14th July 2010

VRFish, The Peak Recreational Fishing Body representing all recreational fishers in Victoria, today condemned a demand by the Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) for the creation of 20 new marine parks along the Victorian coastline, and the report commissioned to justify this call.

The report titled Nature Conservation Review: Marine and Coastal Issues Paper places recreational fishing as the key threat to our marine biodiversity, on a par with global warming.

The VNPA are using the outcomes of an international congress1 to justify their demand to lock up another 20% of our coastline to recreational fishing through blindly committing us to yet another international agreement.

"As per current VRFish policy, we will absolutely contest any further lockouts to recreational fishing full stop!" stated VRFish Chairman, Geoff Cramer.

"The locking out of recreational fishers to satisfy an obviously anti-fishing agenda does nothing to protect our precious marine resources and habitats".

"Frankly, it's an act of betrayal that the VNPA can be working with the recreational fishing community, through a fisheries co-management framework on one hand while secretly compiling this study, and not consulting with us on this issue."

"How the VNPA thinks creating conflict with the recreational fishing community will benefit marine
biodiversity is beyond me" said Geoff Cramer.

"The VNPA's document would have you believe that recreational fishing has a far bigger impact on the environment than a catastrophic oil spill"

"Perhaps the VNPA think that Victorians don't have television sets or are ignorant to the disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico" Geoff said.

"The VNPA's 'sales brochure' clearly acknowledges multiple state government departments and individuals as having direct input into the formulation of this document" Geoff Cramer concluded.

VRFish is currently preparing a review of the report commissioned to justify this bewildering proposal and will be calling on the state government to reveal its involvement, if any, in the preparation of this document.

VRFish is making available the VNPA's documents referred to on its website: www.vrfish.com.au
Media enquiries: VRFish Executive Officer Christopher Collins on 0409 104 710
1 - IUCN Vth Worlds Park Congress 2003 ............. agreement to 20%-30% of our marine environment by 2012