Esperance locals take a stand in rally against proposed south coast marine park

About 1000 Esperance locals have gathered outside the town’s council buildings to take a stand against the marine park proposed to span 1100km of WA’s south coast. More than 1.3 million hectares of water is set to be included in the State Government’s South Coast Marine Park spanning from east of Bremer Bay to the South Australian border. The proposed maps under consultation would see 25 per cent of the park locked away in “look but don’t take” zones which would bar commercial and recreational fishing. Standing on a garden bed outside the Esperance council buildings on Sunday, Nationals WA MP Colin de Grussa said the Labor Government had not provided enough research to justify the sanctuary zones. “They failed to explain the sanctuary zones that can decimate our commercial fishing industry, as well as obviously have a significant impact on the rights of recreational fishers,” he said. “They’ve failed to justify why that’s needed because they haven’t got the justification. They haven’t done the research. They haven’t got the science. “We’re just collateral damage, we don’t matter, because their agenda is to attract the votes of others and they don’t care about communities like Esperance ... no one in this community actually asked for a marine park.” According to a DBCA spokesperson, the proposed 31 sanctuary areas have been plotted to include threatened species habitat, nursery or breeding areas, and important cultural sites. In the area around Esperance, no-fish zones are proposed for Hellfire Bay, Thistle Cove and Webster Cove as well as offshore around the West Group Islands, Termination Island and around Woody Island. The remaining 75 per cent of the marine park not in sanctuary zones — including popular beaches such as Twilight Beach, Blue Haven, Esperance Bay and Wylie Rock — are set to be left accessible to commercial and recreational fishing. Land Based Fishing Club president Mitchell Waideman addressed the gathered crowd and said the maps had been drawn up without adequate research. “The process by which DBCA have tried to push this marine park through has been nothing less than offensive — offensive to our community, our town, our way of life, and the life we strive to have for our children to come,” he said. “With no credible research, no meaningful consultation and no idea they have delivered this map to us from their offices in Perth.” Mr Waideman expressed his concerns for the local fishing industry. “We need to stand together today, not as individuals fighting for our own agendas, but as a cohesive unit for everyone affected — for the commercial fishing families who have been here for generations supporting our community and fishing sustainably in a well-managed fishery,” he said. “This is where their livelihood comes from. No one goes to their office workplace and trashes their office, their ocean is their office. They’re not going to trash it.” The protesters were also addressed by Esperance Professional Fishermen’s Association representative Neville Mansted and Mr de Grussa who encouraged them to sign a petition and submit their views on the DBCA website. The marine park plans were met with mixed reactions when the details were first released in February with the launch of the community consultation phase. Environmental advocacy group Save Our Marine Life expressed their concerns the park did not do enough to protect endangered species like sea lions. The WA Fishing Industry Council have labelled the marine park plans as “absurd” and “overkill”. Locals expressed their opposition to the park in a hastily organised rally earlier this month when about 300 residents gathered to voice messages of discontent to Fisheries Minister Don Punch when he visited the region. The Esperance locals at Sunday’s rally made their position clear as they filled the streets on a walk from the council buildings along Windich Street and Andrew Street to the foreshore. Among the locals at the rally was business owner Tina McCaskill who said she believed a fair agreement could be reached but the current proposal was an “overkill”. “I don’t fish personally, but I enjoy the beaches and I think there’s a way that we can come to some happy agreement but the consultation process is woefully inadequate,” Ms McCaskill said. “It’s actually very disrespectful and thumbing their nose at the community.” Long-term local Janine Lockhart said the marine park would have an impact on south coast towns for years to come. “We really don’t need it and the impact on the town would just be horrendous,” she said.