Email Campaign Page

Check the current FFC email campaigns and send an important message to a decision maker.

10/05/07 - Proposed Spencer Gulf Desalination Plant

Read background on this issue here. Please feel free to add you own text to the outlines you can download here (rich text format, suitable to be opened in Word or other word processing programs) and please send to the relevant ministers adding your details (including address for reply), printing out and mailing or cutting and pasting into an email. Thankyou - your voice is important.

Letter to: Mike Rann Gail Gago Rory McEwan Patrick Conlan

29/4/07 - Grey Mackerel update

Read the reply to previous correspondance - page 1 - page 2

Two alternative answers to Minister Mulherin, copied to Mark Lighthowler of DPI&F and local MP, Jason O'Brien.

Short letter

Long letter

Basically the longer one goes into a bit of detail and questions the logic of basing management measures on a doubtful belief and unproven assumption. The second letter takes a down to earth approach and is shorter.

Both letters press for a closure of the Grey mackerel gill net fishery in local inshore waters of Douglas Shire.

Please do circulate the letter to others on your mailing lists and encourage those interested in locally sustainable systems ...or even catching the occasional fish, to do the same. The ban will come eventually- they can only fight common sense for so long. If we all do our bit it may not be too late to save our local stocks from being wiped out.

11/10/06 Call for a moritorium on Gill netting of Grey Mackerel spawning aggregations.:

Background: FFC Grey Mackerel page

Click here to send an email to the Minister- cut and paste the text below and add your name to the bottom, if you have time personalise your letter for increased effectiveness.

Dear Minister,

As a recreational fisher and concerned Australian I call on the minister to become aware of, and take urgent action, regarding the targeting of spawning aggregations of Grey Mackerel off the Northern Queensland coast.

The Grey mackerel (Scomberomorus semifasciatus) is endemic to only a small area including the inshore waters of North Australia.

Ignoring a local pro fisherman's reported 'gentlemans agreement' to not target the annual aggregations with nets, large boats from 'offshore' fisheries are targeting these schools with heavy winch haul net gear reportedly wiping out whole schools before they have the chance to spawn.

I call for a moratorium to be called on the targeting of Grey Mackerel spawning aggregations by netting, effective immediately. Action must be taken to protect this species and others from indiscriminate or damaging fishing practices such as haul netting.

The decimation of a species could happen in the shadow of the World Heritage listed Daintree region and it would be on your watch, Minister.

You can learn more about the issue at the Fishers For Conservation site: http://www.ffc.org.au/Grey_Mackerel.html.

Thankyou for your attention and action regarding this important issue.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME HERE

Write to: Tom Mulherin, QLD Minister Dept. of Primary Industries and Fisheries

Email : dpi@ministerial.qld.gov.au

cc: premiers@ministerial.qld.gov.au, EandM@ministerial.qld.gov.au

(Premier Peter Beattie and Lindel Nelson-Carr, Minister for Environment and Multiculturalism)

Tom Mulherin: 8th Floor Primary Industries Building 80 Ann Street BRISBANE QLD, 4000
Postal : GPO Box 46, 4001

 

 

 

01/06/06 Nomination of Orange Roughy as a Threatened species under the EPBC act

Update 10/11/06 - Orange Roughy is now listed as 'conservation dependant' under the EPBC act - Thankyou to all FFC members who supported the threatened species nomination by sending emails to the minister

Background: FFC Factsheet on Orange Roughy fishery in the Great Australian Bight with update regarding EPBC nomination

Write to:
 senator.ian.campbell@aph.gov.au
cc. epbc.nominations@deh.gov.au
Minister for the Environment and Heritage

In your email:

Register your support for the nomination of Hoplostethus atlanticus (Orange Roughy) as endangered under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Call on the Minister to accept the advice of the Threatened Species Scientific Committee and approve the nomination.

Point out that the minister is lagging well behind the established timeline his department has set out for assessing nominations under the EPBC act.

Use the Background in this Factsheet and associated resources to make clear the importance of protecting this fish from further exploitation.

 

Two important reasons why Orange Roughy Should be listed as endangered under the EPBC act

1. Severe reduction in numbers - Orange Roughy have suffered massive reductions in numbers since fishing for this species commenced. All known stocks are overexploited and the fish is commercially extinct in some locations. The life history of this fish means that populations have no chance of recovering if intensive fishing is not stopped.

2. Habitat protection - Listing of this species will stop targeted fishing for Orange Roughy in Australian waters. Orange Roughy is targeted at spawning aggregations over seamounts using trawl nets - this has a devastating effect upon seamount habitat. Removing the legal right to target this species will go some way to protecting sensitive seamounts - habitat that is important to many other species.