Community votes with their paddle out craft to support marine protection

By Jane Elek The local community has sent a clear message to our politicians that we want our Batemans Marine Park sanctuaries returned to fully protected status at the Nature Coast Big Weekend. There was a sellout event on Saturday night in Narooma for the screening of ‘Map to Paradise’ and 3 shorter films demonstrating community activity and proven case studies of success with marine protected areas, both locally and around the world This was followed on Sunday by a Paddle Out at Bar Beach, Narooma, organised by Nature Coast Marine Group and Australian Marine Conservation Society. After a wonderful introduction by the First Nation smoking ceremony, didgeridoo playing and dancing, and a display of all the personal messages on placards in support of marine protection, over 200 people of all ages and walks of life on all manner of floating craft paddled out to form a circle in the bay. It was a peaceful and awe-inspiring day. About 50 people with alternative views watched on from the top of the dune but did not cause any disruption, thanks to the presence of police on the ground and on the water at the entrance to the bay. The President of Nature Coast Marine Group, Dane Wilmot, met on Friday with the recreational fishing lobby that had threatened to blockade the event. He explained that the weekend was aimed at demonstrating support for removing the amnesties on fishing in the six sanctuaries that our previous member, Minister Andrew Constance, declared in December 2019 without any public consultation apart from a few fishing buddies. We were NOT asking for a 1.5km exclusion zone around Montague Island as they seemed to think; only the return of the original two sanctuary areas covering about one quarter of the island’s shores. The return of the sanctuary status of the six areas around Narooma would bring the proportion of Batemans Marine Park protected in sanctuaries to almost 20%, leaving over 80% available for recreational fishing. These sanctuaries are important to protect nursery areas and allow fish populations to grow bigger in both number and size, which then can repopulate adjacent areas. We were welcomed on the sand by the wonderful Muladha Gamara for a smoking ceremony, music and dancing, and a display of all the personal messages on placards in support of marine protection, over 200 people of all ages and walks of life on all manner of floating craft paddled out to form a circle in the bay. It was a peaceful and awe-inspiring day.