Booderee National Park Management Plan Review Submission

Australian Land Based Anglers Association (ALBAA) has submitted a 19 page document to the Booderee Board of Management and the Director of National Parks in response to the proposal to draft a new management plan.

When the new plan is finalised, it will guide the management of Booderee National Park for a period of 10 years. The key objective of ALBAA comments was to promote the effective, equitable and traditional use of the Park for all users especially land based anglers, keeping within the statutory framework for sustainable use by all traditional users.

In summary, the ALBAA submission suggested the careful consideration of following recommendations:

• Recognition of land based anglers as a traditional recreational user of the Bherwerre Peninsula coastline, with a history that predates the proclamation of the Park. Acknowledgement of the unique opportunities that the coastline provides the recreational land based angler and the necessity to provide the opportunity to participate in their recreational activity in a safe and sustainable manner.
• Recognition of the need to manage, protect and enhance the cultural and historical significance of the Bherwerre Peninsula coastline to land based anglers.
• Recognition that the current network of formal and informal tracks were cut and maintained by land based anglers prior to the proclamation of the Park. Acknowledgement that access for land based anglers along the Jervis Bay coastline is severely limited and that there is a necessity to improve access for recreational land based anglers to a level that is fair and equitable with other park users.
• Acknowledgement that exclusion is not a suitable management option for a recreational activity and that there is a necessity to provide infrastructure to facilitate appropriate and safe use of the park by land based anglers. Recognition that the development of a recreational angling Code of Conduct would improve safety.
• Recognition of the social, economic and environmental values of recreational anglers to Booderee National Park and the surrounding communities, and the necessity to protect and enhance these values within the Park.
• Necessity to provide opportunities for recreational anglers to assist in the co-management of the Park and the ongoing consultation with recreational angling stakeholders.

These suggested changes where supported through detailing the:

• Land Based Game (LBG) Angling

Australia is the home of LBG angling, especially the south coast of New South Wales. It is the unique nature of the Jervis Bay coastline, especially the adjacent deep water, which provides a rare opportunity for anglers to target game fish species from the shore.

• Cultural & Historical Significance of Land Based Game Angling in Jervis Bay

Jervis Bay is the “jewel in the crown” of the limited LBG Angling locations throughout Australia, being so unique that no replacements are available anywhere else in the world. LBG Anglers have a significant cultural and heritage value in Jervis Bay, spanning 50 years, with early pioneers developing and refining specialist techniques and equipment along this stretch of coastline.

• Accessibility Issues for Land Based Anglers

Until the 1950s, fishing and walking were the main recreational activities undertaken within Booderee National Park, with these early users forming many of the current tracks within the area, opening up access to the larger community. The current plan of management lead to many of these tracks being declared ‘unformed’ and therefore not accessible. This management decision, in conjunction with the location of Marine Park Sanctuary Zones and de-facto closures imposed by the Department of Defence, has greatly reduced accessibility for land based anglers along the coastline of Jervis Bay.

• Addressing Rock Fishing Safety

LBG angling presents certain risks to individuals participating in this recreational activity, ALBAA promoted education and awareness over exclusion as an effective control measure.The work into rock fishing safety being continuously conducted by NSW ANSA and RFA NSW was also highlighted.

• Value of Recreational Angling

Recreational angling is an important activity in Australia, which has a range of associated social, economic and environmental values. ALBAA suggested the adoption of a co-management philosophy, that involved recreational angling stakeholders, would benefit all of the Parks stakeholders.