Australian Marine Parks review
Concern lies over the Australian Governments commitment to expand it's 'highly protected' waters.
You may have read The Australian Government has committed to reviewing management plans for Australia’s MarinePark Networks. It has also committed to expanding the area of Australian waters classified as “Highly Protected” to at least 30% by 2030.
Meeting that target will require at least a further 523,980 km² of Australian waters to be declared no-fishing areas. These additional no-fishing areas and rezoning of currently accessible areas mustn't include your favourite fishing spots.
So what's the plan?
GFAA in conjunction with ARFF is campaigning to put fishing values on the record in the Commonwealth Marine Park Network review. They have reached out to all affiliated game fishing Clubs with a support deck and toolkit in support of providing a voice to have Clubs heard and questions the plan for expansion and change.
Your Club and the STC Committee fully supports GFAA and has made a submission based on GFAAs and ARFFs beliefs as outlined below:
● Fishers support genuine conservation — fishers want marine parks that work and deliver real conservation outcomes, underpinned by science, through management that is simple, practical, risk-based, transparent and subject to regular review.
● Recreational fishing belongs in marine parks — it is low-impact and largely compatible with marine park conservation objectives. Fishing access should only be restricted where there is clear evidence it poses an unacceptable risk to a specific conservation objective.
● Better fishing and better conservation are goals all fishers can support — improving recreational fishing experiences should be a primary management goal of marine parks, alongside conservation. Recreational fishers are active stewards of the marine environment with a proven track record of looking after fish and fish habitats.
It is important to understand this is not an anti-marine park campaign, rather it is a campaign for fishers' voices to be heard and for fishing to be better valued when new management plans are being drafted.
All Club members will have been shared a direct email advising of this directive. Below are two link that gives individual anglers the opportunity to create and send thier own submission online, in support the what the Club has already done. The STC committee encourages all members, at the very least, complete the simple submission.
Have your say.
SIMPLE SUBMISSION
To make your simple online submission you can here on the GFAA website https://www.gfaa.asn.au/marine-parks-submissions.php
DETAILED SUBMISSION
To make an more detailed submission and read all the documentation supplied by the government please visit here https://consult.dcceew.gov.au/six-draft-mgt-plans-for-44-australian-marine-parks
Submissions close 4:00pm AEST, 30 September 2026
For assistance please contact a member of the committee.
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