Last month the NSW Government announced its Marine Estate Management (MEM) Strategy. The Strategy is an overarching framework for the management of the NSW marine and estuarine environment. Part of the Strategy was the establishment of a Marine Park in the Hawkesbury Shelf bioregion, which includes Sydney.
The Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) is the largest independent marine science institute in NSW.
In a submission to the Government during the public consultation period lasting until September 27, SIMS expressed their strong support for the overarching MEM Strategy and their support for marine parks as an important component of managing the marine environment.
Prof. Peter Steinberg, Director of SIMS, said that "The underlying science is very strong in support of marine parks, particularly sanctuary zones, as a means of enhancing both conservation values and fishing."
Earlier this week, NSW Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair announced a change in the zoning of marine park sites in and around Sydney and the Hawkesbury bioregion.
Prof. Steinberg commented on this loss of Sanctuary zones, "This loss of Sanctuary zones is regrettable. We would encourage the Government to contemplate other innovative approaches to managing the impact of fishing at these sites. For example, we know that the biggest fish often have a very disproportionate effect on the reproductive output of a population."
"So size limits on both small and large fish – so called ‘slot limits’ – together with enhanced compliance, are likely to have positive effects on fish stocks. While such measures do not directly replace the originally proposed Sanctuary zones, they could go some way towards managing threats from fishing pressure."
The full submission by SIMS is available on the SIMS website.
The Sydney Institute of Marine Science is a partnership between Macquarie University, the University of NSW, the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney. The partnership is enhanced by collaborations with several state and federal government departments, the Australian Museum and the University of Wollongong. SIMS has over 100 scientists and graduate students associated with the Institute, representing a broad diversity of skills in marine science.
