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Author Topic: Outcome of Public Meeting on Boating at Penstock Lagoon  (Read 2695 times)

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Outcome of Public Meeting on Boating at Penstock Lagoon
« on: February 12, 2012, 05:28:04 PM »
Outcome of Public Meeting on Boating at Penstock Lagoon
07-02-2012
Nearly 100 anglers who regularly fish at Penstock Lagoon (most using a boat) attended a meeting by the Inland Fisheries Service on Saturday 4 February in Miena to discuss a proposal to prohibit the use of petrol outboards on the lagoon. The meeting was designed to obtain preliminary feedback on this issue and gauge the level of concern by users of Penstock Lagoon.

 Nearly 100 anglers who regularly fish at Penstock Lagoon (most using a boat) attended a meeting by the Inland Fisheries Service on Saturday 4 February in Miena to discuss a proposal to prohibit the use of petrol outboards on the lagoon. The meeting was designed to obtain preliminary feedback on this issue and gauge the level of concern by users of Penstock Lagoon.

The meeting included a presentation on the management history of Penstock Lagoon by John Diggle, Director of Inland Fisheries and a presentation on boating options for freshwater lakes by Gary Fooks, Eco Friendly Fishing Association. The presentations were followed by an open discussion and finally, a vote for and against the proposal by a show of hands. A written questionnaire survey was also provided at the meeting to help gather feedback and was completed by 57 people attending the meeting. The results from the survey have been compiled and a summary is available to download in the Report on Penstock Lagoon Boating Questionnaire Survey.

According to the questionnaire, 61% of survey respondents (attending the public meeting) felt that the lagoon was not vulnerable to over-use and yet a greater proportion (81%) felt that it needed protecting. Most attendees agreed that the number and size of boats, and engine type and size, were a problem at Penstock Lagoon.

However, about 80% of those surveyed (and a higher proportion of the meeting according to a show of hands) did not support the proposal in its current form. They did acknowledge that the proposal would be effective in reducing the number of boats on the water but there was a strong argument that more scientific evidence (eg the specific impact of hydrocarbons on the fishery) was needed to warrant the banning of petrol outboards at Penstock.

According to the survey, the biggest single concern for the health of Penstock by regular users was the impact of boats, including boat size and number, engine size and boat usage (speed, etiquette and knowledge). It was followed by wading and drogues, water quality (particularly turbidity caused by the intake from Shannon Lagoon) and the impact of shack-owners (eg emissions, septic and grey water run-off, and unregulated boat launching across the shore).

Safety was the main concern expressed by respondents regarding the proposal to prohibit outboards (assuming that electric motors may not be powerful enough to handle bad weather on the lagoon). There was also a perceived lack of scientific data to support the need for such a ban. It was felt that the cost of fitting out a boat with an electric motor just to fish Penstock was prohibitive and that the proposal discriminated against older, less financial anglers and larger boat owners. Electric motors were considered inconvenient and difficult to use, especially because of the need to recharge and store them whilst camping at the lagoon.

In suggesting alternative strategies, many respondents indicated that some boating restriction (eg limiting boat numbers, boat and engine size, and limiting the number of anglers fishing Penstock) were necessary. The suggestion to ban 2 stroke engines was quite popular and also to increase the enforcement of boating regulations. There were also several respondents who suggested establishing a corridor down the centre of the lagoon for use by petrol outboards with the speed restricted to 'no wake' rather than 5 knots, and rowing and electric motors only outside this area in shallow water. Two other popular suggestions were to limit the car parking facilities and building a second ramp near the dam at the southern end of the lagoon.

The meeting was successful in raising awareness about the management issues at Penstock and gaining preliminary feedback on boating strategies. The attendance was highly representative of the key stakeholder group – regular Penstock users. A number of concerns were raised about the sustainable management of Penstock Lagoon as well as the proposal to prohibit petrol outboards, and a number of good suggestions were made for alternatives to prohibiting petrol outboards.

The Service has made no decision to progress the proposal any further at this stage. It will report on the public meeting and feedback from other submissions to the Inland Fisheries Advisory Council (IFAC) on 10 February. Following this, IFAC will provide advice to the Service and the Minister on future management strategies for boating at Penstock Lagoon.



Source - IFS TAS


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