Aside from breaming..... MARRON ERADICATION

[Brad Y]

Interstingly enough i wpoke to a local who worked at a aged care facility down here last night. She had a CALM officer bring in HEAPS of marron for the residents. Apparently they are culling as many of the smooth marron (not the hairy ones that are native to the MR) as they can so it will be a hairy marron only fishery.

Personally i must say that if this is happening then Fisheries and CALM need to take a good look at their actions.

So much money has been spent trying to protect marron all through the SW and now they are trying to eradicate them! If the smooth marron were native then why is this happening?

So come marron season, there will be fewer around for people to enjoy. Snaring for more than 10 years, i have never caught a hairy marron. Now the few that are there are going to be bloody lonely without their smooth cousins.

Im sure there is a saying that goes: IF IT AINT BROKE DONT FIX IT

JMO but would love to hear others comments.

Brad

[Ben Scott]

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

If this is trew then they are more stupid than I thought.

They should be atleast be using them as brood stock.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Got to love our goverment departments.

Ben

[monksie]

Fisheries like doing 'surveys' when the trout run to spawn at Serpentine Dam (and who knows how many other Water Authority/CALM crew do a bit of netting at the right time?) as well.

testing is an excuse for cleaning/killing them and the survey is to undertake how many to include in the BBQ/spoils.

Maybe when we get a big de-saltinisation plant and Lake Argyle pipeline the Water Dept might then treat West Australian anglers/hunters like their Eastern States counter-parts do - BUT i doubt it (Nazi rules/power too entrenched).

[Salmo]

If true the media should be informed.....so every body can be informed what the government departments are up too....

[TerryF]

Dept of Fisheries Media Release, 2 Sept. at http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/docs/media...hp?0000&mr=282

Poaching threatens endangered Margaret River marron
Date: Friday, 2 September 2005
The Cape to Cape Catchments Group and community members involved in efforts to save the critically endangered local hairy marron, are dismayed following the revelation that ‘hairy’ marron are being poached from the upper reaches of the Margaret River.

Catchment group spokeswoman Hayley Rolfe said poaching puts enormous pressure on already critical hairy marron stocks.

“We urge people to do the right thing before this endangered species is lost beyond recovery,” Ms Rolfe said, “people should report any suspicious or illegal fishing activity to the Department of Fisheries.”

An interim recovery team was established in 2004 to develop a recovery plan for the hairy marron in partnership with landholders and the Margaret River community.

Research recently presented to the recovery team by Fisheries scientist Dr Martin de Graaf focused on the size of marron caught during sampling in the Rapids Conservation Park that showed evidence of poaching from the river’s upper reaches.

“The marron sampled in the conservation park were considerably smaller than those sampled in the ‘buffer zone’ which is within private property between Jindong Bridge and the park,” Dr de Graaf said.

“Considering the park has been closed to marroning for three years, the data presents conclusive evidence of serious poaching in the park and we will be seeking advice from Fisheries and CALM compliance officers on how to deal with this illegal activity.”

Margaret River landholder Paul Downes is dismayed at the new evidence of poaching up-stream: “It is terribly disappointing to know that no matter how much effort we put into helping the hairy marron recover – thoughtless and selfish poachers are illegally undoing this work up-stream.”

Landholders have been volunteering their time over recent months helping the Department of Fisheries staff remove the introduced “smooth marron” from the buffer zone and the Rapids Conservation Park.

The landholders have embraced the project which they have undertaken entirely in their own time and they have been instrumental in ensuring that removed smooth marron were donated to needy local charities, Ms Rolfe said.

The interim recovery team established in 2004 includes members from the Department of Fisheries, the Cape to Cape Catchments Group, CALM, World Wildlife Fund, Edith Cowan University and community members.

The Cape to Cape Catchments Group, a community-based organisation with a focus on Natural Resource Management, supports compliance action by the Department of Fisheries.

“So much work has gone into the Hairy Marron recovery project and people in Margaret River have been incredibly supportive, adopting this local species as their own,” Ms Rolfe said.

All suspect or illegal fishing activity can be reported to the Department’s Fishwatch number on 1800 815 507.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Cape to Cape Catchments Group
Hayley Rolfe
9757 2202 / 0400 014 297

Dr Martin de Graaf
WA Fisheries & Marine Research Laboratories
9203-0186 / 0437 614 466

Roley Myers
A/ Principal Media Liaison Officer
Department of Fisheries
Ph: 9203 0357 (Mob): 0418 901 767

Further information:
The Margaret River Hairy Marron was listed under the WA Wildlife Conservation Act 1950 as critically endangered in 2003, national listing is currently being sought.

Funding from the Department of Fisheries and a WWF Threatened Species Network Grant was received in 2004 to implement the Margaret River Marron Interim Recovery Plan.

This includes the removal of introduced Smooth Marron which is thought to out-compete the endemic Hairy Marron for habitat and food. The distribution of Hairy Marron in the Margaret River is now restricted to the only upper reaches bounded by State forest and a conservation park.

For more information on marron fishing visit the Department of Fisheries website www.fish.wa.gov.au.

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Does explain "removed smooth marron were donated to needy local charities" but doesn't explain why they were not relocated. Aren't marron stocks under threat??????

TerryF
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