Tasmanian MPAs: supported by science hampered by politicians

2010 Tasmanian Environmental Policy
Ocean Planet, in alliance with other environment groups, has released a joint 2010 Environment Policy Agenda in anticipation of Tasmania’s 20 March election.

This policy asks state politicians, candidates and political parties to commit to securing the future of our marine assets by quickly:
1. Implementing a public education campaign on the significant values of Tasmania’s marine environment and the benefits of marine national parks;
2. Establishing a scientifically-based, comprehensive, adequate and representative system of marine national parks;
3. Substantially increasing resources for the management and scientific monitoring of marine national parks;
4. Implementing ecosystem-based management and increasing public research/resources to ensure a sustainable future for Tasmanian marine resources and the industries/communities dependent on them; and
5. Improving the recreational fishing license system and associated monitoring and management program, and ban gillnetting.

In September, Ocean Planet toured Tasmania as part of a unique project to increase awareness and support for healthy oceans through a network of carefully planned Tasmanian marine national parks. Port Davey (Tas) Photo: M. Newton

However, the likelihood of the current Labor dominated Tasmanian Government enacting – or even bothering to read – these policy proposals is quite slim.  Minister David Llewellyn, responsible for meeting our 2012 targets for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and regulating fishing practices, refuses to acknowledge the need for change – undermining significant scientific evidence. 

MPAs: Supported by Science
In December 2009, Professor Craig Johnson of the University of Tasmania reported that the combination of overfishing and climate change is triggering catastrophic overgrazing of eastern Tasmanian reefs by sea urchins.  This research demonstrates that the faster East Australian Current has caused the warmer NSW waters to carry the long-spined sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) down along the coast to Tasmania. 

Johnson experimented inside and outside MPAs, showing that these urchins only become a problem when their key predator – the rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) – is overfished.  Research undertaken by Barret et al in a Tasmanian MPA (2009) further indicates that the heavily exploited rock lobster can recover abundance levels despite adjacent fishing pressures.

MPAs: Undermined by Politicians
Despite the science, Mr David Llewellyn recently announced 16 new Marine Conservation Areas.  However, these ‘pretend parks’ continue to allow commercial and recreational fishing.  ‘Conservation Areas’, as compared to ‘Nature Reserves’, offer a significantly weaker class of protection. 

Ocean Planet: Common Sense for our Oceans!
Ocean Planet and the wider community, however, continue to advocate for common sense when it comes to our oceans.  An innovative new website REDMAP has been launched to engage the community in mapping the effect of climate change on Tasmanian waters.  Each year over 120,000 Tasmanians go fishing at least once: that’s 120,000 potential 'citizen scientists' collecting valuable data about the marine environment!