There are fears Western Australia's south coast abalone sector could be devastated by restrictions flagged as part of the creation of a controversial marine park.
The Abalone Industry of Association of WA (AIAWA) will lobby the state government to reconsider a number of proposed no-catch sanctuary zones highlighted in the latest draft management scheme for the South Coast Marine Park (SCMP).
Fisheries management consultant Shane O'Donoghue said a host of sanctuary zones had needlessly been earmarked for areas critical to the economic viability of abalone fishing.
"It's going to effectively equate to the closure of the [south coast] commercial abalone fishery, because it won't be able to continue with the loss of that much of its priority ground," he said.
The marine park will span from Bremer Bay to the South Australian border.
The boundaries are set to come into effect next year.
Mr O'Donoghue said the AIAWA supported the development of a marine park with a "balanced zoning scheme" that met conservation objectives while minimising the impact on commercial fishing.
He said abalone – including the greenlip and brownlip species – had been sustainably sourced from the state's southern waters for decades.
"The abalone fishery in itself has attained Marine Stewardship Council accreditation, which is an international sustainability certificate," Mr O'Donoghue said.
"So the marine park is certainly not contributing to sustainable fisheries management.
"In terms of environmental impact, [abalone fishing] is benign.
"There's a negligible impact on the environment — it's a hand collection fishery, so there's no bycatch taken."
An industry veteran who spent decades with the Department of Fisheries, Mr O'Donoghue urged the government to introduce more "special purpose zones" in which abalone fishing could continue.
He said commercial abalone operators on the south coast were "very worried" about their futures.
'Getting the right balance'
The South Coast Marine Park is being primarily developed through the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).
The final draft management plan will be formally made available for public consultation in coming months.
Environment Minister Reece Whitby was in Esperance last month for the final meeting with a local Community Reference Committee (CRC) comprised of various stakeholder groups.
Mr Whitby, DBCA and the CRC process have faced criticism from commercial and recreational fishing leaders, who believe their concerns have been largely ignored.
Mr Whitby said the marine park aimed to "strike a balance" for the community.
"These zones are necessary to protect biodiversity and … the long-term sustainability of fishing, and to ensure we have stocks for the future as well," he said.
"No-one is going to walk away from that process with 100 per cent of their wish list ticked off.
"This is about consultation, negotiation — getting the right balance that gets the right outcome for the broader community."
A 'predetermined outcome'
Western Australian Fishing Industry Council chief executive Darryl Hockey slammed the SCMP process so far.
"We've got experience from other marine parks in the state … on every occasion, they've been driven to a predetermined outcome," he said.
"They keep saying there's a process and we can have any input, but they just blast ahead and do exactly what they always wanted to do.
"We don't believe there's any integrity in the process and we're certainly going to make the government aware of our views."
Mr Hockey said the SCMP process was showing similarities to the development of marine parks in the Kimberley's Buccaneer Archipelago.
"They asked for our input, we gave our input, and they completely ignored it," he said.
"They've effectively shut down the barramundi fishing industry altogether up there.
"A couple of years ago, we were taken up to the then-environment minister's office … and they apologised to us for the mess that had been created at Buccaneer.
"They gave us an absolute assurance that things would change and we would be listened to, and that promise has not been delivered."
