09/09/2026
HELP STOP THE EXMOUTH GULF MARINE PARK RECREATIONAL FISHING LOCK-OUT - SIGN THE PALIAMENTARY PETITION
https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/LCePetitions.nsf/petitions/26-0032
As many of you may be aware, the Cook Government has announced it will create a new Marine Park within Exmouth Gulf which is set to have a major negative impact on recreational activities right throughout the Gulf.
This will be a ‘whole of gulf’ Marine Park - not just the mangrove creeks on the eastern side of Exmouth Gulf, ALL OF IT. See the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation & Attractions (DBCA) map below which shows the park boundaries.
Before any public consultation on this Marine Park had even begun, the Cook Government also committed to a MINIMUM 30% OF THE TOTAL PARK AREA TO BE NO-FISHING SANCTUARY ZONES. These will be set across all identified habitats within the gulf, including shoals, coral bommies, creeks, sandflats and so on, and so will negatively impact opportunities for demersal fishing, spearfishing, gulf sailfishing, fly fishing, sport fishing, flats fishing, crabbing, prawning…basically any fishing activities we currently enjoy in the gulf.
Many of the ‘protections’ being celebrated by proponents of this Park won’t actually outlaw or address potential or existing industrial development or environmental threats. The Exmouth Gulf Marine Park will likely
Still allow existing commercial fishing (prawn trawling and beach netting) to continue
Still allow for the Gascoyne Gateway development
Still allow for the Exmouth desalination plant development
Still allow for the possibility of future industrial development
Still allow for the mining lease adjacent the eastern shore
Still allow existing pearl shell harvest leases to be maintained.
So, as per usual with Marine Parks, recreational fishing activities are the only thing which are set to cop massive restrictions, despite not posing a significant threat to the health of the Exmouth Gulf environment or it’s fish stocks.
Both the Exmouth Game Fishing Club and RecfishWest have advocated directly to DBCA and Minister for the Environment, Matthew Swinbourn MLC for the Park to include Special Use Zoning along the eastern side of the gulf which would allow for catch & release fishing, in an effort to allow the Marine Park to achieve its arbitrary Sanctuary Zone target whilst minimizing total lock-out areas for recreational fishers. We believe if Special Use catch & release zoning was incorporated into the sanctuary zoning, there is potential for some positive outcomes with this new Marine Park, instead of just lines on a map persecuting only one user-group and achieving no actual protections.
However, we have been informed by both DBCA and Minster Swinbourn that such special use zoning could only be implemented ON TOP OF THE MINIMUM 30% NO-FISHING SANCTUARY ZONES and that no consultation will be undertaken to negotiate this minimum 30% no-fishing zones figure.
So what can be done?
The first round of draft sanctuary zoning maps expected to be released by DBCA later this year. But as we know from previous experience, once the draft sanctuary zoning maps are released, it's too late for any meaningful change.
If we are to have any chance of minimising yet another wide scale loss of access and fishing rights that this Marine Park will bring, we need numbers of concerned voters behind us to exert pressure on the Minister and his department. That's why we have requested a parliamentary petition calling for meaningful public consultation that will reduce the impact this Marine Park will have on recreational fishers.
If you would like to see recreational fishing continue in Exmouth Gulf, please follow the link below to sign the petition -
https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/LCePetitions.nsf/petitions/26-0032
