DR Hutchings (Letters, Narooma News, February 2) continues the tradition of marine scientists from the Australian Marine Sciences Association, of being imprecise and exaggerating the benefits of all things related to NSW Marine Parks, which does not impress those of us who review the available evidence and who benefit from actual experience.

She claims, “the majority of signatures were from NSW and these are the people who have devoted their careers to studying marine biology along our coast”. This is wrong on two counts.

Firstly, only 83 of the 222 ‘scientists’ were from NSW, a shortfall of 29.

Secondly there is a large number of ‘research assistants’ and ‘PHD students’ as well, hardly qualifying as having devoted their careers to “furthering marine biology.”

She then goes on to make the fanciful claim of benefits from sanctuary zones on ocean beaches such as the spill-over effect, and that the closures will protect ‘our marine biodiversity’.

Three prominent signatories to the letter, Professors Meeuwig, Booth and Possingham, in a published statement in The Conversation, oppose allowing beach fishers back into sanctuary zones because of the status of eastern blue groper, pink snapper, flatheads, and morwong.

Only one species of flathead is caught by anglers on ocean beaches, none of the species in question spawn there and they are certainly not overfished there.

Who are they trying to fool? The Government or recreational anglers?

There are no Marine Parks between Newcastle and Nowra, so the Sydney based academics who trumpet their virtues have no real life observations of their economic effects.

Since 2006 when the zoning within the Batemans Marine Park came into effect, Narooma’s economy has slowed. This has had unfortunate socio-economic effects as many serious recreational anglers who visited Narooma five and six times a year no longer make the journey and local fishers are disadvantaged for no benefit.

Opening up the beach sanctuary zones to fishing is a logical and sensible move. The science paper provided by the Marine Park Authority to justify these zones was fraudulently doctored to show ‘benefits’ when, in fact, there were none.

The Department has acknowledged these “unfortunate errors”. Dr Hutchings appears not to want to acknowledge them.

Dr Philip Creagh

Narooma Port Committee

Return sanctuary no take

NO take areas are essential parts of marine parks if they are to achieve their conservation goals.

This is highlighted in a paper published in the highly respected journal Nature last week ('Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features' by Graham Edgar and 24 co-authors).

They found that the key features of the best marine protected areas are: no fishing is allowed, rules are well enforced, the protection has been in place for more than 10 years, the area is relatively large, and it is isolated from fished areas by habitat boundaries such as deep water or sand.

Hopefully, the NSW government will return the sanctuary zones of our marine parks to their original state, which is, 'no take' of any kind and will work with the community and scientists to improve their effectiveness.

Jenny Edwards

Mossy Point

Pink Stumps Day thanks

ON behalf of the McGrath Foundation I’d like to thank each and every community across Australia for showing their support by registering for this year’s Pink Stumps Day.

We’ve already had an overwhelming response and can’t wait for some of that Pink Test magic to be brought into communities from Bundaberg to Bunbury and everywhere in between.

Pink Stumps Day has been helping the McGrath Foundation hit a “six” since it began in 2011 with over 2500 clubs, schools, communities and businesses stumping up to support the McGrath Foundation.

But this year we’ve set a challenge of bowling over all previous years and aim to raise $1 million through our Pink Stumps Day initiative.

The success of Pink Stumps Day is a direct result of the support we receive day in, day out from communities. It’s through support like this that has enabled us to ensure 25,000 families experiencing breast cancer in Australia have had access to a McGrath Breast Care Nurse.

We recently hit our own Maiden Ton with the funding for our 100th McGrath Breast Care Nurse and hope that through fundraising efforts such as Pink Stumps Day we will be able to realise our goal of funding 150 McGrath Breast Care Nurses, as only then will every family experiencing breast cancer have access to optimal care.

There’s still time to register your team or show your support at an event that may already be happening in your area. For more information visit www.mcgrathfoundation.com.au

Tracy Bevan

McGrath Foundation Ambassador and Director

TV reception frustrations

I WOULD like to endorse the letter from Letty Lot in Narooma News, February 5, regarding TV reception in our area.

The interference and breaking up of TV reception has become a very annoying and frustrating problem.

Many residents cannot afford to outlay the costs of installing additional receiving equipment required to alleviate the problem.

It is hard to understand why, in this day and age with technology moving as fast as it is, that we can’t perfect what is already there before moving on to the next phase.

I believe these problems should be referred to the relevant authorities in the department of telecommunications.

John Lonergan

Narooma

Shark cull barbaric reaction

RECENT polls have shown that an overwhelming number of Australians oppose the culling of sharks and do not live in fear of going back in the water. Despite this, the Western Australian Government is laying drum lines with cruel hooks that will catch not only sharks but dolphins, turtles and rays, and cause them an agonising death.

Sharks have inhabited the oceans for 34 million years, and have earned their right to live in their natural habitat without being hunted and killed. Since the year 1580, there have been less than 500 fatal shark attacks on humans around the world. Yet we are afraid of them.

Humans pose a much bigger threat to sharks than they ever will to us. Every year, humans pull roughly 100 million sharks from the water, slice off their fins to make soup, and throw their mutilated bodies back into the sea to bleed slowly to death. Many shark species, including the great white pointer, are endangered due to human exploitation. How can the Federal Environment Minister condemn Japan for the indiscriminate killing of whales and dolphins and still credibly allow the WA Government to capture and kill the protected great white shark?

Thousands of Australians have already expressed their disapproval of this barbaric, knee-jerk reaction that shark experts from the University of Western Australia have advised is pointless, since increased incidents with sharks are attributable to a growing human population and more people entering the water.

PETA is asking the Western Australian Government to reverse its unpopular and unjustifiable decision.

Des Bellamy

Special Projects Coordinator

PETA Australia

Marine park voodoo science

I MUST say thank you to Pat Hutchings for her reply to my letter in the Narooma News. It’s great to see some people are taking an interest in what’s going on in our small towns that have been landed with marine parks and, yes Pat, I am passionate about marine parks and I will be answering you as a fisherman and not a scientist.

Having spent the last four years on the Batemans Marine Park advisory committee it is now easy to see why the 222 scientists are pushing for sanctuary zones to stay as these people are being taught this in university. Just because they (the PHD holders) are text book experts with honours really does not cut the mustard as it is all voodoo science being drummed up by parties that are looking for big government handouts that fund their political needs and in return that means votes.

You quoted that we need marine parks to have sanctuary zones so fish can grow and breed and then the overflow effect will happen in surrounding areas. Well Pat, I am sorry to say that is total rubbish.

As you have knowledge of the Batemans Marine Park please tell me where this has happened.

We have now had six years of this in Narooma and this year so far would be the worst I have ever seen this place fish in fact from Jervis Bay to Eden.

I had a few runs through sanctuary zones this week around Montague Island and the bottom looks as it did for the past 40 years but the fish life is gone and the plain simple reason is the water has not been right for months now to bring the fish in. So there goes the spill-over effect theory.

Over the past 30 or so years this fishing club has worked with NSW Fisheries in research in ways to keep fishing and the environment as it should be for us and everybody for the next 200 years.

Sure we have our disagreements but in the end we all agree and I, as do many thousands of others work in with fisheries (whether fresh or salt water) for the work they do as it is not voodoo science they produce (or should I be corrected as this is the first time the DPI have done a bag limit review without any scientific evidence).

Yet I am afraid I cannot say that about the Marine Parks Authority but after the closure of Cronulla I can see that the DPI is being hoodwinked by political parties that have no interest in fishing and only votes.

Dave Clark

President Narooma Bowlo Fishing Club

Graded credit due

IT’S good, although a little surprising, to see council's assurance that all dirt roads in the shire are maintained twice each year.

But I always like to give credit where it's due, so I must acknowledge that the Old Highway, Watertank Road and Ridge Road were graded last week. At the moment they are almost a pleasure to drive on - certainly neither car suspension nor fillings are likely to disintegrate on them while in this condition.

So well done to Warren and the crew - your efforts are appreciated!

S Kennedy

Corunna