Hawkesbury Shelf marine bioregion assessment

One point the documents fail to take into account are changed recreational fishing regulations and practices.

Over a period there have been far reaching changes made to the Fisheries Management Act and Regulations concerning recreational saltwater fishing. These regulations make extensive provisions for such matters as catch limits, gear restrictions, minimum legal lengths, protected species and closed or restricted areas. Recreational Fishing is now regulated to an unprecedented degree, but the bioregion documents fail to acknowledge this.

Also I get the impression that since the huge outcry over sewage pollution that led to the establishment of Sydney’s Ocean Outfalls, Sydney Water has dropped the ball with many serious pollution issues, particularly chemical pollution and its unseen effect on our microscopic marine life, on plankton and larvae, not only fish but everything else that is hugely dependent on clean, chemical and pollution free water.

As a small example, most hair shampoos are little more than a toxic cocktail. Many contain sodium laurel sulfate (SLS) or sodium laureth sulfate (SLES)as well as parabens, ethoxylates, propylene glycol, petrochemical cleansers, phalates, mineral oils, DEA and silicones and synthetic fragrances. These chemicals all find their way into our sewage and ultimately our waterways, estuaries and oceans without any studies into the effects on our very vital microscopic and minute sea life.