2014-10-20 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                              20 OCTOBER 2014


     •   Improve management flexibility;
     •   Take a risk-based approach to management and regulation; and
     •   Establish mechanisms to allow fisheries to be managed at the appropriate level e.g.
         state-wide, regionally and/or locally.

2.   To develop a new, simplified regulatory framework, including administrative arrangements
     that meet the challenges and demands of the community and how it expects fisheries to be
     managed.

Independent consultants MRAG Asia Pacific have been appointed to undertake the review. A
Fisheries Review Committee has also been formed to guide the review and provide strategic
advice to the consultants for their consideration. The Committee includes 12 representatives with
expertise in recreational, commercial and indigenous fishing as well as fisheries and
conservation science. They will also directly advise the Minister on important fisheries matters,
and on the suite of final recommendations that will be presented by MRAG Asia Pacific at the
end of the year to the Government for consideration (through the Agriculture Committee of
Cabinet).

In July, an invitation was extended by the Minister to all stakeholders interested in ensuring that
the state’s fisheries remain sustainable to provide feedback to the Fisheries Review.

Submissions are to be emailed to [email protected] by Thursday 30 October
at 5pm. MRAG will examine the submissions and together with their findings will develop a
series of recommendations to guide fisheries management in Queensland.

Concerns about Commercial Fishing

The primary issue of concern for Noosa Council relates to the long-term protection of the fishery
resource in the Noosa North Shore, and the potential for commercial fishing to affect the
sustainability of this resource.

There is concern about the historical management of Queensland’s commercial fishing
operations, and this is exacerbated by the complexity of fisheries arrangements, reliable
evidence and good communications from the State outlining how sustainability is achieved.

In addition, there are strong perceptions that the Noosa North Shore is being overfished by
commercial operators and anecdotal evidence suggests this is the case.

Against this backdrop there is also growth in recreational pursuits, recreational fishing, tourism
and the popularity of accessing the Noosa North Shore for these purposes. These recreational
pursuits may be considered as providing greater economic benefits to the Noosa region
compared to that of commercial fishing; and are compatible with the long-term sustainability of
Noosa’s fishery resource.

The submission (see Attachment 1) identifies the main issues of concern as conflicting use, with
commercial fishing where there is high recreational use which causes conflicts, especially with
regard to recreational fishing.

The submission includes a suite of recommendations which are aimed at addressing these
concerns.

The recommendations also apply the ‘precautionary principle’ to the management of the fishery
resource in the Noosa North Shore. This principle is a guiding framework for decision-making
that anticipates how our actions will affect the environment and health of future generations.

                                                                                    Page 15 of 26