Give Me Sanctuary - For our marine life and way of life by Save Our Marine Life

GIVE ME SANCTUARY For our marine life and way of life

saveourmarinelife.org.au

PROTECTING OUR TRUE BLUE Australia made world history in 2012 when the largest ever network of marine sanctuaries was created. This decision – based on more than 10 years of science research and 750,000 public submissions in support – confirmed Australia’s global leadership in the management of its ocean estate.

As a nation, we have a proud history of acting with foresight to ensure a sustainable balance is found between what we take from the oceans and what we conserve for the future. This leadership crosses political divides, social priorities and economic self-interest. We are a nation of caretakers and our leaders have made lasting decisions for our own ‘big blue backyard’, starting with the creation of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park by Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser in the 1970s. Thinking and acting for the long term established an insurance policy for Australia’s oceans and marine life against the known threats of exploitation, introduced predators, pollution and destructive commercial fishing methods. Our knowledge of life beneath the waves has also increased and our understanding of the vital role of protected areas has grown to reach a consensus point. Only two years after its creation, our world-leading national network of marine sanctuaries was suspended from operation and a review ordered before any protections were established on the water. Reviews provide a welcome opportunity to act on new research and make adjustments to ensure the maximum effectiveness of a protected area. However, if the science evidence of the benefits of marine sanctuaries is not utilised and, if the wishes of coastal communities are ignored, we place in jeopardy the nation’s proud history of sensible, long term management of the marine environment. We also place at risk some of the world’s rarest and most vulnerable species, as well as the habitats they depend on for survival.

The suspension of the national network of sanctuaries has been met with dismay from a wide range of Australians - from anglers and divers to local business owners and scientists who support its creation. Not only because it provides sensible protections for feeding and breeding areas, but also because sanctuaries enrich coastal communities and drive economic growth. Here we take a look at the breadth of this support, as well as the scientific evidence. The first hand experience of communities living with and working next to existing marine sanctuaries is also shared. Through their eyes, we gain a much better understanding of just how logical a step the majority of Australians view marine sanctuaries as being. We also take a look at some of the ‘hotspots’ at stake in this current review – the Coral Sea, Geographe Bay, the Kimberley, Perth Canyon, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Carpentaria, Lord Howe Island and more. We all share a duty and an opportunity to continue our nation’s proud history of stewardship of the seas: protecting our True Blue for our marine life and way of life.

John Williamson AM Australian Singer-Songwriter

CONTENTS Foreword: Protecting our True Blue

A Shared Legacy

What’s Now At Stake

Our Big Blue Icons

Community Consensus

Middle Australia Supports Sanctuaries

The Science Behind Sanctuaries

Wise Words

Marine Parks and Fisheries Management

Australian Anglers Support Sanctuaries

Coast to Coast: World-class conservation and recreation working hand in hand

Australia’s Proud History of Marine Protection

Photo: Jurgen Freund

AUSTRALIA’S NATIONAL NETWORK OF MARINE PARKS AND SANCTUARIES*

Marine sanctuaries (no extractive activities) Multiple use zones (allowing various degrees of extractive use)

*All Commonwealth marine parks currently suspended from operation (with the exception of marine parks declared before 2012, including the Great Barrier Reef, the South East Network, Heard & McDonald, and Macquarie Island).

4 A SHARED LEGACY Australia is responsible for the third largest area of ocean on Earth. Located at the junction of three major oceans, we have more unique marine life than almost any other country. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, we also have a responsibility to manage and conserve the oceans under our care. For many years, Australia has proudly led – rather than followed – the world on stewardship of the seas. This leadership has ranged from being an anti-whaling advocate, to the establishment of the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), to setting the global standard for marine sanctuary protection on the Great Barrier Reef in 2004 at 34 per cent.

A HISTORY OF BIPARTISANSHIP Our new national network of marine sanctuaries is the result of decades of bipartisan efforts. The process to establish the national network began when John Howard’s Coalition Government developed the world’s first Oceans Policy in 1998 and went on to declare 22 marine parks around Australia. This built on Australia’s first federal marine parks declared by the Whitlam Labor Government in the 1970s, and the Fraser Coalition Government in the 1980s. Steady progress was made under the subsequent Hawke and Keating Labor Governments and the Howard Coalition Government, culminating in 2012 with the completion of the world’s largest and first comprehensive network of marine sanctuaries by the Gillard Labor Government (see timeline on p19).

Australia has historically been a world leader in ocean conservation and management

Photo: Gary Bell / Oceanwideimages.com

Most recently, in 2014, the Weatherill Labor South Australian Government delivered the nation’s first state waters comprehensive network of marine sanctuaries. In 2015, New South Wales Liberal Premier Mike Baird publicly committed to expanding the state’s marine sanctuary network, and the Barnett Western Australian Liberal Government is currently creating a world-class network of sanctuaries in the Kimberley.

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE In determining the future of our new national network of marine sanctuaries, it is timely to reflect on the knowledge gained through other, well-established marine parks around the country. Over the 10 years that WA’s Ningaloo Reef has enjoyed sanctuary protection, it has become not only a hotspot for fish and marine life, but an economic powerhouse as well. Visitor surveys reveal 180,000 tourists a year are now visiting and spending in excess of $141 million. Despite the many threats the Great Barrier Reef is facing, new research shows half of its young fish are coming from the third of the Reef that is protected as a sanctuary. Other recent research has established that coral reefs protected in sanctuaries are six times more resistant to disease and also climate change than reefs elsewhere. In 2013, a Centre for Policy Development report highlighted that NSW’s six marine parks were already delivering economic benefits to local communities, bringing an estimated $2.4 million to places such as Jervis Bay and Coffs Harbour.

It’s clear that our marine parks and sanctuaries around Australia are an environmental, social and economic success.

Sanctuaries are tourism powerhouses and support a range of growing industries

Photo: Shutterstock

WHAT’S NOW AT STAKE Despite overwhelming community, business and scientific support for the national network of marine parks and sanctuaries declared in 2012, its future is now at stake.

With our marine sanctuaries suspended from operation, our unique and diverse marine life has been left vulnerable to the creeping industrialisation of Australia’s oceans.

In late 2013, the new network was suspended from operation before it had even commenced, and a review ordered. This decision was made despite:

Approval of oil and gas operations in areas already assessed as among Australia’s most sensitive marine environments. Supertrawlers allowed to fish in Australian waters for the first time. All are occurring in the absence of the insurance policy sanctuaries for marine life provide, and the sensible balance they create between what we take and what we conserve for the future.

• More than 10 years of scientific assessment • 606 days of consultation between 2010 and 2012 • 245 leading scientists writing to government in support of sanctuaries • 750,000 supporting public and stakeholder submissions • $100 million allocated to compensate the commercial fishing industry (only 1% of commercial catch affected).

Established marine sanctuaries have boosted tourism, fish populations and local businesses.

Australia’s marine parks have been 15 years in development. It’s high time to make them operational on the water and, in doing so, restore the certainty for communities Australia-wide that stand to benefit from the increased tourism appeal, enhanced recreation and local business opportunities that come with marine parks.

6 OUR BIG BLUE ICONS Australia is home to among the world’s largest diversity of marine life and ecosystems. With our national network of sanctuaries suspended from operation, these are just some of the icons now at risk from a lack of protection and the threat of exploitation.

The Coral Sea The Coral Sea Marine Reserve protects one of the last wild places on Earth where ocean giants still thrive: home to gigantic whale sharks, 28 types of whales and dolphins, 52 types of deepwater sharks and rays, 6 of the world’s 7 sea turtles, rare healthy populations of large ocean predators such as sharks, tuna and sailfish, and the only known black marlin spawning event in the world. Buffering our Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, these two reserves side by side make the world’s largest marine protected area – with huge sustainable tourism potential. Outside the sanctuary, the Coral Sea Marine Reserve also created what is effectively the largest recreational fishing zone in Australia’s history. By protecting crucial feeding and breeding areas, we can ensure we have fish for the future, while also having great fishing opportunities beyond the sanctuaries.

The Coral Sea Marine Reserve is a model of what marine conservation in Australia could become - a win/win for our wildlife, our way of life and our economy.

Geographe Bay As well as a popular holiday destination where people flock to rest, whale watch, fish, dive and sail, Geographe Bay is also a resting area for our majestic humpback whales on their migration path. Seagrass beds and limestone reefs in the Bay are teeming with life and provide a nursery for many species, including the iconic Western Australian Dhufish – popular with both recreational fishers and divers alike. These giant fish are in decline, but sanctuaries can help protect the big, old female fish that are the best breeders, helping to ensure their future. The bay also boasts a remarkable range of corals and sponges – shown by the popularity of diving in the area.

The Perth Canyon Beyond Rottnest Island, Perth’s backyard holds an underwater secret larger than the Grand Canyon. The Perth Canyon is one of the only three places in Australia where the blue whale – the largest animal ever to exist – is known to feed. Sadly, blue whales have shown little sign of recovery since their numbers plummeted to nearextinction because of whaling. Undersea currents hit the canyon and bring food to the surface where seabirds, whales and travelling fish like marlin, tuna and samson fish also feed, making it an important feature on the nutrient-poor coast of Western Australia. Up to 90% of the marine life in the south-west is found nowhere else, so who knows what other mysterious species live in the depths of the canyon? Photos: Top to Bottom - Undersea productions, Attila E Kaszo, Doc White

The Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria is a crucial part of one of the last intact tropical marine systems left on the planet. The Gulf provides an important resting area for the threatened flatback turtle and green turtle, and its seagrass meadows are a hotspot for globally vulnerable dugong and rare snubfin dolphins. Monsoonal rivers that flow into the southern Gulf are largely free from dams and large scale water extraction, making the region globally unique. Freeflowing wild rivers bring a flood of nutrients and fresh water each wet season, supporting high levels of phytoplankton: the sea-plants which produce the oxygen we breathe.

The Kimberley The Kimberley has some of the largest intact natural areas left on the planet – comparable only with areas such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rainforest. Its marine environment is one of the last remaining large and healthy refuges for many threatened and endangered species, such as sharks, dugong, dolphins, turtles and whales. Tens of thousands of humpback whales – the world’s largest population – make the Kimberley coast their home each year. These whales give birth and breed between Broome and Camden Sound and prepare for the annual migration to their Antarctic feeding grounds.

Lord Howe Island Divers, snorkellers and birdwatchers return to World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island again and again to see the unique mix of wildlife in the world’s cleanest and clearest water. Home to the world’s most southerly coral reef, Lord Howe is a crossroads for ocean species. Five major ocean currents collide here, and the rich variety of water temperatures, nutrient levels and habitats allows a fascinating mix of tropical, sub-tropical and temperate species to survive. Lord Howe Island is Australia’s premier bird watching destination, with 14 species of seabirds breeding here in hundreds of thousands.

The Great Australian Bight The Great Australian Bight is a globally significant breeding nursery for the southern right whale and for the Australian sea lion. It’s also one of the only areas in the world where juvenile southern bluefin tuna are known to surface consistently, providing important feeding habitat for these critically endangered fish. The cool waters of the Bight have exceptional diversity combining bottomdwelling plants, seaweeds and sea sponges – just some of the 798 species of plants and animals that have been identified in the region.

Photos: Top to Bottom - Australian Marine Conservation Society, Xanthe Rivett, Doug Anderson, Gary Bell/Oceanwideimages.com

8 COMMUNITY CONSENSUS Australians are enthusiastic supporters of marine sanctuaries, particularly once they have experienced them first hand. They make their support known through surveys, at public events, in the hundreds of thousands of submissions sent during consultation processes, and in their communications with their local MPs.

“As an ex professional fisherman, I have seen a lot of damage done. Sanctuaries are essential.” Chris - fisherman

“Sanctuary zones aren’t restrictions, they are enhancements.” Ginny - yachting instructor

• Middle Australia is overwhelmingly supportive of

sanctuaries, as shown repeatedly in qualitative and quantitative research (see p10).

• The vast majority of recreational fishers are

overwhelmingly supportive of sanctuaries, with every published scientific and government survey of fishers confirming this fact (see p15).

• There is national and international consensus among

scientists that sanctuaries benefit marine life and have socio-economic benefits to the community (see p11).

• Both sides of politics support sanctuaries. Our national network was initiated by the Howard Coalition Government, and finalised by the Gillard Labor Government in 2012 (see page 4).

• Leading up to the 2012 declaration of the national network, more than 750,000 Australians made submissions, showing more than 95% support for sanctuaries.

• More than 130,000 people from all walks of life – fishers,

divers, snorkellers, sailors, surfers, business owners, families, even ocean lovers living nowhere near the coast – have joined Save our Marine Life, with a 2014 survey revealing more than one third are recreational fishers.

• Thousands of Australians have joined Divers for Sanctuaries, and the majority of dive businesses in Australia have signed the Dive Industry Statement for Sanctuaries. The dive industry alone contributes an estimated $4.2billion to the Australian economy each year.

“We rely on the ocean for our business and lifestyle and feel marine sanctuaries are great for our business.” Cath - business owner

• More than 1000 Australian businesses have already

signed the Business Statements for Sanctuaries, recognising that sanctuaries make sense for regional economies and livelihoods.

• Australia’s iconic beaches, extraordinary marine life

and coastal lifestyle are core to Australia’s economy, reputation and identity. Right around the country, local businesses, tourism and fishing are benefiting from marine parks.

Across the country we hear the consensus: to be Australian is to treasure the big blue backyard that is our birthright. It is our inheritance that we respect and protect. It is our overwhelming desire to maintain its health for generations to come – for our marine life and our way of life.

10 MIDDLE AUSTRALIA SUPPORTS SANCTUARIES There is widespread available evidence of the breadth of support, as well as awareness of the benefits of marine sanctuaries.

• Quantitative research (Essential Research 2009) found

• Qualitative research has found widespread concern

• Across the spectrum from those who never fish to

• In quantitative research (Essential Research 2009) of

77 percent of Australians support 30 percent or more of our oceans being protected from over fishing and other exploitation.

those who fish regularly, more than half of the Australian community believe at least 50 percent and as high as 60 percent or more of our oceans should be protected (Essential Research 2009).

• In two key NSW marine parks – Solitary Islands and

Jervis Bay – where local opinion had been mixed particularly during the establishment period, government-commissioned surveys found support for the parks is now high across local communities, with support for sanctuaries at 80 percent or higher (McGregor Tan Research 2008).

• Three years after sanctuary-level protection of the

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was increased to 33 percent, a survey of recreational fishers found the majority believed the rezoning was necessary and had little impact on their fishing (Sutton 2009).

that so little of Australia’s oceans are protected from the impacts of oil and gas drilling, and over-fishing (Essential Research 2008). people who fish, and those unaligned to environment groups, were asked how much of Australia’s oceans should be protected. Few nominated low levels of protection (20 percent or less) and most supported very high levels of protection (50 plus percent).

• Qualitative research in Brisbane and Gladstone

(Essential Research 2012) found almost universal agreement that sanctuaries protecting feeding and breeding areas are necessary and beneficial.

• A majority of Brisbane residents agreed that marine

protected areas help to sustain fishing and the fishing industry, while in regional areas people nominated enhanced tourism opportunities as a further benefit of marine protected areas (Essential Research 2012).

Read about how many recreational anglers support sanctuaries on page 15. Also, find out more about middle Australia’s attitudes to marine conservation at www.saveourmarinelife.org.au/sanctuary-support

“We live on the veranda of the world’s greatest island. It’s our birthright to have a clean ocean, to catch a feed, to interact with nature. And, like any birthright, we have to safeguard it.” Tim Winton, Author

Sanctuaries protect crucial feeding and breeding areas to ensure we have fish for the future Photo: Mark Spencer

THE SCIENCE BEHIND SANCTUARIES The establishment of the national network of marine parks and sanctuaries in 2012 was one of the most evidencebased and consultative processes in Australia’s history.

Once areas are fully protected, science research has consistently shown that the number, size and diversity of marine life greatly increases.

14 years of scientific assessment and 606 days of consultation across the country over three years underpinned the decision. Despite this, in 2013 when the Abbott Government suspended from operation the national network and ordered a review, it maintained the science was inconclusive and consultation inadequate.

A three-year study by the University of Queensland in 2013 found that sanctuaries made coral reefs six times more resilient to coral bleaching and other disturbances.

Internationally published and peer-reviewed science from Australia and also across the globe strongly supports the protection of marine biodiversity through the creation of sanctuary areas.

Sanctuaries are designed to ensure that the full range of our unique marine life is protected for present and future generations, with a minimum impact on other activities such as fishing and oil and gas exploration.

Importantly, evidence of ‘flow-on’ benefits into adjacent areas is growing. Increases in size and the numbers of rock lobsters, corals, fishes and reef sharks reaching reproductive stage are now well documented.

The world’s largest study in 2014 found marine parks and sanctuaries have twice as many large fish species, five times more large fish biomass, and 14 times more shark biomass than comparable fished areas.

Photo Main: Jurgen Freund Photos below (L-R): Mark Spencer, Doug Anderson

THE SCIENCE BEHIND SANCTUARIES In 2015, a major review of 100 recent research papers into marine parks and sanctuaries found that: ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

• Well-managed sanctuaries of any size have larger

and far more abundant marine life than nearby fished areas, as shown by studies of mud crab in NSW, flathead in the Baltic Sea, striped marlin off California and lobsters in New Zealand.

• These differences become even greater with

increases in sanctuary size and age, along with improvements in its management effectiveness.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC BENEFITS

• Networks of large sanctuaries also benefit migrating

There are many Australian and overseas studies indicating that marine sanctuaries boost the tourism industry.

• Shark numbers in sanctuary areas on the Great Barrier

For example, NSW sanctuaries are assisting the recovery of Australia’s east coast grey nurse shark numbers, as well as providing tourism income to local dive operators.

• Once established, sanctuaries re-establish previously

Shark diving tourism in Palau is worth $18million each year, far higher than the $10,800 that would be generated by harvesting the local shark population.

• This can increase natural productivity by up to four

An economic study of Coral Sea tourism found that Osprey Reef receives between 4890 and 6542 visitors per year and generates visitor expenditure of between AU$11.5 million and AU$15.34 million per annum.

whales, sharks and seabirds by protecting their critical breeding and feeding habitats. Reef are, for example, 10 times that of areas that can be fished.

more natural conditions. Research in NSW, Mexico and Florida has revealed that sanctuaries lead to an increase in predator species and adult spawning fish.

times, resilience to climate change and recovery from flood damage and pest invasions – crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks are less frequent in sanctuary zones on the Great Barrier Reef.

• Sanctuaries can also be used to reduce the number of

cumulative impacts, protect threatened species and improve the overall health of an area of ocean, as shown by research in Tasmania, the Adriatic Sea and Brazil.

An assessment of the tourism potential of a highly protected Coral Sea Marine Reserve found the area’s reputation as a pristine dive destination would be enhanced, marine wildlife tourism would be boosted and opportunities for research improved. Full review at: www.saveourmarinelife.org.au/sanctuary-science

WISE WORDS There is a national and international science consensus that high levels of marine sanctuary protection will protect marine life, and marine sanctuaries are supported by Australia’s leading marine science organisations: “Creating a worldwide system of very large marine no-take areas is an essential and long overdue contribution to improving stewardship of the global marine environment.” Statement by more than 245 of the world’s leading scientists to the Australian Government, 2010.

“The final MPA network should consist of a minimum of 30% of the area of each Bioregion ... Conservation features that are known to be significant, threatened, or in a degraded state will normally require greater proportional representation [than the recommended min of 30%].” Scientific Principles for Design of Marine Protected Areas in Australia: A Guidance Statement, (2009), produced by University of Queensland and endorsed by 60 of Australia’s top marine scientists.

“Once every ten years the world’s conservation leaders gather to talk about protected areas – the bedrock of conservation ... Increasing protection of the oceans is a flagship element of the Sydney Promise [that came out of the 2014 World Parks Congress]. The meeting adopted a new target: to protect 30% of all of the habitats in the sea by 2030 in strictly protected marine parks.’ Callum Roberts, Professor of Marine Conservation, University of York and Blue Marine Foundation Trustee, 2014.

“Australian marine reserves not only protect the biodiversity within their boundaries, but support regional fisheries and provide resilience in the face of flooding and climate change”

Jessica Meeuwig Director, Centre for Marine Futures, Oceans Institute University of Western Australia

“As a tool for managing the oceans sustainably, marine sanctuaries complement fisheries management. Australia risks losing everything it has gained in just two short years if protections are removed.”

Dr Daniel Pauly Principal Investigator, Sea Around Us Project University of British Columbia Photo: Attila E Kaszo

14 MARINE PARKS AND FISHERIES MANAGEMENT - a winning combination While some may claim that we don’t need, or need fewer, fully-protected marine sanctuaries because our fisheries are managed sustainably, this is not true or relevant to Australia’s national network of marine parks.

Fisheries management, together with marine sanctuaries, offers a ‘two tool toolbox’ to the sustainable management of our oceans. The prime purpose of marine parks is the conservation of species, communities, habitats and ecosystems, as has been well established. This should not be confused with fisheries management, which manages exploitation of fisheries to maximise yield. Detractors who argue that any failure to increase catches equals a lack of justification for the implementation of marine parks or highly protected sanctuary areas are either misinformed or being willfully misleading. The best available research indicates that fisheries management tools are effective in increasing the catch of targeted fish. However, they cannot match the performance of marine sanctuaries in the conservation of the wider marine environment. This is because the focus of most fisheries management is largely on single species and not the wider ecosystem. Even one of Australia’s most valuable, well-studied fishery – western rock lobster – requires no-take areas to satisfy the ecological and management requirements of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) and third-party sustainability certification.

Many of our most revered fishing destinations have been marine parks for years now Photo: Glen Cowans

David Booth, Professor of Marine Ecology, Director of the Centre for Environmental Sustainability at the University of Technology Sydney, & member of the Ocean Science Council of Australia. Other Australian fisheries have less data and funding available for management, and yet all Commonwealth and Western Australian managed fisheries are required to adhere to EBFM principles. Satisfying the requirements of EBFM will only become more important in the future. Marine reserves with fully-protected sanctuaries at their core are already proven to be the most cost effective and feasible means of achieving these goals in the future.

There is also demonstrable proof that networks of highly protected sanctuaries benefit fisheries management by:

• Providing resilience to large scale environmental

pressures such as flooding and climate change; • Providing the most cost-effective and feasible tool for scientifically determining and distinguishing the effects of climate change from fishing; • Providing proven and cost-effective benefits for fisheries seeking to secure the marketing advantages of thirdparty sustainability certification; • Improving the ‘social licence to operate’ of commercial fisheries among Australian consumers. Every Australian industry makes concessions to potential resource access and profitability in order to improve social licence in the communities they operate. The Australian fishing industry should be no different.

RESEARCH SHOWS AUSTRALIAN ANGLERS SUPPORT SANCTUARIES

World-class conservation is working hand in hand with world-class recreational fishing in places like Ningaloo Reef in WA, at Solitary Islands in NSW, and right along the Queensland coast. Many of our most revered fishing destinations have been marine parks for years now, and people who fish know that this protection is helping ensure they stay that way. It’s no surprise that every published scientific and government survey of recreational fishers shows a clear majority support sanctuaries once they have been established.

67%

of Townsville fishers agree that sanctuaries can lead to a healthy Great Barrier Reef in the future. Only 10% disagree.

99%

This map shows the collected findings of published Australian academic/government surveys and political/market research polling which tested the real opinions of Australian recreational fishers towards marine sanctuaries in their local waters.

of fishers surveyed in the first year of Ningaloo Marine Park expansion (34% sanctuaries) said they would return, despite 80% claiming to be ‘affected by the sanctuaries’.6

73%

of fishers said GBR Marine Park sanctuaries had either no effect or a positive effect on their recreational fishing activity.9

% agree the marine

parks help ensure sustainable fisheries.1

65%

of boaters in Moreton Bay marine parks said sanctuaries would be positive for the biology of the Bay.2

82%

88%

of WA fishers agree that more than 20% of waters off the WA coast should be protected in sanctuaries.10

75%

of repeat visitor fishers said Ningaloo sanctuaries did not affect their fishing, only 3 years after the expansion.8

of fishers surveyed are neutral or support sanctuaries in Solitary Islands Marine Park.

66%

of SA fishers believe sanctuaries are a good idea, only months after establishment of SA’s own ones.12

68%

91%

strongly support or support sanctuaries in general.4

of NSW fishers believe sanctuaries are a good idea.11

90%

88%

of fishers support sanctuaries at Lord Howe Island.5

of fishers surveyed gave support in principle to the establishment of sanctuaries in Western Australia.7

76%

of local fishers support sanctuaries in Jervis Bay Marine Park.3

Academic/Government study sources: Arias A, Sutton SG (2013) Understanding recreational fishers’ compliance with no-take zones in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Ecology and Society 18(4) 18

DERM (2012) Moreton Bay Marine Park monitoring program February 2012, DERM, State of Queensland

3 McGregor Tan research (2008) Jervis Bay Marine Park Community Survey Final Report Prepared for: NSW Marine Parks Authority Project No: 8353 Date: February 2008

McGregor Tan research (2008) Solitary Islands Marine Park Community Survey Final Report, Prepared for: NSW Marine Parks Authority Project No: 8353

NSW Marine Parks Authority (2010) Lord Howe Marine Park Summary of Research and Monitoring 5

Northcote, J, and Macbeth, J (2008) Socio-economic impacts of sanctuary zone changes in Ningaloo Marine Park: a preliminary investigation of effects on visitation patterns and human usage, 1st Edition, Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism 6

Prior, SP and Beckley, LE (2007) Characteristics of recreational anglers in the Blackwood Estuary, a popular tourist destination in south-western Australia, Tourism in Marine Environments, Vol. 4, Number 1, pp. 15-28

Political/market research sources: Smallwood, CB and Beckley, LE (2012) Spatial distribution and zoning compliance of recreational fishing in Ningaloo Marine Park, north-western Australia, Fisheries Research, Vol. 125–126, pp. 40–50 8

Sutton, S and Li O (2008) Attitudes of Recreational Fishers to the Rezoning of the Great Barrier Marine Park, Great Barrier Reef Research news special edition, Edition 5, May 2008, DEWHA, Government of Australia 9

Galaxy Research (2014) Community attitude survey prepared for the Dive Industry Association of Australia, January 2014

Patterson Market Research (2011) Western Australian community attitudes towards marine sanctuaries, April 2011

UMR Reachtel (2014) Polling on South Australian residents on the issue of marine sanctuaries, September 2014

COAST TO COAST World-class conservation and recreation working hand in hand Australia has an enviable reputation around the world for its unspoilt, sun-drenched beaches and healthy coastal lifestyle. More than eight out of 10 Australians live within 50km (31 miles) of the coast and the country’s global reputation is matched by an enthusiasm many at home share for the natural wonders of the oceans surrounding our island nation. A new film, The Sea & Me, has documented the special bond Australians have with their marine environment and identified a common story of their role as caretakers. The 30-minute film has now been screened to packed houses of as many as 500 people in 16 communities around Australia that are also the focus of the federal government’s review of national marine sanctuaries. Below are just some of the stories from people living alongside well-established marine sanctuaries, where worldclass conservation and recreation are successfully working hand in hand. Photo: Glen Cowans

MANTA RAYS A SIGN OF STABILITY Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, WA Ningaloo Reef’s manta rays are sanctuary regulars and their cleaning stations are a thoroughfare for a broad range of species. Manta ray researcher and tour guide Frazer McGregor would like protections extended to incorporate these stations.

single one of them has visited not only Ningaloo but the sanctuary zones close to Coral Bay - not all of them come back every year but there are a number that we would call ‘reef-resident’.”

Frazer, who has spent 12 years collecting data on manta rays, says they may be a good indicator species for measuring reef health.

Frazer says most of these are breeding, mature females and he believes any reduction in protections could decrease the effectiveness of their breeding and other activities.

“Having them come back is a good sign that the system is stable ... Of the over 750 animals we have identified, every

WARROORA’S SALTY OASIS Ningaloo Reef Marine Park, WA

“There are no places still as wild and beautiful adjacent to a pristine coral reef anywhere. It’s what people are seeking from all over the world.”

In the 10 years since Ningaloo Reef became one of the most highly protected marine areas in Australia, it attracts an impressive 180,000 tourists a year, spending in excess of $141 million. For merino grazier Leonie McLeod from Warroora Station, it’s her home, livelihood and passion: “I’ve had a fairly good look around the world and I’ve noticed that there are no places still as wild and beautiful adjacent to a pristine coral reef anywhere ... It’s what people are seeking from all over the world. They just want to see something natural. We don’t believe we own anything. We just believe we are caretakers here and I’d like to pass that on to my little bushchook grandchildren.”

BILL’S BOUNTY Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Qld Rockhampton and Yeppoon fisherman Bill Sawynok’s fish tagging competition, The Rocky Barra Bounty, has become one of the premier Barramundi competitions in Queensland and contributes to local research. Since the 1990’s Bill has been training his fishing group to target and collect the fish identifications of many species. He has worked with leading scientists and it was his group’s data which contributed to the design of the sanctuary off Yeppoon in Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. He says fishing was vital to his community. There was originally some hesitation when the nearby Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was rezoned in 2004. “But the local community here really took it into their own hands and that led to the community making its own decisions about where it thought the sanctuary zones should be. Sanctuaries play an important role in looking after our fish resources. If nothing else, they act as an insurance policy because if things do go wrong and if we do run into problems

with the resources that have got nothing to do with fishing but may have something to do with climate change or long droughts, [they] have a role in ensuring we’ve got some level of fish stocks that are protected.”

“Sanctuaries play an important role in looking after our fish resources. If nothing else, they act as an insurance policy if things do go wrong.”

BABY BOOM ON THE REEF Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Qld A monitoring program of sanctuary areas on the Great Barrier Reef shows coral trout are producing up to 10 times more fish, and fish stocks have increased by up to 100 percent, says Dr David Williamson from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University. “Within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park we’ve got about 33 percent of the total area protected within no-take marine parks ... There’s a whole range of habitats that are protected in this zoning plan. We look at the inshore reefs of the marine park ... we’ve seen really strong effects of the parks, particularly for the things that we fish. Number one amongst them is coral trout. Coral trout are a really iconic species and highly targeted by both commercial fishers on the offshore reefs and recreational fishers where we are in the islands.”

“We’ve seen a big increase of coral trout populations within the areas closed to fishing. Meanwhile, in the areas open to fishing, populations have been relatively stable. So when we look at the entire population, focusing on the inshore reefs, we can see there is about 20 to 100 percent more fish in the entire system than what there was in the early 1980s. A 50cm coral trout may produce 10 times more babies than a 35cm coral trout, so we’re getting a lot more egg production coming from those bigger fish within the parks. Those babies being produced in the reserve are not staying there. [Genetic tools show us] they are being dispersed out. So we’re getting benefits across a range of areas as a result of what we’re doing within the reserve.”

Photo: Jurgen Freund

18 Photo: Mark Spencer

HOOKED ON DIVING Port Stephens-Great Lakes Marine Park, NSW

“The fish have to come in and out of the sanctuaries sooner or later and there’s your opportunity to catch them.”

Nigel Hayward never thought much about the impact he had on the ocean as a fisherman until the day he went diving. He worked on a fishing trawler for two years before he left to become a dive instructor at ‘Let’s Go Adventures’ in Port Stephens. Today Nigel still loves fishing, and says areas outside of sanctuaries are good for fishing. “The fish have to come in and out of the sanctuaries sooner or later and there’s your opportunity to catch them. It’s definitely our job as parents and as fishermen – so that our children and their children can enjoy the sport of fishing – that we educate everyone on the importance of sustainable fishing and marine parks.”

ROCK LOBSTERS’ DRAMATIC RECOVERY Maria Island Marine Park, Tas Protections at Maria Island Marine Park have produced dramatic results, temperate reef and fish ecologist Dr Neville Barrett from the University of Tasmania has found. Spanning more than two decades, Neville’s research into the impacts of marine sanctuaries has spread across a whole range of temperate Australian states including WA, SA, Vic and NSW. But it didn’t take long to see the results when the initial research kicked off in Tasmania. “One of the first big changes we saw was at Maria Island Marine Park at the eastern side of Tasmania,” he says. “In a few years of protection we saw a really big increase in some species of fish

and a big increase in rock lobster. It was quite surprising to see the extent to which the rock lobsters [recovered]. Within 10 years their biomass has gone up nearly 20 times. There was a huge abundance of lobsters and not just numbers of them but the sizes. They had gone up from quite small lobsters to monsters that were three or four kilograms in weight. As far as sanctuary zones go, you are very rarely giving up much. For me, it’s an insurance policy to have an area that’s natural and allows us to understand what a natural process is so we can better manage the vast majority of the area which we are actually fishing in.”

FISHING IN THE GARGUL Solitary Islands Marine Park, NSW In Solitary Islands Marine Park, Gumbaynggirr elder and local fisherman Mark Flanders says his people are practising traditional fish catching methods and seeing increased fish stocks. “This ocean here, our people live with it – we call it Gargul. It’s a very important place for our people.” A memorandum of understanding between the Solitary Islands Marine Park and the Traditional Owners acknowledges these practices and allows the use of fish traps.

“These traps have probably been operating for about 6,000 years, we just don’t know. For the last 150 years they haven’t been. I think marine parks are very important for the conservation of our marine environment. They are conserving the country just as my people were doing for thousands of years.”

AUSTRALIA’S PROUD HISTORY OF MARINE PROTECTION

Whitlam Labor Government

Fraser Coalition Government

Hawke Labor Government

Keating Labor Government

• Seas & Submerged Lands Act

1973

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park & GBRMP Act • Prohibition of oil and gas development on the Great Barrier Reef

1975

• GBRMP – Capricornia section declared • End to Australia’s whaling industry

1979

• GBRMP –Cairns section declared • GBR – World Heritage listing

1981

• Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve • Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve

1982

• Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve

1983

• Ningaloo Marine Park • Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature

1987

• National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA) commenced • Mermaid Reef Marine National Reserve

1991

• Ningaloo Marine Park extension

1992

• Solitary Islands Marine Reserve

1993

• Great Australian Bight Marine Park • Oceans Policy

1998

• Macquarie Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve • Tasmanian Seamounts Marine Park • Australian Whale Sanctuary

1999

• Lord Howe Island Marine Park • Cartier Island Marine Reserve

2000

• Heard Island & McDonald Islands Marine Reserve

2002

Howard Coalition Government

Gillard Labor Government

Abbott Coalition Government

• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Rezoning

2004

• South East Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network (14 marine reserves)

2007

• World’s largest network of Marine Reserves in the Coral Sea, Temperate East, South West, North West and North regions (40 marine parks)

2012

• Coral Sea, South West, North West, North, Temperate East regions reproclaimed and operation suspended.

2013

• Heard Island & McDonald Island Commonwealth Marine Reserve – rezoning

2014 19

Photo: James Sherwood/Bluebottle Films

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