Marine Park ordinance
talk for fishermen tonight
PHILIPSBURG--Another consultation session on the long-awaited draft Marine Park Ordinance is scheduled in Dr. A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall for today, Monday, at 6:00pm. The session is specifically for local fishermen to learn more about the ordinance and to get their input.
The ordinance had been drafted for more than five years, with various sessions held already to fine-tune it. Its main purpose, once ratified by the Island Council, will be to regulate activities in the Marine Park that encompasses 5,000 hectares of waters off the Dutch side from the coast line to a 200-foot depth.
The ordinance is an essential tool needed by Nature Foundation St. Maarten to collect fees from dive operators, boats making use of moorings and other park users. The funds will be used to keep afloat this vital foundation that safeguards the island’s fragile marine eco-system and to cover expenses such as maintenance and repair of mooring buoys and other equipment.
The park has demarked conservation, industrial, traffic, Jet Ski, anchorage and mooring zones, as the ordinance’s aim is to protect the flora and fauna, such as the coral reefs found offshore.
The Department of Physical Planning and Environment VROM will provide information on the final elucidation of the draft ordinance to the fishermen. The presentation was mandated by the Central Committee on November 20, 2006.
