PEW Now Wants a Massive Kimberley Marine Park to Locked Up

[Gad]

Taken from Fishing World email newsletter 31-2-13

Pew pushes to lock fishos out of Kimberley

31 Jan 2013

By Jim Harnwell

THE US-based Pew environment group is funding a campaign to create a massive marine park in the Kimberley region of WA.

This new venture follows Pew's efforts in lobbying the federal Government to lock anglers out of 1.3 million square kilometres of ocean in the Coral Sea off northern Queensland and along WA's south-west.

Pew activists welcomed the announcement this week by WA Premier Colin Barnett of a 3000sqkm state marine park encompassing the famous "horizontal waterfalls", Camden Sound and Walcott Inlet.

According to the WA Government, the marine park would protect unique coral reefs, dolphins and extensive mangrove systems and would provide "ongoing opportunities" for recreational fishing.

Fisho this week spoke with Kimberley rec-fishing identities who expressed scepticism about the state park, especially in relation to the WA Government's plans to "industrialise" the Kimberley. The Kimberley locals regarded this announcement as being a "pre-election sweetener" by WA Premier Colin Barnett, who has come under heavy fire over his plans to create a massive gas plant at James Price Point near Broome.

"Barnett's agenda is and always will be to industrialise the Kimberley and as he has nailed his colours to the mast at James Price Point, these proposals will always be nothing short of hypocrisy," one prominent Kimberley identity told Fisho.

However, environment groups have welcomed Barnett's announcement, with Pew's Kimberley Conservation Project director John Carey telling The Sydney Morning Herald that the announcement was a "significant win" for the environment.

"Protecting the Kimberley coast and its marine and bird life provides a balance to the rapid spread of mining and other industrial development," Carey, one of a team of Pew staffers working on the Kimberley campaign, said.

At this stage, the Pew campaign seems to be focused on limiting mining activity in the Kimberley – a goal that most conservation-minded anglers would likely support. But it's also calling for a network of sanctuary zones where recreational fishing would presumably be banned. Exactly why rec fishing would need to be banned or limited in the Kimberley remains unclear. Is there scientific data indicating that rec-fishing pressure is having a deleterious impact on the Kimberley environment? Or is the pressure for lockouts being generated by some sort of anti-fishing philosophy?

Interestingly, Pew seems to be shying away from wanting a total fishing closure in the Kimberley. This indicates a move away from the "no compromise" tactics advocated by veteran Pew activist Imogen Zethoven during her controversial Coral Sea campaign. Even other enviro groups thought Ms Zethoven was being a tad too gung ho by wanting all fishing banned across the entire Coral Sea. As it turns out, that 100 per cent ban didn't get any traction with the federal Government. However, the Pew lobby is claiming victory as it did manage to pressure federal Environment Minister Tony Burke into closing iconic Coral Sea fisheries, a situation which groups like the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation and Keep Australia Fishing (which I'm involved with) are trying hard to reverse.

While Pew seems to be taking a different tack with its plans in WA's north-west, the organisation is pushing for up to 34 per cent of the Kimberley to be closed to "extractive industries". Considering the size of the Kimberley, locking 34 per cent up in sanctuary zones equates to vast amounts of fishing areas lost. As with all marine parks, you'd expect these lock ups to encompass most, if not all, of the accessible and productive fishing areas.

Without wanting to appear too cynical (pretty hard when dealing with Pew, let me tell you!), you'd be excused for thinking that the remaining 66 per cent would be either inaccessible to anglers or have no fish-holding potential. This aside, Pew is using interesting terminology when it says it wants to ban "extractive industries". Can Pew in all honesty compare recreational fishing to mining, gas exploration or intensive industrial fishing? Any reasonable person would probably say that well-managed rec fishing, especially in an area as remote and untouched as the Kimberley, can't really be considered "extractive", and certainly not an "industry", at least when considered in the same context as an iron ore mine or a super trawler.

But are the Pew campaigners reasonable about things like this? You'd like to think they would be willing to talk and work with the angling sector – after all, the Kimberley is too valuable to lose, whether as an amazing environmental treasure or as an iconic sportfishing destination.

Pew in the US doesn't seem to consider rec fishing as an "extractive industry" – remember how it said that fishing was too important to the US economy to be banned,so you'd hope that sort of thinking would prevail. That's what you'd hope, anyway. The reality may be completely different. We'll keep you posted ...

According to a Pew website, only about 5 per cent of the Kimberly's marine resources are fully protected. The organisation is calling for the establishment of a "Great Kimberley Marine Park". See details of the Pew plan here: http://www.pewenvironment.org/campaigns/outback-australia-kimberley/id/8589941529

Jim Harnwell is the editor and publisher of Fishing World and a board member of the Keep Australia Fishing organisation. He has been reporting and commenting on Pew's activities in Australia for the past several years....

Here`s another ‘Voice of the Recreational fisho’, who thinks one could lie in the same bed with the rabids and still come out of the encounter as an anal virgin

[Gad]

I have posted the below on here previously (August 2010/11?? It had the ref source), it still seems fitting for the above post

In a letter published in the August edition of the US-based Sport Fishing magazine, Pews`USA,director of federal fisheries policy Lee Crockett said closing American waters to fishing "wouldn't make sense – for fishing enthusiasts or the environment".

Crockett was responding to an editorial by Sport Fishing editor-in-chief Doug Olander predicting that Pew's no-fishing campaign in Australia's Coral Sea would result in similar moves to lock American anglers out of the Gulf of Mexico.

Crockett said Olander's assertion was "misleading and incorrect". He claimed the push to close the Coral Sea to all angling was supported by "hundreds of thousands of people throughout Australia and around the world – including recreational anglers".

Crockett went on to say that closing the Gulf of Mexico to fishing wouldn't make sense because these waters are a "major US economic driver".

"The Gulf offers excellent angling opportunities, and sport and commercial fishing generates billions of dollars and fresh seafood to much of the (American) nation," Crockett said.

Pew's Lee Crockett describes himself in his letter to Sport Fishing as an "avid angler" and provides details of the outstanding sportfishing he has enjoyed in the Gulf of Mexico.

The admission from Pew that it preferred to focus its lockout campaigns in non-American waters has confirmed suspicions held many local angling organisations that extremist environment groups like Pew sees Australia as an "easy target".

"These people working for Pew in America don't want to disadvantage their own economy – but they don't mind that happening over here. They don't want to lock American anglers out of prime fishing areas – but they are happy to have exactly that happen to Aussie fishos. Why did our Government listen to these guys?"

18 Jun 2012

THE US-based Pew organisation is claiming victory in its anti-fishing agenda following the announcement last week of a system of federal marine parks in Australian waters. However, Aussie anglers are preparing for the next stage of the battle with a concerted campaign aiming to ensure access to iconic fishing areas.

While admitting he had failed to achieve a complete no-fishing ban in Australia's Coral Sea, Pew Global Ocean Legacy director Jay Nelson described the commonwealth marine reserves zoning plan made by federal Environment Minister Tony Burke last Thursday as "very good news". Nelson said Pew had been leading a "determined coalition of 15 Australian and international conservation groups in a challenging campaign to achieve protection for the Coral Sea".

"While the outcome is not all that we would have wanted, it is a major contribution to global ocean protection," Nelson said.

Pew is also claiming credit for banning anglers from other areas around Australia. "I'm also pleased to report that our Pew Environment Group colleagues working in other coastal areas of Australia were successful in securing an additional 282,000 square kilometres of fully protected marine waters spread across sites along Australia´s southwest, north, and northwest marine regions."

[Damien2Rad]

PEW anger me so much.

Are there alleged links to petro-chemical companies confirmed?

[ellicat]

Only 250 days (I wish it was sooner) until we hopefully have a government that is not, and doesn't need to be, beholden to the Greens. At least there will be chance of saying no to this ongoing nonsense then.

[bommie2]

they stand for protecting animals yet they make a lot of money euthanising them(strays) in the U.S.