Independent Scientific Audit of
Marine Parks in NSW
PO Box H292, Australia Square NSW 1215
Email: Secretariat@marineparksaudit.nsw.gov.au
Web: www.marineparksaudit.nsw.gov.au
Interview 10a
Summary
11am–12.30pm, Tuesday 22 November 2011
Level 12, Parliament House
6 Macquarie St
Sydney NSW 2000
Type of Meeting:
Face to face
Attendees:
Assoc Prof Bob Beeton, Chair
Dr Jane Williamson, Chair, NSW Fisheries Scientific Committee
Dr Alan Millar, Deputy Chair, NSW Fisheries Scientific Committee
Dr Sandra Diamond, NSW Fisheries Scientific Committee (from 11.30am)
Ms Petrina Alcock, Secretariat Manager
Dr Fiona Powell, Secretariat
The views expressed at all workshops are those of the individual participants. They do not
necessarily reflect the views of the NSW Government, the views of all the workshop participants or
the views of the Audit Panel.
The Chair welcomed attendees, provided a background to the Audit and explained Audit
procedures.
Participants discussed the proportion of the NSW marine estate that should be protected and it was
suggested the Australian standard is for 30% of waters to be designated as no-take zones.
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It was suggested it is important to consider protecting areas for specific threatened species, as well
as for marine biodiversity more generally, and that the focus on comprehensive, adequate and
representative (CAR) principles has been to the detriment of single species conservation.
Participants suggested some habitats, including mid-shelf habitats, are underrepresented in NSW
marine protected areas.
Participants emphasized the importance of seabed habitat mapping for guiding marine biodiversity
management.
It was suggested marine protected areas increase the resilience of marine biodiversity, particularly
no-take zones.
Participants discussed the establishment of a marine protected area in 1977 in New Zealand, which
Bill Ballantyne was involved with. Subsequent monitoring by Babcock and Shears was discussed
(Babcock et al. 2010 Proc. Nat. Acad. Science), where it was suggested 10 or more years may be
required to observe changes resulting from protection.
Participants suggested many more species are likely to be threatened in NSW than are listed under
the Fisheries Management Act 1994. It was further suggested these are mostly poorly known
species other than fish.
It was suggested that after it was established, Batemans Bay Marine Park was set up as a good
model of how high quality, useful data can be obtained, including long-term monitoring and studies
and research topics looking at resilience across the whole NSW marine park system rather than just
in one park. Participants discussed how Jervis Bay Marine Park has followed the same model.
Coastal management was discussed. Participants emphasized the importance of having
researchers based in marine parks and commended marine park researchers on winning linkage
grants. It was suggested more funding should be provided for marine parks research, particularly to
maximize opportunities such as collaborations with Universities.
It was suggested NSW government historically does not have a good record of transparency when
engaging stakeholders.
Participants discussed the contention surrounding Carcharias taurus (Grey Nurse Shark) at Fish
Rock. This included aspects of the shark's biology and behaviour, stakeholder perceptions and
differing stakeholder interests, for example divers and commercial fishers. The features of Grey
Nurse Shark aggregation sites were discussed.
It was suggested the establishment of Solitary Islands and Lord Howe Island Marine Parks were
good examples of community consultation but that consultation for more recent marine parks had
been rushed.
The idea of a proposed marine park for the Twofold Shelf Marine Bioregion was discussed. It was
suggested that the area is interesting from a NSW marine botany point of view, with most of those
habitats being found more down into Victorian and Tasmanian waters, but that it is under few
threats. Participants went on to discuss the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre in this region.
It was suggested the centre is an effective means of educating and engaging the local community.
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Participants discussed alternative legislative tools for conserving marine biodiversity. It was
suggested it may not be necessary to list invasion of Caulerpa (Caulerpa taxifolia) as a key
threatening process because the Department of Primary Industries can implement closures to
prevent the alga from spreading.
Participants suggested there is generally a lack of information on species life histories, migrations
and connectivity making management difficult. Recovery plans have been prepared for few marine
species, primarily due to this lack of information. It was also suggested more resources are required
for writing recovery plans.
Participants suggested more information should be passed from marine park managers to the
Fisheries Scientific Committee and vice versa.
Participants expressed concern that there is no formal mechanism protecting critical habitat of
threatened marine species in NSW even when such areas are identified. It was suggested that
there are unprotected areas, such as Fish Rock, supporting clusters of threatened species.
Participants discussed a present study to map critical habitats and recreational fishing sites funded
by the Recreational Fishing Trust Fund. It was suggested that unlike Marxan, the optimization tool
being used for the study is not hierarchical.
Participants discussed the social and economic values of marine parks. It was suggested that when
established well, marine parks can provide education benefits.
Participants discussed management of the NSW intertidal zone. It was suggested Beach Hoppers
(Amphipoda: Talitroidea) have been adversely impacted by beach grooming.
Participants discussed aquatic reserves. It was suggested locals are vigilant in monitoring
compliance at some aquatic reserves and that these reserves may work well because they are
small, communities consequently feel less imposed upon and being more tangible they feel a sense
of ownership. However, it was also emphasized large areas are required to protect some species.
It was suggested some of the most significant information gaps relating to the marine environment
are basic flora and fauna records. It was also suggested substantially more data on the life
histories, migrations and connectivity of marine organisms is needed to improve marine biodiversity
management.
It was suggested marine parks should be considered as a fluid connection of units rather than as
static entities.
Participants discussed changes in the distributions of benthic organisms in the last 100 years. It
was suggested larger seaweeds may not be able to adapt to warmer waters and are therefore
contracting south. For example one alga known from Lord Howe Island in the 1920s may now be
locally extinct. Invertebrate distributions may also be changing.
Poloczanska et al. 2007, Climate Change and Australian Marine Life was discussed, as was
Wernberg et al. 2011 Impacts of Climate Change in a Global Hotspot for Temperate Marine
Biodiversity and Ocean Warming.
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Participants suggested closure of the Cronulla Fisheries Research Centre will adversely affect NSW
marine environment management because intellectual capital would be lost with departing staff, it
will result in increasing pressure on other resources, particularly Port Stephens but also Jervis Bay
and Batemans. It was also suggested links with the central fish market in Sydney and the 10% of
NSW recreational fishers that reside in Sydney will be lost, making data harder to collect. It would
also complicate the installation of any proposed artificial reefs off Sydney and make it more difficult
to monitor shark attacks, due to the lack of local Sydney staff.
Participants expressed concern that the Greater Sydney region lacked a marine park.
Participants discussed setting goals for marine parks and suggested it was important to have a
marine parks evaluation program. It was suggested timeframes for monitoring marine park
effectiveness should be realistic, long timeframes. It was suggested that 5 years was insufficient
time to detect ecological responses to zoning arrangements.
Participants recommended the 2011 'Stocking up' report by Eadie and Hoisington (document 93).
The Chair closed the workshop at 12.30pm.
Supplementary material participants offered to provide:

Babcock 2010 Decadal trends in marine reserves reveal differential rates of change in direct
and indirect effects

Coleman, Kellaher, Millar and Steinberg 2008 J Phycology 44, 897-901

Millar 2009 Introduction in 'Algae of Australia', ABRS & CSIRO.
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