Please excuse my ignorance, but just what was the Volkner Rocks decision? Has there been one or is 'the process' still ongoing?

obald

Point Taken fishwid, I guess I trust that controling bureacracies are so underfunded that it will avoid some of the excesses of what certain administrators can go to - although maybe that's being naiive as you point out.

Man, as John H says, I was surprised also by the '300 endangered marine species' quote.  I'd like to know how many of those are even affected in the slightest by fishing, what status they need to be listed as 'endangered' and by whom. 

Here's an example of what the half truths have done - Volkner Rocks.  Much was made of the special species of deep water sponges discovered there, yet the reserve has no restriction on anchoring there, and that is the only control that would have saved the sponges, if they were in fact in need of protection anyway.  Are they part of the 300 species that we have to worry about?

 Did anyone read the article by the Minister of Conservation in the herald last week.  He is very pro marine reserves and uses lies and half truths to support his possition.  I was reply pissed off.  I sent him an email asking him to name a few of the 300 endangered marine species he is trying to protect in Marine reserves  --  as yet no reply.  As wrote letter to the editor.  This is the uncut version.

It seems that the Hon Chris Carter has swallowed the biodiversity bait – hook line and sinker.  How else could he so glibly say that no take marine reserves over 10% of New Zealand’s marine environment out to 200 miles is perfectly reasonable and not a vast area. If Chris had been properly advised he would know our EEZ covers 500 million ha, so he is proposing transferring 50 million ha into the conservation estate by 2010. On what scale is that not vast? I suspect Tangata Whenua will have something to say about that.

He is also incorrect to say that 90% of the remaining space is available for fishing.  There is a long list of current exclusion areas for shipping lanes, communication cables and military zones. Soon there will be large areas set aside as Aquaculture management areas and fishing may be restricted inside Mataitai.  Most recreational and subsistence fishing occurs with in 8 km of the coast. 

In effect the marine reserves bill allows any body to propose a marine reserve any size anywhere they like. You can be sure that marine reserves will be proposed for the best most diverse marine habitat first – headlands and offshore islands.  Just look at the proposals in the pipeline right now.  Volkner Rocks, Tiritiri, Great Barrier, Mimiwhangati and Cape Brett.

hi reidfish ,the point i was making  was that,the new park would stop simple things like adding a room to your home if it was felt that it might affect drainage or water quality if you have a home in the waikato drainage basin.

yes stop dirty dairying, stop hydro scheames such as the one on the upper waipa , but do it sensibly all you need is one greenie to prove that your house extension will create more stormwater and it could be stopped,or you will be made to go to great expense to mitigate the effects ,or prove them harmless. lots of hassle and time to comply with the law.

  cheers fishwid.

according to forest and bird the waikato estuary is significant bird habitat. the proposed reseve if ti goes ahead will also take in up to 1km inland from the mean high water mark, the point is how far up the river will the boundary go as salt water is sometimes as far up the river as tuakau.alot of farmers are going to be upset when they find that they can't farm as before as they are now part of a marine reseve and can't change the enviroment, no plowing as it changes the water quality etc. no additions to existing buildings in port waikato town as it changes the enviroment so much for property rights on private land.the marine park/reserve laws say that any activity that compromises the enviroment of the park in any way is prohibited, thats why farmers in tirau have to apply to the hauraki gulf marine park board to build anew cow shed if they are in the hauraki plains drainage basin.silly eh and we are looking at letting forest and bird control the north island from taupo to auckland as anything that effects water quality must be approved by the park board if it is in the waikato drainage basin. cheers fishwid

Rockhopper.

With what are they going to drop their bombs. We don't have an Air Force any more, or at least one that can drop bombs.

Dont they use some of that area as a bombing range. If you want to put a reserve anywhere .....