Archived page, Submission Carnac Island Nature Reserve Management

Submitted to the Department of Conservation and Land Management 15th April 2002

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Carnac Island Nature Reserve Draft Management Plan.

Recfishwest recognises that the directions and recommendations of the draft plan are not marine oriented and therefore of little direct concern for our organisation. However our principal consideration in reviewing the above draft Plan was in respect to the social amenity associated with recreational fishing activity.

Carnac is one of few near shore islands in close proximity to the Perth metropolitan area that offers sheltered safe waters for family oriented boating and fishing activities.

One of the island's major attractions is the sheltered bay and beach on the eastern side of the Island. This offers the combined opportunity for family beach recreation with nearby fishing opportunities and Recfishwest supports the limited access classification assigned to this beach.

However we do not support the recommendation that visitors be strictly confined to this beach.

There is an another smaller, although lesser known, protected beach on the western side of the island (circled on attached map) that offers a similar opportunity for family beach recreation within sight of nearby fishing sites. Although this beach can only accommodate one or two small boats it is idyllic during calm conditions and protected when the wind is coming from an easterly or southeasterly direction. The small sheltered bay immediately in front of this beach consistently provides very good fishing for species such as herring, garfish, skippy and squid. In this location fishing can take place within sight of other family members that may have disembarked and are relaxing on the beach.

Recfishwest contends that this beach has none of the key ecological values that warrant protection elsewhere on Carnac Island and that it is safe for recreational activity.

This western beach is not a bird nesting site and is not frequented by sea-lions or other animals. The small beach is surrounded by a solid rock wall that effectively constrains human activity to the beach and prevents interaction or interference with the island's flora and fauna. The surrounding rock wall itself appears to be structurally sound and, we believe, would pose a negligible risk of collapse or rock fall.

Given its recreational amenity Recfishwest believes that public access to this beach must be maintained. We urge that this western beach also be assigned the 'limited access area' classification with appropriate access conditions

Recfishwest accepts that there may be justifications to prohibit human access and activity on much of the Island. To accommodate this, Recfishwest proposes that that the access recommendation in the draft plan be amended to reflect that visitors be confined to the southern portion of the sandy eastern beach and to the western beach (see attached map) and that access is limited to day use.

Please contact Martin Holtz at the Recfishwest office should further explanation or clarification of the matters we have raised be necessary.



This page last updated on 30 December 2003.