Restore Batemans Sanctuaries
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Tell the government to stop illegal activity in our marine sanctuaries!
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It’s time to enforce the law in marine sanctuaries
Dear Minister Constance and Minister Marshall (cc Minister Kean) Since the government made the announcement that six sanctuary protections would be rolled back in Batemans Marine Park, our communities have been under enormous pressure. We’ve battled bushfires, floods and Covid-19, and our local businesses have struggled to survive. It’s been really encouraging to see our representatives come together to look after our health and our future, by listening to science and the experts, through this pandemic. Our natural heritage underpins all of our lives and the lifestyles we enjoy in New South Wales, and we’ve also been glad to see the NSW government step up in recent months to protect our natural heritage on land. I ask you to step up to protect our natural heritage in the oceans as well by restoring full protections in Batemans sanctuaries. The sanctuaries you’ve put at risk by allowing illegal fishing are as important as any in Batemans Marine Park. Four are in estuaries that hold important habitat for juvenile fish to grow to adulthood. Two others are next to our very special Montague Island - an IUCN Green Listed Protected Area and an important haul-out site for Australian Fur Seals, and home to a colony of Little Penguins. Removing sanctuary protection has subjected these incredible animals to increased risk of injury from vessel strike or entanglement for all this time. Considering that the South Coast of NSW is a tourism magnet, and depends on tourism and hospitality sales of over $300 million, we can’t afford to have people turn away from our coasts if our marine environment is degraded. Almost 9 out of 10 local people feel that the most important benefit of Batemans Marine Park ‘is that the area is passed onto future generations in good condition’. We call on you to honour us by protecting the sanctuaries. We ask that you trust the marine science that continues to describe the multiple benefits of marine sanctuaries. Scientists have found, consistently, that no-take areas are a necessary part of managing marine environments to protect them against degradation, and to protect fish stocks that are important to both recreational and commercial fishing. The six Batemans Marine Sanctuaries have been open to fishing for more than a year now. Despite assurances that scientists and the public will be consulted on these changes, this has not occurred. We ask you to immediately remove the “amnesty” on illegal fishing in Batemans Sanctuaries. For us, for our kids, and for the future of our beautiful, bounteous, and irreplaceable South Coast.
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