The NPA, a non-government conservation organisation, recommends the coast between Monument Point (Trial Bay Gaol) and Smoky Cape be closed to fishing from the shore to three kilometres out to sea.

The area would form part of a network of five new marine parks being called for by the NPA, which says they are needed to protect fish stocks and other marine life.

The report, called The Torn Blue Fringe, says marine life off much of the coast of New South Wales is in trouble because of over-exploitation.

The report also recommends the establishment of a 200ha no-take aquatic res-erve in the Macleay River.

The owner of Rocks Marine Bait and Tackle, Paul Martin, said he would be forced to close his shop if the report’s recommendations were tak-en up by the State Govern-ment and became the law.

“The holiday trade accounts for about 70 per cent of my business,” said Mr Martin, who has been running his shop for seven years.

“It wouldn’t take long for people who travel to South West Rocks specially to catch fish like snapper or marlin to

find out that they can’t and just go to a town where they can fish.

“It has the potential to hurt a lot of businesses here in South West Rocks and I wouldn’t even be able to sell my business if I needed to.”

Mr Martin said a lot of money was brought into the town by February visitors from Victoria chasing marlin.

An attraction for anglers was that these big game fish could be caught just half a kilometre offshore at South West Rocks, said Mr Martin.

Meanwhile, Oxley MP Andrew Stoner immediately called on the State Govern-ment to reject the NPA report, describing it as “an extreme action by an extreme conservation group”.

“The move to lock up vast areas from fishing is an outrageous attack on a traditional Australian pastime enjoyed by people of all ages,” Mr Stoner said.

“This latest demand is a massive threat to local economies in towns like South West Rocks ... which have strong tourism industries underpinned by recreational fishing.”

Mr Stoner said that studies undertaken by the Common-wealth Government had unequivoc-ally found that recreational fishing has a negligible impact on local fish stocks. But while calling on the New South Wales Government to reject “state-wide lock-outs”, the MP said that the solution was to “ ... consider more fisheries inspectors and better education programs”.