Marine Parks are under attack in NSW from a minority but vocal band of opponents. In response the Government is conducting an Independent Scientific Audit of Marine Parks and it is important those of us that understand the need for marine protected areas send in our support. Submissions close Friday 30th September and can be made here http://www.marineparksaudit.nsw.gov.au/
You can read the Greens submission by downloading the PDF here.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:18 am
The productivity of the ocean is not unlimited nor is it an inexhaustible source of food although it may once have seemed to be such. In my lifetime I have witnessed the collapse of the North Atlantic cod fishery (where once the fish numbers had seemed to be infinite) and I have seen that fishery fail to recover in spite of genuine efforts and restrictions that have been in place for many years.
This indicates to me that the remedial actions came too late and that once a fish population collapses a major food resource is lost forever.
Today we see fish stocks that are under threat in the southern oceans and we can only hope that our efforts to ensure a continuing supply of fish by protecting some areas, particularly spawning grounds, and establishing ‘no take’ zones will prevent the total collapse that was experienced in the North Atlantic cod population.
The loss of coral reef habitat that is threatened by climate change and is already occurring in our oceans will further damage fish stocks and create food stresses for our northern neighbours. The science indicates that around 20% of each type of habitat should protected if we want to maintain our fish populations and prevent degradation and collapse.