We’ll there has been a lot of talk about the new commonwealth marine parks. So I thought I’d post the maps. In terms of impacts of recreational fishing, they are likely to be pretty minor. From what I can gather, recreational fishing is allowed in all bar the green areas on the maps, all other colours look like recreational fishing will still be allowed. Most of the grounds where recreational fishing will no longer be allowed are a long way offshore, so are likely to have minimal impacts on recreational fishermen, with a few small exceptions. In the long run, we could well be the big winners from this, with spawning grounds etc protected from commercial take. All in all it appears at this stage, that the commonwealth marine parks will have a small impact on recreational fishermen and may well be a positive for us in the long run.
http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/reserves/pubs/map-national.pdf
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-14/australian-marine-reserves-maps/4069666
Anyway, play nice
Hamish
