DoC forced to rethink marine park

By ANNE BESTON

The fishing lobby appears to have won the first round in the battle over creating a monster marine reserve off the Great Barrier Island coast.

The Department of Conservation has been forced to back away from its controversial plan to create a 52,700ha no-take zone off the island's northeastern coast after 68 per cent of submissions opposed it.

Just 11 per cent of the 1863 public submissions were in favour, with 20 per cent either partly in support or partly opposed.

Crucially, just 12 per cent or 47 out of 414 Great Barrier residents and landowners supported the reserve despite early claims by DoC that locals were in favour.

Just over half of the residents and landowners were opposed, although the number partially in favour was double that of those partially opposed.

But the overall results are at odds with claims by Auckland region DoC chief Rob McCallum that early feedback showed strong support for the reserve.

The department said yesterday it would go back to the drawing board instead of pushing on with the plan in its present form.

Recreational Fishing Council member Keith Ingram called the backdown a "wake-up call" for the department.

"They tried to steamroll the public, they made misleading statements on the amount of support for the reserve and I only hope that now they've decided to review the proposal they consult fully with all interested parties."

Hobby fishers fought a strong campaign against the reserve, forcing DoC to hold a series of public meetings in Auckland so they could air their views.

Mr McCallum said interested parties had raised a wide range of issues which the department now needed to work through.

"While there is a core of support for a marine reserve on the northeast coast of Great Barrier, iwi, the local community and stakeholders have a number of legitimate concerns about the existing proposal and we now need to discuss these further."

Marine habitats in the area were some of the most special and diverse in the Hauraki Gulf and protection would have huge benefits.

But Mr Ingram said that claim was open to challenge. "Just because they say there is unique biodiversity doesn't mean the same is not found elsewhere. We have challenged them every step of the way."

Fishers had a number of objections, including the reserve's unprecedented size and the fact that it reached out to the 12-mile limit, the first reserve near New Zealand to do so.

Sea reserve survey

* 11 per cent of the 1863 public submissions supported the reserve plan.

* 20 per cent either partly supported or partly opposed the plan.

* 12 per cent or 47 out of 414 Great Barrier residents and landowners supported the reserve.