Marine Parks :-

MARINE PARKS

Like Fishing Clubs up and down the coast we are very aware and apprehensive of the current Governments mania in declaring as much of Australia’s coastline as possible as Marine Parks.
A group of people, from where, we are not sure, calling themselves the South East Marine Protection Group convened a so called Public Meeting in Tathra on 9 October 2005.
The Group did not formally, or by way of the newspaper or radio media tell anyone about the meeting and it was only the bush telegraph that alerted 65 or so people to attend and hear their proposal to establish a Marine Park from Shelley Beach (Tathra’s Surfing Beach) around the headland to south of Kianinny Bay banning spear and line fishing.
A motion to disagree completely with their proposal was carried 65 to 4.

Since that meeting the Government has declared another Marine Park, running from Batemans Bay to Wallaga Lake at Bermagui and 3nm out to sea. The Government behaved in the same way as SEMPG and all stakeholders were caught completely by surprise. Minister Ian McDonald himself, had reassured one of the Narooma Tackle Shop owners on three occasions, and he has this on record, that there would be no Marine Park in the area.

Tathra Fishing Club has decided to be pro-active and to this end have the support of Andrew Constance MP. Member for Bega. We would ask you to gather as many signatures as possible and return to the Secretary at PO Box 5 Tathra 2550