Comrades,
We are currently undergoing the next round of Draft Marine Park Zoning Overviews with submissions closing next week and we need your help.
Rather than all local user groups working together on these proposals, the fisho's have joined forces and decided the best way to address the proposals is to kick the divers out of the areas we now use. They have got themselves quite organised with a website with over 2,000 submissions, and on pages 16 and 19 of their submission the user is acknowledging that divers are a major threat and should be removed from the aggregation areas of the Grey nurse shark (GNS). One of our local dive operators has explained it better and written to the local paper, his article is here:
Save the Scuba at the Solitary Islands
I know that this may be outside your local diving area, but I also know there are some of you that have dived the Solitary Islands in the past, and may in the future, so I am asking that each of you take about fifteen minutes to complete a submission supporting all the proposed zoning amendments. Otherwise theses areas could be lost to us all. The on-line submission form from the Solitary Islands Marine Park's website, is here:
Solitary Islands Marine Park Draft Zoning Plan
The submission requires a comment on each of the eighteen proposals, but a standard comment of "I support the proposed changes to this zone" for each section will suffice. If you feel inclined to add more comments please do, but I am asking you to support the changes for the protection and continued use of the current areas where diving is permitted, not to have a go at the fisho's; that is for another time and place.
As a user group we can all benefit from this, and it is an issue that needs addressing across the country by all divers.
Submissions can be electronic or posted, however they close at 5:00 P.M. 17 September 2010.
Thanks for your time.
We are currently undergoing the next round of Draft Marine Park Zoning Overviews with submissions closing next week and we need your help.
Rather than all local user groups working together on these proposals, the fisho's have joined forces and decided the best way to address the proposals is to kick the divers out of the areas we now use. They have got themselves quite organised with a website with over 2,000 submissions, and on pages 16 and 19 of their submission the user is acknowledging that divers are a major threat and should be removed from the aggregation areas of the Grey nurse shark (GNS). One of our local dive operators has explained it better and written to the local paper, his article is here:
Save the Scuba at the Solitary Islands
I know that this may be outside your local diving area, but I also know there are some of you that have dived the Solitary Islands in the past, and may in the future, so I am asking that each of you take about fifteen minutes to complete a submission supporting all the proposed zoning amendments. Otherwise theses areas could be lost to us all. The on-line submission form from the Solitary Islands Marine Park's website, is here:
Solitary Islands Marine Park Draft Zoning Plan
The submission requires a comment on each of the eighteen proposals, but a standard comment of "I support the proposed changes to this zone" for each section will suffice. If you feel inclined to add more comments please do, but I am asking you to support the changes for the protection and continued use of the current areas where diving is permitted, not to have a go at the fisho's; that is for another time and place.
As a user group we can all benefit from this, and it is an issue that needs addressing across the country by all divers.
Submissions can be electronic or posted, however they close at 5:00 P.M. 17 September 2010.
Thanks for your time.
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