Not content with seeking even more lock-ups of Tasmanian productive land, the Greens have now turned their attention to locking up the water with their new massive recreational fishing ban plan released yesterday.

To be clear, ‘marine protected area’ and ‘no-take’ means: no fishing.

Tasmania has nearly 5,000 km of coastlines, including island coastlines and the Greens new 10% fishing ban plan** would extend to an area the size of Tasmania’s East Coast, or ban fishing around one in four islands around Tasmania.

For Tasmanians who love nothing better than heading to the shack and catching a feed of flatties with the kids, setting a cray pot over summer, or diving for a few abs or scallops, the anti-fishing Greens ban plan would lock up an unknown number of your family’s favourite fishing spots.

The Greens must specify the parts of Tasmania’s coastlines or islands where they are targeting their new fishing ban plan.

They should also name the jetties, piers, boat ramps, wharves and rocky outcrops - where so many young Tasmanians flock to drop a line in and make their next big catch – which would now become new ‘no-take’ areas.

And what’s next in the Greens’ ban program? Perhaps Tasmanians who love trout fishing in our lakes and rivers should also be worried.

The anti-everything Greens want to lock up even more of Tasmania – and now they want to ban fishing all over the place, as well.

These are the sorts of extreme policies that Tasmanians would be subjected to under any Labor-Green-independent minority government.

**Tasmanian Greens media release, Rosalie Woodruff 18 April 2021: “Our plan recommits Tasmania to Marine Protected Areas, creating no-take sanctuaries and nurseries for fish and marine creatures, in total 10 per cent of our State’s waters.”