The Federal petition can now be found online at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/...g-lockout.html

Please note, if you have signed the paper petition do not sign the online version.

Minister Garrett has released the Areas For Further Assessment (AFFA) for the East Coast Bioregion. In Queensland we have two enormous areas of waterways earmarked for further investigation and potential to be turned into a Marine Park.The first is the Coral Sea AFFA which will start from just above Fraser Island and extend along the existing GBRMP to the tip of Cape York. The second is the Fraser AFFA which extends from Rainbow Beach to Fraser Island. In essence about half of the QLD coastline from the 3nm mark out is being looked at.

Our southern friends at ECOfishers in NSW are facing bigger problems including a dual concern site with our Gold Coast members. The Tweed AFFA is looking at waterway between Byron Bay to Tweed Heads. They also have Clarence, Hunter, Norfolk, and Batemans to contend with - all amazing fishing grounds potentially gone.

To view all maps these AFFA's affecting your area click here http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts...ast/index.html

To counter this ECOfishers have a petition being sent to the Federal Senate which needs as many signatures as we can get to be presented to them before the information gathering for these AFFA's finishes. Links are shown in a previous news item. Get involved or lose it - its now or never all.

A Petition was launched on the 19th of March, focussing on Eastern Bioregional Planning and The expected Coral Sea Region lockout.

The Petition asks the Federal Government to examine the process under which this planning is taking place, and highlights the lack of consultation with one of the Primary Users of the Fishery - Recreational Anglers.

The Petition has drawn an excellent response at The Tinnie and Tackle Show, and will soon be available online. You can also download the pdf file below, so that you can get friends and workmates to sign, and you can take it to your local tackle Store for the notice board.

Download the petition here

Information sheet on Coral Sea

 ECOfishers Queensland Inc. as part of their strategy for 2010, has opened up a merchandise store online for our members and the public to purchase t-shirts, hats, coffee mugs and more. More items are coming online all the time such as jackets and hoddies for those winter fishing trips.

Go to our store at www.zazzle.com/ecofisher to view.

All proceeds from the sale of these items goes to help funding a new research project that ECOfishers has starting later in 2010 on water quality and habitat correlation. 

You can now follow ECOfishers Queensland Inc. on Facebook. If you are a Facebook user you can follow our progress and get quick updates as things happen in the world of recreational fishing. Please add us a friend and become a fan of our page.

Find us at http://www.facebook.com/ecofishers

From the Liberal Party's Senator Richard Colebeck on the Mako Shark decision. Remember this shark is now classified as protected and has a no-take condition.

Find the story here http://www.liberal.org.au/news.php?Id=4487

A SENIOR marine researcher has accused Australian scientists of "crying wolf" over the threat of climate change to the Great Barrier Reef, exposing deep division about its vulnerability.

Find the story here http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/scientists-crying-wolf-over-coral/story-e6frg6xf-1225811910634