Recfish Australia Marine Protected Areas Seminar Proceedings

Recfish Australia organised a two day national workshop on Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in Brisbane in November 2006 entitled "Stocking the Tool Box".

Releasing the Proceedings of this workshop, Federal Fisheries and Conservation Minister Sen. Eric Abetz said "It is important when establishing MPAs that a sensible balance is struck between biodiversity conservation and the need to maintain access for recreational fishers and other users.

The results of this workshop provide recreational fishers with useful tools to engage in the development of MPAs and help shape their final outcome."

The workshop was an initiative of, and organised by, Recfish Australia, the peak body representing recreational fishers nationally, and funded by the Australian Government's Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the Recreational Fishing Community Grants Programme.

Recfish Australia CEO John Harrison said: "Contrary to some myths, recreational fishermen are as keen on protecting and conserving our marine environment as anybody else is.

"This workshop has been immensely valuable in charting a course for the recreational fishing sector to positively engage with Government and the community when it comes to marine planning and Marine Protected Areas."

The Recfish Australia website http://www.recfish.com.au/mpa/seminar.html has copies of the proceedings and the program.

Read and see what is possible. This Seminar was attended by several members of Recfishwest. Frank Prokop from Recfishwest gave a very interesting presentation.

A CD of the full presentations is available from Recfish Australia.

Remember these words!! Marine Bioregional Planning in the South-west is coming - see http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/south-west/index.html

[img]http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/mbp/south-west/images/southwest-map.jpg [/img]

TerryF
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Beavering away in the background......

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