The Australian Fishing Tackle Association (AFTA) and the Boating Industry Association of New South Wales (BIANSW) have commissioned an independent study by Ernst & Young of the "Economic Impact of Recreational Fishing Port Stephens and Narooma/ Bermagui".
Parties involved with the commissioning of the report, to date, have had very little faith in the process of Marine Park community consultation (which has largely ignored the concerns raised by recreational anglers), the science underlying the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (which does not consider the impact of different forms of recreational fishing on marine biodiversity), and the analysis of the socio economic effects of establishing Marine Parks (which does not consider the impacts of proposed constraints on recreational fishing).
The report notes that:
* the net value of recreational fishing in Port Stephens to recreational anglers was estimated to be $49.2 million per annum (or $177 per day spent recreational fishing);
* the net value of recreational fishing in Narooma/Bermagui to recreational anglers was estimated to be $27.2 million per annum (or $192 per day spent recreational fishing);
* recreational fishing in Port Stephens and Narooma/Bermagui contributed $110.8 million to the gross output of the NSW economy;
* recreational fishing in Port Stephens contributed $65.1 million to the gross output of the Hunter region;
* recreational fishing in Narooma/Bermagui contributed $25.7 million to the gross output of the Southern region;
* recreational fishing in Port Stephens and Narooma/Bermagui contributed $43.7 million to the value added in the NSW economy;
* recreational fishing in Port Stephens contributed $22.5 million to the value added in the Hunter region;
* recreational fishing in Narooma/Bermagui contributed $9.4 million to the value added in the Southern region.
Most recreational anglers surveyed reported that they would reduce the number of times they visit Port Stephens and Narooma/Bermagui by more than 50 per cent if the creation of the Port Stephens - Great Lakes Marine Park and the Batemans Marine Park prevented them from fishing in their normal areas.
The full independent study titled "Economic Impact of Recreational Fishing Port Stephens and Narooma/ Bermagui" is available at http://www.bia.org.au/marine-parks
For further Information contact: Mr Doug Joyner, AFTA Executive Officer, Ph 02 9944 6210 or 0412 851 120 and
Mr Roy Privett, BIA General Manager, Ph 02 9438 2077 or 0414 382 077
