2019-07-18 OM Agenda - Item 1 - Attachment 3 - Noosa Council Submission to State Fisheries Discussion Paper

        Ordinary Meeting Agenda - 18 July 2019 - Attachment 3 to Item 1



Noosa Council submission to the Queensland Government: Sustainable
Fisheries Strategy 2017-2027 - Discussion Paper: Proposed amendments to the
Fisheries Regulation 2008.

Noosa Council welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Queensland Government’s
Discussion Paper as part of the current round of public consultation on the Sustainable Fisheries
Strategy 2017-2027. Fisheries reform in Queensland is needed and Council congratulates the State in
its efforts to move towards the ecologically and economically sustainable management of our fisheries
resource. There are many positives in the proposed fisheries reforms in this Discussion Paper and we
see them as a strong foundation for implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2027.

Noosa Council has engaged with the State at multiple stages during the fisheries reform process,
providing a detailed submission to Queensland Fisheries Management Review in 2014 and the
subsequent Green Paper in 2016.

In order to provide an evidence-based platform for future decision-making around local fisheries,
Council engaged a consultant in early 2019 to prepare a Noosa Fishing Futures options for Sustainable
Fisheries Management of the Noosa River, Estuary and Beaches paper with the objective of:
         Researching and analysing all available fisheries data for the Noosa River.
         Identifying and engaging with local stakeholders including commercial fishers to verify
            and complement data with local information.
         Exploring different management options available to Council, including a initial cost-
            benefit analysis of these, and pathways to implementation.

This work has greatly increased our knowledge of our local fishing industry, including its ecological
impact, economic importance and the role in local tourism. These results have informed this
submission. A copy of Council’s Noosa Fishing Futures options paper is attached for reference.

This submission has two components:
     Part one addresses the issues in the Discussion Paper relevant to the Noosa region. This
        includes issues identified in recent stakeholder engagement with local commercial fishers and
        community stakeholders with a high level of interest in the permitted activities in the Noosa
        waterways and beaches.
     Part two includes issues outside of the scope of the current proposed suite of regulatory
        reforms. These issues were identified during stakeholder engagement for the Noosa Fishing
        Futures report. Noosa Council continues to demonstrate a high level of interest in the
        permitted activities in the Noosa waterways and considers these issues, if implemented, will
        complement the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy. As such, Council
        requests the Queensland Government and the (fishery-specific) Inshore Working Group,
        consider the suite of Council’s proposed reforms.

Noosa Council is keen to continue to engage on fisheries reform in the Noosa area at any available
opportunity, and welcomes the chance to further discuss any of the proposals listed in this submission.