Friday 23 September 2005

The Chair for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Hon. Virginia Chadwick, today released a new report, prepared by Sunfish detailing the connectivity between wetlands and fish stocks on the Great Barrier Reef.

The report, titled Freshwater Wetlands and Fish: Importance of Freshwater Wetlands to Marine Fisheries Resources in the Great Barrier Reef was compiled by Vern Veitch and Bill Sawynok of Sunfish Queensland and has made a number of recommendations.

“One of the key recommendations of the report is a call for action. We’ve put in the groundwork and we’ve gained a good appreciation for the situation. Our next step will be to take practical steps to ensure the health of these important areas,” Ms Chadwick said.

Ms Chadwick said the report would help the Australian and Queensland Governments better understand and protect wetlands along the Great Barrier Reef coast. “Through the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan that was released in 2003 and the Queensland Wetlands Programme, the Australian and Queensland governments have commenced work which will address some of the issues raised in the report, including the mapping and inventory of wetlands resources, supporting on-ground actions to conserve and manage wetlands and protection of remaining wetlands.”

“This report will assist Regional Natural Resource Management Boards to prioritise on-ground actions for wetland protection and maintenance in the Great Barrier Reef Catchment, which is one of the key strategies in the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan,” Ms Chadwick said.

The Australian Government contracted Sunfish Queensland to prepare the report in August 2003 in recognition of group’s long-term fish tagging programme. The project was developed to address information needs identified by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority regarding fisheries values of coastal wetlands in the GBR Catchment.

“There is an urgent need for the holistic management of wetlands from a fishery perspective. This report identifies the dependence that over 70 species of fish have on both marine and freshwater environments. The variety of wetlands within the GBR Catchment needs to be protected to ensure the ongoing biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park” Mr Veitch said.
“The importance of the connectivity of the wetland system for fish species and the Reef has been highlighted in this report and while our knowledge has improved in the last decade the report identifies a number of initiatives that we need to take to improve the health of the systems” Mr Sawynok said.

“We understand that to keep the Reef healthy we have to keep all of the habitats and the marine life in them healthy. This report will be an important tool in allowing us to do just that,” Ms Chadwick said.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority would like to thank Sunfish for their support in preparing this report and congratulate both Mr Veitch and Mr Sawynok on their outstanding work.

Media Contact: Vern Veitch, Phone 0418 729 496 or Karen Vohland, Director – Communication and Education GBRMPA 4750 0737