Old Woman Island - calls for “no boats” – anchors damaging recently discovered thriving coral

Maybe in the future the only way to surf those lefts and rights will be to paddle out (and back) from the beach.

Early days, but a movement is sprouting to ban boats anchoring at Old Woman Island – as has been the case for many years at the Solitary Island Group off the Bananacoast in Northern NSW.

Here’s how it was reported by the ABC Sunshine Coast - with the emphasis on fishing, guess they didn’t realise it also gets surf traffic: 

Calls for 'no-fishing' zone and new marine park around Mudjimba Island

A long-time mariner and diver is calling for a popular fishing spot to be eventually made off-limits to anglers, in an effort to protect thriving coral reefs and build fish stocks.

And he has the backing of a local politician.

The University of Queensland last month revealed divers had discovered and examined "an enormous amount of coral" off Mudjimba Island on the Sunshine Coast — far beyond what was previously recorded.

Gordon Scott — who has been a dive instructor on the Sunshine Coast, spent decades on superyachts around the world, then returned to the region to retire — said the coral reefs at Mudjimba Island were being put at risk.

Damage concerns

Mr Scott said he had been out to Mudjimba Island and there had been "more than 30 boats on top of all this beautiful hard coral".

"Their anchors are tearing the coral to shreds — in one day we're doing decades' worth of damage to this magnificent coral reef," he said.

He said adding moorings around the island and creating no-anchor areas, similar to parts of the Great Barrier Reef, would make a huge difference.

"From that instant in time, that protects the beautiful coral we've got there," he said.

Mr Scott said he would support the eventual creation of a "green zone" or no-fishing zone in the area.

"If you've got large green zones, what happens is the fish stocks reach a populous where the reef cannot hold that amount of fish and they move over — it's called a spillover effect," he said.

He said such changes would ensure the reef and sea life would be protected for future generations.

The Moreton Bay, Great Sandy and Great Barrier Reef Marine Parks are the only three designated in Queensland.

Within each are zones and designated areas that range from blue general use areas, to the restricted green, which has a "look but no take" rule.

Marine park support

Sunshine Coast councillor Joe Natoli said he understood the area had "some of the best hard coral reefs you could ever expect to have".

"What we find is that as the [Sunshine] Coast has grown and the boating community has grown, that area has been loved, and loved by a lot of people," he said.

"Every time an anchor hits that coral and lifts the anchor, it damages the coral."

He said he backed the idea of first installing moorings in the area, then a marine park designation to eventually build into a no-fishing zone around the island.

"I would hope that we could eventually get to that point because I think there is no marine park on the Sunshine Coast," he said.

He said eventually restricting fishing in those areas would allow stocks to rebuild.

Better education

Angler and Ozfish ambassador Scott Hillier said his family had been fishing on the Sunshine Coast for generations and he treasured the beauty and wonder of the coral off Mudjimba Island.

He said while he supported the installation of moorings, he wondered how many would be needed to match demand.

"If it was an easy process and moorings were a possibility, I think it'd be a great idea," he said.

"Would there ever be enough moorings for — on a perfect day — the amount of boats that go there? Probably not."

He said "hundreds" would be needed.

"It's a very popular spot, not only for the fishers, but also for people that surf," Mr Hillier said.

He said educating anglers would also help, ensuring they were not using the wrong anchors when out on the reef.

"A sand anchor can do a lot of damage, especially when they fix into the reef, there are anchors there that do a lot less damage," he said.

Cr Natoli said he would seek a meeting with the Environment Minister about adding moorings to the area, and working towards a marine park designation.

He said he would also seek community feedback on the idea.

In a statement, Minister Meaghan Scanlon said applications could be made to install moorings through Maritime Safety Queensland.

She said there were "currently no plans" for new marine parks in Queensland.

 - AUTHOR: OWEN JACQUES

 - SOURCE: ABC SUNSHINE COAST

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE