2019-07-18 Ordinary Meeting Agenda

ORDINARY MEETING AGENDA                                                                 18 JULY 2019


     o     extension of the current weekend closure to the fishery that occurs in the Noosa River
           and lakes to also include introduction of weekend closures for the beach mullet fishing
           on the north shore
     o     moving the closure line in the Noosa River further upstream
     o     the development of a code of practice for the mullet beach fishery
     o     Investigation of removing beam trawling in the Noosa River and lakes
     o     The exploration of net-free zones in the Noosa River and lakes
     o     Working with the State government on a regional management model for the Noosa area
     o     The establishment of a multi-use marine protected area for the coastal and estuarine
           waters of Noosa, complementing the Great Sandy Marine Park
All of the above options require consultation with key stakeholders, working with the State
government, and direct engagement with any directly affected parties should Council wish to proceed
with these recommendations.
In developing the Fishing Futures Discussion paper Council had the draft report peer-reviewed by
four independent experts and that review was fed back into the final report, noting that the two
reviewers from The Nature Conservancy provided a joint response. This peer review was undertaken
by;
    Dr Daryl McPhee, Associate Professor of Environmental Management at Bond University.
     o     Dr Mcphee has published over eighty reports and publications include the book Fisheries
           Management in Australia, the only book dedicated to fisheries management throughout
           Australia. In 2017 Dr McPhee published Environmental History and Ecology of Moreton
           Bay, and the book was nominated for the 2018 Queensland Literary Awards. Dr McPhee.
           He is a member of the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel.
    Dr Jim Higgs, Senior Manager Marine Sustainable Development at WWF
     o     Dr Higgs is a marine scientist with an extensive background in science, marine
           environments, commercial and recreational fishing. His expertise is in sustainable fishing
           management and he has held senior roles in fisheries and across government including
           as Chief Scientist. Jim is a well published scientist and is regularly called on to advise on
           fisheries and fisheries reform.
    Dr Peter Waldie, Coastal Fisheries Scientist, The Nature Conservancy
     o     In his role as Coastal Fisheries Scientist, Dr Waldie supports TNC’s community partners
           to sustainably manage their fisheries for simultaneous ecological and economic gains.
           Peter has assisted the Mwanus Endras Tribal Network in Papua New Guinea with
           establishing a sustainable sea cucumber fishery and exporting their sustainable products
           to premium markets in Hong Kong. Pete also conducts research investigating patterns
           of spatial distribution and larval dispersal of fisheries-targeted species.
    Dr Chris Gillies, Marine Manager, The Nature Conservancy
     o     Dr Gillies was formerly the Director of Science at Earthwatch Australia, where he
           managed the scientific program across their expedition and citizen science portfolio. He
           has served as an invertebrate ecologist for both State and Federal government
           environmental agencies and several consultancies. As TNCs Marine Manager, he leads
           the Great Southern Seascapes program helping to protect and restore healthy marine
           ecosystems from Western Australia to New South Wales.
Fisheries reform
The State Government has been undertaking reforms of the Queensland fishing industry for some
years, which resulted in the release of the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy in 2017-2027. Council has
been involved in several stages of this consultation, providing a detailed submission to Queensland
Fisheries Management Review in 2014 and the subsequent Green Paper in 2016, as outlined in the
Previous Council Consideration section of this report.


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