offered fantastic cash rewards for the heaviest fish across 13 species, meaning all competitors had equal opportunities to bring the heaviest fish to the weigh-in and leave with heavier wallets. 

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Recfishwest understands plans for both the new South Coast Marine Park and the extension to Marmion Marine Park are to be released for public comment as early as October.   

And it’s going to be crucial for the tens of thousands who fish along the north metro and south coasts to stand up and make their voices heard to protect access to some of the most valuable and popular fishing spots in these areas. 

In recent months, we’ve highlighted the south coast community’s concerns around the consultation process going off the rails and the potential loss of some of the region’s fishing and beach access through a potentially heavily unbalanced marine park design. 

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Dr Andrew Rowland, Recfishwest CEO, and Operations Officer Sam Bock were recently on the south coast listening to the concerns of local fishers about the potential impact of DBCA’s proposed marine park.

Stretching along 1,000 km of coastline from Bremer Bay to the WA/SA border, many local fishers told Andrew and Sam that the marine park already has a predefined political outcome and will be an unnecessary overreach coming out of Perth.

These concerns have been stoked by the bad publicity surrounding the consultation process to date.

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Being able to drive on the beach to your favourite fishing spot to wet a line is what makes living on the south coast so great.

And for those with dogs, taking your canine friend along for the ride merely adds to the enjoyment.

However, we are hearing increasing concerns from south coast fishers that these freedoms (which are already restricted on some beach stretches) could be under serious threat in the proposed south coast marine park with DBCA’s track record in park management.

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The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attraction’s (DBCA’s) marine park on the south coast has been in the headlines recently for all the wrong reasons.

From shire council presidents, to leading members of the marine park’s Community Reference Committee (CRC), to community engagement officers, a growing chorus of voices have publicly criticised the direction the planning process has taken in the last few months (see some of their comments in the news and on social media below).

“There is mounting concern that our freedom to fish beaches and offshore areas prized by generations of south coast residents and visitors is on the line, “ said Recfishwest CEO Dr Andrew Rowland. “With our own experiences of it to date, we share the community’s concerns that the planning process for the marine park has gone sideways.”

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If you want an example of how important fishing is to the south coast – look no further than Esperance and last weekend’s (March 10-12) sensational Esperance Deep Sea Angling Club’s (EDSAC) Esperance Archipelago Offshore Angling Classic. 

With Samson fish tipping the scales at more than 22kg along with spectacular harlequin fish, snapper and breaksea cod — it’s no wonder more than 600 people came down to the weigh-in at Esperance’s biggest fishing comp and enjoyed a fantastic weekend of fishing and socialising!  

There were 275 competing anglers on 83 boats taking part in the competition – making it one of the biggest boat fishing tournaments if not the biggest in WA.  

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13 July, 2022

If you fish between Trigg and Two Rocks in Perth’s north or between Bremer Bay and the South Australian border on our southern coast, Recfishwest is strongly encouraing you to take our respective marine park surveys and get your voice heard in their planning processes.

The Marmion Marine Park is set to extend its northern boundary from its current base of Trigg to Burns Rocks up to Two Rocks.

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28 October, 2022

One of the fishing community’s greatest challenges is maintaining access to high-quality fishing experiences across Western Australia.  

Be it from industrial development, the deterioration and subsequent closing of jetties and platforms, or marine park zones that prohibit fishing, recreational fishers face a constant uphill battle in being able to access the experiences we all love and cherish. 

In the case of marine parks, Recfishwest has been at the coalface this year as we advocate strongly for a fair and reasonable outcome for fishers in two marine parks currently going through the consultation process.  

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7 December, 2021

As one of WA’s great recreational fishing landscapes, the south coast is hugely important for tens of thousands of recreational fishers, providing spectacular fishing opportunities from both shore and boat.

Recently, the McGowan Government announced plans to create a marine park on WA’s south coast, potentially stretching 1,000km from Bremer Bay all the way to the South Australian border.

The Government’s community engagement approach for this marine park involves the establishment of Sector Advisory Groups (SAGs) to provide advice and recommendations to the marine park planning process.

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8 October, 2021

As one of WA’s great recreational fishing landscapes, the south coast is hugely important for tens of thousands of recfishers, providing sometimes spectacular fishing opportunities from the shore and from boats alike.

From nannygai, harlequin and yellowtail kingfish from the Southern Ocean depths to metre-long mulloway, salmon, herring and skippy from pristine beaches, there is something for everyone on the south coast, providing also a coastal escape for hard-working families from the Wheatbelt and Goldfields regions.

That’s why Recfishwest is strongly encouraging the south coast fishing community to get involved and get their views and voices heard as part of the State Government’s plans for a new marine park on the south coast.

Read the full story here.