WAFIC is closely involved in planning processes for marine reserves in both State and Commonwealth waters.
Marine Planning
Commonwealth
On 1 July 2018, five new management plans which cover 44 Australian Marine Parks came into effect, bringing all 60 Australian Marine Parks, covering more than 3.2 million square kilometres of ocean, under protection. This marked the culmination of a long planning process that WAFIC took an active role in.
Key milestones in this process included the declaration of a Commonwealth marine reserves network in 2012 that complemented a handful of existing marine parks (including the South-east Marine Parks Network which was established in 2007) and completion of the independent Commonwealth Marine Reserves Review in 2016. WAFIC facilitated industry engagement in this review and their submission can be found HERE.
Information about the independent review and the advisory panel reports can be found HERE.
State
At a State level WAFIC is participating in planning for marine reserves in the Kimberley region. These reserves, or proposed reserves, include Camden Sound, Horizontal Falls, Roebuck Bay and the Northern Kimberley region.
Additionally, WAFIC is in the process of assisting affected licensees in the Ngari Capes Marine Park with compensation claims through the Fishing and Related Industries Compensation (Marine Reserves) Act 1999.
For information on the Proposed South Coast Marine Park (PSCMP) please click here
Marine Parks
Commonwealth
There are 24 Australian Marine Parks in the Commonwealth waters offshore of Western Australia. Managed by Parks Australia, many sit adjacent to State marine parks, extending protection offshore.
They are managed in accordance with network management plans – in WA, most Australian Marine Parks fall within the North-west and South-west Marine Park Networks (the two in the far north are part of the North Marine Parks Network). Visit the WEBSITE to learn more about these networks or an individual park. You can also download the commercial fishing class approval (remember you should already have a copy of this on your vessel), maps or the management plans.
To guide management, Network Advisory Committees have been established for each network and meet twice each year. To find out more about members and topics discussed at meetings VISIT.
Australian Marine Parks staff work closely with WA stakeholders like WAFIC and State government agencies to deliver important management activities, like education and compliance.
To stay up to date with the latest Australian Marine Parks management activities, follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.