tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/marine-parks-1952/articles
Marine parks – The Conversation
2023-11-14T22:59:25Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/216989
2023-11-14T22:59:25Z
2023-11-14T22:59:25Z
It sounds like science fiction. But we can now sample water to find the DNA of every species living there
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/559205/original/file-20231114-19-zdguhr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=31%2C23%2C4175%2C3422&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Figuring out what species live in an ecosystem, and which ones are rare or just good at hiding is an essential way to understand and care for them. Until now, it’s been very labour intensive.</p>
<p>But now we can do it differently. Take a sample from the ocean and match tiny traces of DNA in the water with the species living there. </p>
<p>It’s not science fiction – it’s environmental DNA sampling. This approach opens the door to rapid, broad detection of species. You can find if pest species have arrived, tell if a hard-to-find endangered species is still hanging on, and gauge ecosystem health.</p>
<p>Because eDNA testing is still new, there are questions about its strengths and weaknesses and how it can best be used. For instance, we can tell if <a href="https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v30/p109-116/">extremely rare freshwater sawfish</a> are present in a Northern Territory river – but not how many individual fish there are. </p>
<p>Today CSIRO <a href="http://www.csiro.au/eDNA-roadmap">released a roadmap</a> created through consultation with many experts to show how eDNA technologies can be best integrated into marine monitoring at a large scale – and what the future holds. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="man collecting DNA samples in buckets of river water" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558175/original/file-20231107-21-8sujdg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=574&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Here, lead author Maarten De Brauwer collects jerry cans of water from Tasmania’s Derwent River to document hundreds of species in the estuary.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bruce Deagle</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How does eDNA sampling work?</h2>
<p>Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a very special molecule. It acts as the code for all life on Earth, holding the cellular instructions to make everything from a beetle to a human. Because DNA is unique to each species, it’s like a product barcode in a supermarket. </p>
<p>As animals and plants live their lives, they shed fragments of their DNA into their environment through dead skin, hair, saliva, scat, leaves or pollen. These traces make up environmental DNA. There’s enough DNA in water and even air to tell species apart. </p>
<p>The real power of eDNA sampling is how broad a net it casts. With one sample, we can detect anything living, from bacteria to whales, and in potentially every environment with life, from the deep sea to underground caves. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/environmental-dna-how-a-tool-used-to-detect-endangered-wildlife-ended-up-helping-fight-the-covid-19-pandemic-158286">Environmental DNA – how a tool used to detect endangered wildlife ended up helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Importantly, this method lets scientists detect species even if we can’t see or capture them. This comes in handy when working with rare or very small species, or when working in environments such as murky water where it is impossible to see or catch them. It will, for example, make it easier to study <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/edn3.365">critically endangered pipefish</a> in estuaries. </p>
<p>To date, much eDNA research has focused on detecting species in water, because it’s relatively easy to collect, concentrate and extract eDNA from liquids. But we now know we can produce species lists based on the eDNA in soil, scat, honey, or even the air. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Figure of mountains, seas, rivers showing how environmental DNA sampling can track species" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558781/original/file-20231110-15-hupxn2.PNG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Environmental DNA sampling has a wide range of uses, from land to river to sea.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Berry et al, doi.org/10.1002/edn3.173</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How do scientists actually measure eDNA?</h2>
<p>Typically, you collect samples, perform molecular analysis and interpret results. </p>
<p><strong>Collect samples:</strong> Scientists collect a sample from the environment. This can be water, soil, or virtually any environmental substrate which might contain eDNA. We then process the sample to concentrate and stabilise the DNA. You might collect two litres of water with a bucket, filter it and then freeze or chemically stabilise the eDNA coating the filter. </p>
<p><strong>Molecular analysis:</strong> The first step in the lab is to purify DNA from a sample. The next step depends on your goal. If you want to detect a single species, you would generally use a technique called quantitative polymerase chain reaction (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_polymerase_chain_reaction">qPCR</a>), similar to how you test for COVID.</p>
<p>But to detect whole communities of species, you have to use <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabarcoding">high-throughput DNA sequencing</a>. Where detecting a single species with eDNA takes only a few days days, completing the labwork for species communities can take weeks to months. At the end, you arrive at a long list of thousands or even millions of DNA barcode sequences. </p>
<p><strong>Interpreting results</strong>: Single species interpretation is simple. Was DNA from your species of interest present or not? But when the goal is to identify multiple species, scientists use <a href="https://research.csiro.au/dnalibrary/">DNA reference libraries</a> to link the DNA barcodes detected in the sample back to individual species. </p>
<p>This works well – but only if we already have the species listed in these libraries. If not, you can’t detect it with eDNA methods. That means eDNA can’t be used to detect new species or those only known from photos and videos.</p>
<h2>Why does eDNA matter? Look at marine parks</h2>
<p>Australia boasts one of the world’s largest and most biodiverse networks of marine parks. But as ocean life reels from climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution, it’s certain the oceans of the future will look very different to that of today. </p>
<p>Gauging impact to support evidence-based decisions across such a vast, diverse and remote area poses challenges difficult to solve with standard hands-on survey methods like like diving, video or trawling.</p>
<p>That’s where eDNA methods can help, offering a powerful, non-destructive, cost-effective and quick form of monitoring that can complement other techniques.</p>
<p>eDNA means we can fine-tune monitoring for specific purposes, such as detecting pests, endangered, or dangerous species. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="figure showing the many future uses for eDNA with underwater drones, samplers in buoys" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/558201/original/file-20231108-15-9w71wp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In future, our marine parks may well have networks of buoys sampling eDNA at the surface and underwater drones sampling the depths.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">CSIRO</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is just the start. Imagine a future where eDNA data could be collected from the most remote oceans by autonomous vehicles, analysed by the drone or on board a research vessel, and integrated with other monitoring data so marine managers and the public can see near-real time data about the condition of the ocean. </p>
<p>Science fiction? Not any more. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/you-shed-dna-everywhere-you-go-trace-samples-in-the-water-sand-and-air-are-enough-to-identify-who-you-are-raising-ethical-questions-about-privacy-205557">You shed DNA everywhere you go – trace samples in the water, sand and air are enough to identify who you are, raising ethical questions about privacy</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/216989/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maarten De Brauwer receives funding from the CSIRO and the National Geographic Society. He is a board member at the Southern eDNA Society. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Oliver Berry receives funding from the CSIRO, the Australian Government, and the Minderoo Foundation. He is a board member of the Southern eDNA Society (Australia and New Zealand's professional society for eDNA scientists and other stakeholders). </span></em></p>
Every living thing leaves traces in its environment. By sampling water or even air for this environmental DNA, we can know which species live where.
Maarten De Brauwer, Research fellow, CSIRO
Oliver Berry, Leader, Environomics Future Science Platform, CSIRO
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213258
2023-10-16T01:38:40Z
2023-10-16T01:38:40Z
Critically endangered scalloped hammerheads gather in seas off Perth. They need protection
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/553890/original/file-20231016-18-xqswws.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C26%2C5991%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Unlike nearly every other species of shark, scalloped hammerheads are highly social. They gather in large groups, or aggregations, numbering in the hundreds. But why? We don’t know. </p>
<p>With the help of drones, we now know a bit more. In our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsad153">new research</a>, we describe finding a location in a marine park off the coast of Perth where juvenile scalloped hammerheads (<em>Sphyrna lewini</em>) gather in numbers. </p>
<p>Scalloped hammerheads – one of ten species in the hammerhead family – prefer warm waters. But they have become regular visitors to the waters off Perth in summer, now the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/aec.13149">southernmost part</a> of their range. The sharks are not considered dangerous to humans. </p>
<p>These iconic sharks are among the world’s <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39385/2918526">most threatened species</a> due to over-fishing. And incredibly they are still legally fished in <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-28/nt-hammerhead-sharks-tighter-fishing-rules/100930138">Australia</a>, despite their populations falling by 80% in just 55 years. </p>
<p>They are in danger unless we protect them. </p>
<h2>What’s special about these oceanic wayfarers?</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.fishbase.se/summary/912#:%7E:text=This%20hammerhead%20shark%20is%20distinguished,posterior%20to%20or%20nearly%20opposite">Scalloped hammerheads</a> are named for the dents on their hammer-shaped head or <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-hammerhead-sharks-have-hammer-shaped-heads-184372">cephalofoil</a>. They’re skilled long-distance swimmers and exceptional <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add4445#:%7E:text=Scalloped%20hammerhead%20sharks%20occupy%20warm,diets%20(12%E2%80%9318).">free divers</a>, able to hunt in the dark waters 500 metres below the surface. They grow slowly and live for up to 55 years. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-hammerhead-sharks-have-hammer-shaped-heads-184372">Why do hammerhead sharks have hammer-shaped heads?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>They’re a challenging species to study because they cover long distances and spend lots of time down deep. Finding a place where these sharks regularly aggregate offers us a remarkable opportunity to learn more about these oceanic wayfarers.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/553422/original/file-20231012-21-jof197.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C2%2C1917%2C1074&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A school of scalloped hammerhead sharks in shallow seas" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/553422/original/file-20231012-21-jof197.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C2%2C1917%2C1074&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/553422/original/file-20231012-21-jof197.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553422/original/file-20231012-21-jof197.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553422/original/file-20231012-21-jof197.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553422/original/file-20231012-21-jof197.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553422/original/file-20231012-21-jof197.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/553422/original/file-20231012-21-jof197.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">From our drones, we could watch as the scalloped hammerheads grouped together each month.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How did we find them?</h2>
<p>Small commercial drones <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/5/1/8">are revolutionising</a> the way we study marine wildlife – especially sharks. The aerial perspective lets us see things we couldn’t see before. Drones have shed light on <a href="https://theconversation.com/humpback-whales-have-been-spotted-bubble-net-feeding-for-the-first-time-in-australia-and-we-have-it-on-camera-157355">elusive behaviours</a> we have otherwise been unable to verify. Footage can also be used to identify, count and measure animals.</p>
<p>We heard surf lifesavers had observed hammerhead sharks off Perth beaches during their helicopter shark patrols. We began our search at the <a href="https://exploreparks.dbca.wa.gov.au/park/shoalwater-islands-marine-park">Shoalwater Islands Marine Park</a>, off the coast from Rockingham, in Perth’s southern suburbs. </p>
<p>Over two successive summers, we used drones to successfully spot and then track scalloped hammerheads as they aggregated inside the marine park. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551983/original/file-20231004-21-xyon8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A photo of Perth's shoalwater islands marine park. Image shows shallow waters, land and sand" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551983/original/file-20231004-21-xyon8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551983/original/file-20231004-21-xyon8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551983/original/file-20231004-21-xyon8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551983/original/file-20231004-21-xyon8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=275&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551983/original/file-20231004-21-xyon8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551983/original/file-20231004-21-xyon8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551983/original/file-20231004-21-xyon8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The juvenile sharks aggregate in the shallow waters of the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, south of Perth.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What did we learn?</h2>
<p>We learned many things. First, the scalloped hammerheads aggregating at the marine park were juveniles, not adults. </p>
<p>We only found them in a small area of the marine park. They were present with the full moon. </p>
<p>Once aggregated, they would swim in formation, moving in winding patterns through the shallow waters of the marine park. </p>
<p>In terms of what were they doing, our study suggest they’re seeking a place to rest and recover. Sharks often hunt more on the nights with a full moon, taking advantage of better light to see prey. </p>
<p>That would mean these juveniles are tired after a night’s hunting. Now they need to rest and digest. Gathering in a group could also provide some degree of protection from other predators in the area. </p>
<p>It’s likely, therefore, these shallow waters are important shelter for scalloped hammerheads.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551982/original/file-20231004-27-gnonhe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A close-up of a scalloped hammerhead shark filmed by a robotic camera underwater" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551982/original/file-20231004-27-gnonhe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/551982/original/file-20231004-27-gnonhe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551982/original/file-20231004-27-gnonhe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551982/original/file-20231004-27-gnonhe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551982/original/file-20231004-27-gnonhe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551982/original/file-20231004-27-gnonhe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/551982/original/file-20231004-27-gnonhe.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This scalloped hammerhead was filmed by a baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS) off the Cocos Keeling Islands, Western Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How can we protect them?</h2>
<p>Our research points to the urgent need to strengthen protection of scalloped hammerheads in the popular Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. </p>
<p>We need a code of conduct to prevent water users such as boaters, kayakers, and swimmers from disturbing the animals, similar to those protecting <a href="https://ningaloo-atlas.org.au/node/371">whale sharks</a> and <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/aust-national-guidelines-whale-dolphin-watching-2017.pdf">humpback whales</a>. Boat speed limits and bans on chasing animals are essential if we are to protect these endangered animals.</p>
<p>Stopping fishing at the aggregation site is vitally important. Hammerheads are <a href="https://www.int-res.com/articles/meps2013/496/m496p207.pdf">extremely vulnerable to any capture</a> and are unlikely to survive “catch and release” fishing. The marine park should be a safe spot for the sharks to shelter and rest.</p>
<p>We need to strengthen protections in the marine park, shifting from multiple use status – which allows fishing – to highly protected, which prohibits fishing. </p>
<p>Right now, the federal government is reviewing the status of these sharks. Given ongoing fishing pressure, there are clear reasons to assess them as endangered rather than their unclear status as “<a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=85267">conservation dependent</a>”.</p>
<p>Australia is fortunate to host remarkable and endangered species such as hammerhead sharks. As our understanding grows, so does our responsibility. There are simple steps available to the state and federal government to safeguard the future of this threatened species and maintain healthy marine ecosystems. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/some-sharks-have-declined-by-92-in-the-past-half-century-off-queenslands-coast-108742">Some sharks have declined by 92% in the past half-century off Queensland's coast</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213258/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Naima Andrea López received funding for her PhD research from the Australian Government RTP Scholarship, The Jock Clough Marine Foundation through the Oceans Institute Robson and Robertson Award and The Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment & The Ecological Society of Australia. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Meeuwig does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Scalloped hammerheads pose no risk to us – but we pose enormous risk to them. Our discovery of a large new aggregation gives us an opportunity to protect these animals.
Naima Andrea López, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia
Jessica Meeuwig, Wen Family Chair in Conservation, The University of Western Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/209333
2023-07-30T20:08:25Z
2023-07-30T20:08:25Z
The secret lives of silky sharks: unveiling their whereabouts supports their protection
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537312/original/file-20230713-21-uoy0fa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=11%2C5%2C1905%2C1072&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marine Futures Lab</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Open ocean sharks are elusive and mysterious. They undertake vast journeys that span hundreds to thousands of kilometres across immense ocean basins. We know very little about the secret lives of ocean sharks, where they live and why they are there.</p>
<p>What we do know is sharks are immensely important to the natural systems in which they live. Over 450 million years of evolution have perfected their role as apex predators and they play vital roles in fish community regulation and nutrient cycling. Healthy ecosystems rely on healthy shark populations. </p>
<p>Sharks, numbering more than <a href="https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/sharks-rays/sharks">500 species</a>, are also among the most threatened groups of vertebrates (animals with backbones). After surviving five mass extinctions through geological time, sharks are now facing the greatest threat to their survival from industrial fishing. </p>
<p>Their elusive nature and the immensity of our oceans means sharks are difficult to study. Our limited knowledge is particularly problematic given their threatened status. A solid understanding of the distribution of oceanic sharks is fundamental to their protection and our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10641-023-01437-7">new research</a> provides valuable insights into the secret lives of these wide-ranging predators.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1593882168895438848"}"></div></p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/oceanic-sharks-and-rays-have-declined-by-71-since-1970-a-global-solution-is-needed-154102">Oceanic sharks and rays have declined by 71% since 1970 – a global solution is needed</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Silky by name, silky by nature</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Carcharhinus-falciformis.html">Silky sharks</a> (<em>Carcharhinus falciformis</em>), named for the silky-smooth feel of their skin, are emblematic of open ocean sharks. They are highly mobile, have long life-spans, and are slow to reproduce. They are found throughout tropical and sub-tropical waters.</p>
<p>Silky shark numbers have declined globally due to industrial-scale fishing. Targeted for their fins and meat, they are also frequently incidentally caught in tuna fisheries. In 2017 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classified this species as <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/ja/species/39370/205782570">vulnerable</a> to extinction. Their trade is controlled under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.</p>
<h2>What we did</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.649123/full">Baited remote underwater video systems</a>, or BRUVS for short, are used to document the wildlife of the open oceans. Armed with a pair of small action cameras and baited to attract predators, BRUVS are suspended at 10m depth and drift with ocean currents. Video analysts review the footage to identify, count and measure all observed animals.</p>
<p>BRUVS have previously revealed the <a href="https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/environment/sharks-and-marine-predators-need-to-live-1250km-from-humans-in-order-to-thrive-155182/">impact of human activity</a> on marine predator populations, the ecological value of offshore oil and gas platforms as <a href="https://particle.scitech.org.au/earth/offshore-rigs-and-their-boon-for-marine-life/">novel ecosystems</a>, and even that tunas use sharks to scratch their itches.</p>
<p>We deployed more than 1,000 BRUVS across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans between 2012-20 to record where silky sharks hang out and predict how many there are and how big they are.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="PhD candidate Andrea López onboard a boat deploys a baited remote underwater video systems rig" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537231/original/file-20230713-27-4h4hjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537231/original/file-20230713-27-4h4hjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537231/original/file-20230713-27-4h4hjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537231/original/file-20230713-27-4h4hjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537231/original/file-20230713-27-4h4hjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537231/original/file-20230713-27-4h4hjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537231/original/file-20230713-27-4h4hjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Baited remote underwater video systems, or BRUVS, are lightweight yet robust due to their carbon fibre design. Here PhD candidate Andrea López deploys a BRUVS rig.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Blue Abacus</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-fishes-scratch-their-itches-it-turns-out-sharks-are-involved-192512">How do fishes scratch their itches? It turns out sharks are involved</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>A love affair between silky sharks and seamounts</h2>
<p>Silky sharks love seamounts. The closer we sampled to seamounts, the more frequently we observed silky sharks, and in higher numbers. </p>
<p>Seamounts are huge underwater mountains that rise from depths of thousands of metres to pinnacles that summit from hundreds to just tens of metres below the surface. The best estimate predicts the occurrence of more than <a href="https://ucl.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000030">37,000 seamounts</a> worldwide.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537234/original/file-20230713-21-56laau.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537234/original/file-20230713-21-56laau.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537234/original/file-20230713-21-56laau.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537234/original/file-20230713-21-56laau.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537234/original/file-20230713-21-56laau.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537234/original/file-20230713-21-56laau.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537234/original/file-20230713-21-56laau.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537234/original/file-20230713-21-56laau.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There are more than 37,000 seamounts globally and the majority are unprotected.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Data from Yesson et al. (2019)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Seamounts are often hotspots of marine biodiversity. They act as landmarks in the otherwise relatively featureless open ocean seascape. Seamounts provide feeding, breeding, and resting spots for ocean roamers such as sharks, tuna, and whales. Migratory wildlife also use seamounts as navigational beacons and as stepping stones along their trans-ocean journeys.</p>
<p>Our results also reveal the smallest silky sharks hang out closest to seamounts. Seamounts may provide a rich smorgasbord for these rapidly growing youngsters.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A silky shark pup approaches the baited remote underwater video systems" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537293/original/file-20230713-19-j8t5f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537293/original/file-20230713-19-j8t5f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537293/original/file-20230713-19-j8t5f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537293/original/file-20230713-19-j8t5f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537293/original/file-20230713-19-j8t5f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537293/original/file-20230713-19-j8t5f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537293/original/file-20230713-19-j8t5f7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">This 68cm silky shark pup provides insights into the whereabouts of this rarely seen life stage.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marine Futures Lab</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A human footprint on silky sharks</h2>
<p>Humans are leaving their <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13326-map-reveals-extent-of-human-damage-to-oceans/">heavy footprints</a> on much of the ocean and silky sharks are no exception. Silky shark numbers declined the closer we sampled to coastal ports. Only the most remote areas had high numbers of silky sharks.</p>
<p>Silky sharks close to ports and human populations were also smaller than those observed further away. Such patterns are consistent with fishing impacts as exploitation typically first removes the largest individuals from the population. Our results reflect those for other open ocean sharks: hammerhead, sandbar, tiger and whale sharks have all <a href="https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/coastwatch/current-issue/spring-2022/are-sharks-getting-smaller/">declined globally in numbers and size </a>.</p>
<p>The distribution of silky sharks exemplifies the pervasive and negative impacts of human activity on oceanic sharks more generally. It highlights the critical need for refuges in which these animals are protected from exploitation.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Image of a shark with a hook and line in its mouth" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537235/original/file-20230713-27-5zkdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537235/original/file-20230713-27-5zkdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537235/original/file-20230713-27-5zkdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537235/original/file-20230713-27-5zkdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=271&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537235/original/file-20230713-27-5zkdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537235/original/file-20230713-27-5zkdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537235/original/file-20230713-27-5zkdsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=340&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Silky sharks are particularly vulnerable to longline fishing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Simon Baxter/WWF</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>A path to protection</h2>
<p>The need for improved protection for oceanic wildlife is well-recognised and marine protected areas are a key tool to deliver this protection. In 2022, under the Convention on Biological Diversity, nearly every country in the world committed to <a href="https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/our-ocean-our-planet/what-is-30x30-marine-protected-areas-ocean-2030">protect 30% of their oceans by 2030</a>. </p>
<p>In 2023, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64815782">High Seas Treaty</a> was ratified by the 193 member states of the United Nations, paving the path towards strong and effective protection of the vast swaths of ocean beyond national jurisdiction. Given that less than <a href="https://mpatlas.org/">2.9% of our oceans</a> are currently highly protected, such opportunities are essential.</p>
<p>Our research provides clues on how best to harness these agreements to protect silky sharks and their open-ocean companions. If marine protected areas are going to work, they need to include areas that threatened wildlife inhabit. As seamounts are hotspots for silky sharks, they are a fitting focus for marine protected areas.</p>
<p>It has never been more important to protect sharks. We have never had as much knowledge to do so. We hope recent commitments to ocean protection will spur research to further unveil the secret lives of oceanic sharks and ensure their survival in the face of their greatest threat yet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209333/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Meeuwig has received funding from the Ian Potter Foundation, the Bertarelli Foundation, and receives funding from National Geographic's Pristine Seas programme. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shona Murray does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Open ocean sharks are globally threatened with extinction. Knowing where they are helps us protect them. Here, new research into silky sharks reveals priorities for conservation.
Shona Murray, PhD candidate, The University of Western Australia
Jessica Meeuwig, Wen Family Chair in Conservation, The University of Western Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201368
2023-03-09T05:01:46Z
2023-03-09T05:01:46Z
Penguin paradise and geological freak: why Macquarie Island deserves a bigger marine park
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514116/original/file-20230308-24-ho6ma5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5240%2C3404&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Agami/Marc Guyt</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Macquarie Island, around 1,500km southeast of Tasmania, is more than just a remote rocky outcrop. In fact, it’s the only piece of land on the planet formed completely from ocean floor, which rises above the waves to form peaks that teem with penguins and other bird species, some of them found nowhere else on Earth. </p>
<p>These are just some of the reasons why this unique island, and the seas that surround it, have globally significant conservation values. Our new <a href="https://zenodo.org/record/7623378">independent assessment</a> of these values forms the scientific evidence base of Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s <a href="https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/plibersek/media-releases/macquarie-island-marine-park-poised-triple-size">announcement last month</a> of plans to significantly increase protections for the waters surrounding Macquarie Island. </p>
<p>By comprehensively assessing the available data on the marine ecosystems and the many species that live on and around Macquarie Island, our report reveals a subantarctic environment that is crucial for breeding and feeding for millions of seabirds and thousands of marine mammals.</p>
<p>Macquarie Island and its surrounding seas (to a distance of 5.5km) are already protected as a <a href="https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-parks/macquarie-island-world-heritage-area">Tasmanian reserve</a>, and the area (this time including seas to a distance of 22km) is also a <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/629/">World Heritage Area</a>. A Commonwealth marine park also covers most of the southeast quadrant of the island’s “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclusive_economic_zone">economic exclusion zone</a>”, including a sanctuary zone and two seafloor management zones. </p>
<p>The federal government’s proposed expansion of the marine park would cover the island’s entire economic exclusion zone, increasing the area of Australia’s marine sanctuaries by more than 388,000 square kilometres, an increase larger than the area of Germany.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514389/original/file-20230309-14-7ethaq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Map of marine park" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514389/original/file-20230309-14-7ethaq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514389/original/file-20230309-14-7ethaq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514389/original/file-20230309-14-7ethaq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514389/original/file-20230309-14-7ethaq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514389/original/file-20230309-14-7ethaq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=656&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514389/original/file-20230309-14-7ethaq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=656&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514389/original/file-20230309-14-7ethaq.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=656&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The existing marine park (green), and the proposed expansion (yellow).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Australian government</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>An outstanding spectacle</h2>
<p>Macquarie Island is the exposed crest of the 1,600km-long undersea Macquarie Ridge, which makes Macquarie Island the only piece of land in the world formed entirely of oceanic crust. </p>
<p>Macquarie Ridge is one of only three such ridges that impede the eastward flow of a current called the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Circumpolar_Current">Antarctic Circumpolar Circulation</a>, resulting in distinct differences between the west and east sides of the ridge, which are used in different ways by different species. </p>
<p>The oceanography is further divided north to south by two major <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_(oceanography)">ocean fronts</a>, the Sub-Antarctic Front and the Polar Front, creating three distinct bodies of water. They are closer here than anywhere else in the Southern Ocean, and as they interact with the Macquarie Ridge create at least six different large-scale oceanographic habitats. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514385/original/file-20230309-24-btz5n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Huge colony of birds on foggy hillside" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514385/original/file-20230309-24-btz5n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514385/original/file-20230309-24-btz5n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514385/original/file-20230309-24-btz5n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514385/original/file-20230309-24-btz5n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514385/original/file-20230309-24-btz5n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514385/original/file-20230309-24-btz5n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514385/original/file-20230309-24-btz5n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A haven for penguins and other seabirds.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Agami/Marc Guyt</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This creates an outstanding spectacle of wild, natural beauty and a diverse set of habitats supporting vast congregations of wildlife, including penguins and seals. Fifty-seven seabird species, including four species of penguins and four species of albatross, have been recorded on Macquarie Island, and 25 of these species have been observed breeding there. The royal penguin and the Macquarie Island imperial shag live nowhere else on Earth.</p>
<p>The ridge includes a series of undersea mountains that act as “stepping stones” linking subantarctic and polar animals on the sea floor, <a href="https://www.science20.com/news_releases/brittlestar_city_underwater_summit_taller_than_the_world_s_tallest_building">such as brittlestars</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/enjoy-them-while-you-can-the-ecotourism-challenge-facing-australias-favourite-islands-152679">Enjoy them while you can? The ecotourism challenge facing Australia's favourite islands</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Needing more protection</h2>
<p>Our report shows the area around Macquarie Island is not well represented by the current marine park. In particular, the entire area to the west, and most of the northern and southern parts of the Macquarie Ridge, are not protected by the current marine park, but will be included in the proposed expansion. </p>
<p>Our report also considers several options for protecting the area’s unique ecosystems and concludes that the most sensible approach, given the available data, would be to declare the whole area around the Macquarie Ridge as a marine park, increasing the protection outside the current sanctuary zone, while allowing the current fishery to continue in a habitat protection zone. </p>
<p>This provides the simplest, most expeditious reserve design that is relatively easy to implement, achieves environmental protection and sustainable fishing, recognises the importance of the entire Macquarie Island region, and provides the most resilience to climate change. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514386/original/file-20230309-22-ri9b9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Blue sign on foggy hillside" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514386/original/file-20230309-22-ri9b9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/514386/original/file-20230309-22-ri9b9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514386/original/file-20230309-22-ri9b9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514386/original/file-20230309-22-ri9b9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514386/original/file-20230309-22-ri9b9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514386/original/file-20230309-22-ri9b9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/514386/original/file-20230309-22-ri9b9d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The island is already a nature reserve, but its surrounding waters need greater protection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Agami/Marc Guyt</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Direct human impacts in the area are predominantly due to fishing and marine debris, although climate change is an ever-present threat too. The fishery targets the deepwater Patagonian toothfish using bottom longlines, mostly in the central zone of the Macquarie Ridge. This fishery is generally well regarded for its best-practice fishing methods and commitment to positive environmental outcomes, and this fishing activity would continue under the new plans. </p>
<p>But if new fisheries were allowed to develop targeting midwater species, or new industries such as seabed mining were permitted, these could directly impact the seabirds, marine mammals and other species that live in these areas. </p>
<p>The proposal put forward by Minister Plibersek protects all of the Commonwealth waters in two different zones of a marine park, effectively tripling the size of the current marine park. It protects the marine domain and allows the current fishery to continue without significant changes to current practices or catches. </p>
<p>Restrictions on any potential future fisheries would be determined by the distribution of “sanctuary zones” which would preclude fishing, and “habitat/species zones”, which could accommodate sustainable fishing. Mining would be precluded under either category of protection.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/disruption-over-macquarie-island-calls-for-some-clever-antarctic-thinking-65558">Disruption over Macquarie Island calls for some clever Antarctic thinking</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>The government’s proposal signals a clear priority for protection over development in this area. A period of public consultation on the proposal will commence in March. Any future development of the marine park would need to be orderly and careful, including prior consideration of environmental impacts. Any changes to the current fishery management arrangements should ensure that the changes maintain or enhance conditions for a long-term sustainable fishery.</p>
<p>More broadly, our report also demonstrates the potential for, and importance of, compiling the most up-to-date available data for any region prior to any formal review process to update Australia’s marine park network.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>The authors thank Anthony D. M. Smith for his contribution to this article and the report on which it’s based.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201368/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Cresswell received funding from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Pew Charitable Trusts. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew John Constable has received Funding from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and Pew Charitable Trusts.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nic Bax has received funding from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Pew Charitable Trusts</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Keith Reid does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Macquarie Island isn’t just a windswept rock halfway to Antarctica. It’s a globally unique home to dozens of bird and marine mammal species, hence the government’s plans to give it greater protection.
Ian Cresswell, Adjunct professor, UNSW Sydney
Andrew J Constable, Leader, Southern Ocean Ecosystem Research, University of Tasmania
Keith Reid, Honorary Research Associate, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Nic Bax, Director, NERP Marine Biodiversity Hub, CSIRO
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/187435
2022-07-28T20:05:09Z
2022-07-28T20:05:09Z
Protecting 30% of Australia’s land and sea by 2030 sounds great – but it’s not what it seems
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476437/original/file-20220728-14976-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C59%2C3970%2C2934&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Getty</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>You would have heard Australia’s environment isn’t doing well. A grim story of “crisis and decline” was how Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek described the situation when she launched the <a href="https://soe.dcceew.gov.au/">State of the Environment Report</a> last week. Climate change, habitat destruction, ocean acidification, extinction, and soil, river and coastal health have all worsened. </p>
<p>In response, Plibersek promised to protect 30% of Australia’s land and waters by 2030. Australia committed to this under the previous government last year, joining 100 other countries that have signed onto this <a href="https://www.hacfornatureandpeople.org/home">“30 by 30”</a> target. </p>
<p>While this may be a worthy commitment, it’s not a big leap. Indeed, we’ve already gone well past the ocean goal, with <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/parks/">45% protected</a>. And, at present, <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs/science/protected-area-locations">around 22%</a> of Australia’s land mass is protected in our national reserve system. </p>
<p>To get protected lands up to 30% through the current approach will mean relying on reserves created by non-government organisations and Indigenous people, rather than more public reserves like national parks. This approach will not be sufficient by itself. </p>
<p>The problem is, biodiversity loss and environmental decline in Australia have continued – and accelerated – even as our protected areas have grown significantly in recent decades. After years of underfunding, our protected areas urgently need proper resourcing. Without that, protected area targets don’t mean much on the ground. </p>
<h2>What counts as a protected area?</h2>
<p>In 1996, the federal government set up the <a href="https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/land/nrs">National Reserve System</a> to coordinate our network of protected areas. The goal was to protect a comprehensive, adequate and representative sample of Australia’s rich biodiversity. </p>
<p>Since then, marine reserves have expanded the most, with the government protecting Commonwealth waters such as around <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-20/two-marine-parks-to-be-set-up-christmas-cocos-islands/100924776">Cocos Islands and Christmas Island</a>.</p>
<p>On land, the government has been very hands-off. Progress has been driven by non-government organisations, Indigenous communities and individuals. New types of protected area, offering different levels of protection, have emerged. The <a href="https://www.australianwildlife.org/about-us/">Australian Wildlife Conservancy</a> now protects or manages almost 13 million hectares – about twice the size of Tasmania. <a href="https://www.bushheritage.org.au/what-we-do/impact-models/buying-land">Bush Heritage Australia</a> protects more than 11 million hectares. While these organisations do not always own the land, they have become <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359078156_From_activism_to_not-quite-government_the_role_of_government_and_non-government_actors_in_the_expansion_of_the_Australian_protected_area_estate_since_1990">influential players</a> in conservation. </p>
<p>Partnerships between Traditional Owners and the federal government have produced 81 Indigenous Protected Areas, mainly on native title land. These cover 85 million hectares – fully 50% of our entire <a href="https://www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/environment/indigenous-protected-areas-ipas">protected land estate</a>. Independent ranger groups are also managing Country outside the Indigenous Protected Area system. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/december-global-biodiversity-summit-at-risk-of-failure-185084">December global biodiversity summit at risk of failure</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Protected areas have also grown through covenants on private land titles, aided by groups such as Trust for Nature (Victoria) and the Tasmanian Land Conservancy. </p>
<p>In total, public protected areas like national parks have only contributed to around 5% of the expansion of terrestrial protected area since 1996. Non-governmental organisation land purchases, Indigenous Protected Areas and individual private landholders have facilitated 95% of this growth.</p>
<h2>The real challenge for protected areas? Management</h2>
<p>So how did non-government organisations become such large players? After the national reserve system was set up, the federal government provided money for NGOs to buy land for conservation, if they could secure some private funding. Protected lands expanded rapidly before the scheme ended in 2012. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, federal funding did not cover the cost of managing these new protected areas. Support for Traditional Owners to manage Indigenous Protected Areas has continued, albeit on erratic short-term cycles and <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2022/05/11/historic-handback-neds-corner-returned-aboriginal-hands">very minimally</a>, to the tune of a few cents per hectare per year. </p>
<p>As a result, NGOs and Traditional Owners have increasingly had to rely on market approaches and philanthropy. Between 2015 and 2020, for example, the Traditional Owner non-profit carbon business <a href="https://www.alfant.com.au/">Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Limited</a> earned $31 million in the carbon credit market through emissions reductions. This money supports a significant portion of the conservation efforts of member groups. </p>
<p>What does this mean? In short, corporate partnerships and market-based approaches once seen as incompatible with conservation are now a necessity to address the long-term shortfall of government support. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-marine-protected-areas-help-safeguard-the-ocean-152516">How marine protected areas help safeguard the ocean</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>You might think wider investment in conservation is great. But there are risks in relying on NGOs funded by corporations and philanthropists to conserve Australia’s wildlife. </p>
<p>For instance, NGOs may no longer feel able to push for transformative political change in conservation if this doesn’t align with donor interests. There’s also lack of transparent process in how conservation funding is allocated, and for what purpose.</p>
<h2>Protection on paper isn’t protection on the ground</h2>
<p>On paper, conservation in Australia looks in good shape. But even as protected areas of land and sea have grown, the health of our environment has plunged. The 2021 State of the Environment Report is a sobering reminder that it’s not enough simply to expand protected areas. It’s what happens next that matters. </p>
<p>If we value these protected lands, we have to fund their management. Without management – which costs money – protected areas can rapidly decline, especially under the impacts of climate change. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476441/original/file-20220728-2377-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Fox in wild" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476441/original/file-20220728-2377-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/476441/original/file-20220728-2377-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476441/original/file-20220728-2377-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476441/original/file-20220728-2377-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476441/original/file-20220728-2377-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476441/original/file-20220728-2377-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/476441/original/file-20220728-2377-3szen0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Feral animals like foxes can damage ecosystems in protected areas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We also have to tackle what happens outside protected areas. We can’t simply keep sectioning off more and more poorly funded areas for nature while ignoring the drivers of biodiversity loss, such as land clearing, resource extraction, mismanagement and the dispossession of Indigenous lands.</p>
<p>It’s excellent our new environment minister wants to begin the environmental repair job. But creating protected areas is just the start. Now we have to answer the bigger questions: how we care for ecologies, whose knowledge is valued, who does this work and how will it be funded over the long term. </p>
<p>We also have to go beyond lip service to Indigenous knowledge and Caring for Country to genuinely acknowledge First Nations sovereignty and <a href="https://www.fvtoc.com.au/cultural-landscapes">support self-determination</a>. </p>
<p>On this front, moves by conservation organisations to <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2022/05/11/historic-handback-neds-corner-returned-aboriginal-hands">return land to First Nations</a> suggests a willingness in the conservation community to begin this work.</p>
<p>While our protected area estate is large and set to grow further towards the 30 by 30 goal, lines on a map do not equate to protection. We have long known the funding and capability for actual protection is woefully inadequate. For us to reverse our ongoing environmental collapse, that has to change. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-meet-the-ambitious-target-of-conserving-30-per-cent-of-earth-by-2030-154987">How to meet the ambitious target of conserving 30 per cent of Earth by 2030</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187435/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Benjamin Cooke receives funding from The Australian Research Council and has conducted contract research for the Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA), Trust for Nature, Victoria (TfN) and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). He is affiliated with Trust for Nature, Victoria through a Committee of Management (CoM) on a Trust for Nature property.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aidan Davison receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Kirkpatrick received funding from the Australian Research Council for this project, is Chair of the Tasmanian Independent Science Council and a member of the University of Tasmania Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lilian Pearce receives funding from the Australian Research Council and has conducted contract research for the Australian Land Conservation Alliance (ALCA).</span></em></p>
Australia’s protected areas have grown and grown. But at the same time, ecosystems are falling apart. How can that be?
Benjamin Cooke, Senior lecturer, RMIT University
Aidan Davison, Associate Professor, University of Tasmania
Jamie Kirkpatrick, Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania
Lilian Pearce, Lecturer, Environmental Humanities, Centre for the Study of the Inland, La Trobe University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/163078
2021-07-20T01:10:10Z
2021-07-20T01:10:10Z
How Traditional Owners and officials came together to protect a stunning stretch of WA coast
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411388/original/file-20210715-32667-1srfkjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C4051%2C2264&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Recent disasters such as the Black Summer bushfires and the Juukan Gorge destruction highlighted the need to put Indigenous people at the centre of decision-making about Australia’s natural places. But what’s the right way to combine traditional ancient wisdom with modern environmental management?</p>
<p>A project off Western Australia’s northwest coast offers a potential way forward. For the first time in the state’s history, Indigenous knowledge has been central to the design of a marine park. </p>
<p>The protected area will span 660,000 hectares northeast of Broome, taking in the stunning Buccaneer Archipelago and Dampier Peninsula. The area comprises thousands of small islands fringed by coral reefs and seagrass beds. The waters support a rich abundance of species such as corals, fish, turtles and dugongs, as well as humpback whales which give birth in the region.</p>
<p>Often, Indigenous input is sought only in the consultation phase of park planning, once maps have been drawn up. But in this case, Traditional Owners co-designed three marine parks with the state government and will jointly manage them. Traditional ecological and cultural wisdom has been embraced and valued, enhancing Western scientific knowledge of a fragile stretch of Australia’s coast.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="two men on boat" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411390/original/file-20210715-25-1sz293k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411390/original/file-20210715-25-1sz293k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411390/original/file-20210715-25-1sz293k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411390/original/file-20210715-25-1sz293k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411390/original/file-20210715-25-1sz293k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411390/original/file-20210715-25-1sz293k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411390/original/file-20210715-25-1sz293k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Traditional owners have been caring for country for thousands of years.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Thake</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Caring for Sea Country</h2>
<p>The marine park co-design is a collaboration between WA’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and Bardi Jawi, Mayala and Dambeemangarddee Traditional Owners. It will comprise three adjoining protected areas, each jointly managed by a Traditional Owner group.</p>
<p>The Buccaneer Archipelago region has the state’s highest concentration of Traditional Owner communities living adjacent to an existing or proposed marine park. </p>
<p>Local Indigenous people refer to these areas as “Sea Country”. They depend on the waters for food and to carry out traditional practices, and have cared for them sustainably for thousands of years. </p>
<p>But to date, the state’s <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dw2nDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT112&ots=XM_YGnbav2&sig=enFj78u7B2EnztrfLKwsY3tP8cw#v=onepage&q&f=false">conservation reserve system</a> has not adequately protected these <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/the-biogeography-of-the-australian-north-west-shelf/wilson/978-0-12-409516-8">unique and exceptionally diverse</a> marine ecosystems. </p>
<p>Industry, fishing and tourism are putting <a href="https://wamsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2019/07/Final-Report-WAMSI-KMRP-Human-Use-Human-Use-Patterns-Beckley.pdf">pressure on</a> the region’s environment. In particular, the recent sealing of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-13/cape-leveque-roadwork-complete-tourist-influx-predicted/12871438">Cape Leveque Road</a> improved access to the Dampier Peninsula and will result in massive increases in tourism and boating.</p>
<p>Adding to this, marine heatwaves and other climate-related changes pose a serious threat to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00338-019-01795-8">corals</a>, <a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/34119047">macroalgae</a> and <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-71330-0_13">seagrass</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-indigenous-knowledge-should-be-an-essential-part-of-how-we-govern-the-worlds-oceans-161649">Why Indigenous knowledge should be an essential part of how we govern the world's oceans</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="red cliffs at beach" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411396/original/file-20210715-13-13fglz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411396/original/file-20210715-13-13fglz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411396/original/file-20210715-13-13fglz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411396/original/file-20210715-13-13fglz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=200&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411396/original/file-20210715-13-13fglz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411396/original/file-20210715-13-13fglz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411396/original/file-20210715-13-13fglz1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A new sealed road to Cape Leveque will add to pressures on the marine area.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Genuine two-way partnerships</h2>
<p>Combining traditional Indigenous knowledge with a Western approach <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00716/full?utm_source=F-AAE&utm_medium=EMLF&utm_campaign=MRK_1418755_45_Marine_20200903_arts_A">requires</a> methods that are both culturally appropriate and scientifically robust.</p>
<p>In 2018, Bardi Jawi rangers and staff from the Australian Institute of Marine Science carried out “<a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00716/full?utm_source=F-AAE&utm_medium=EMLF&utm_campaign=MRK_1418755_45_Marine_20200903_arts_A">participatory mapping</a>” to design a mornitoring program for corals and fish. The rangers and marine park planners went on to use this method when designing the marine park.</p>
<p>Participatory mapping starts with Traditional Owners and marine park planners documenting the traditional owners’ ecological knowledge, cultural values and aspirations. From this, maps are developed then built on via on-Country observations.</p>
<p>This process allows scientists to record and understand traditional knowledge of an environment in a way that is also useful for Western conservation and management planning.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="people look at map" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411392/original/file-20210715-32887-1kwptiv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411392/original/file-20210715-32887-1kwptiv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411392/original/file-20210715-32887-1kwptiv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411392/original/file-20210715-32887-1kwptiv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411392/original/file-20210715-32887-1kwptiv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411392/original/file-20210715-32887-1kwptiv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411392/original/file-20210715-32887-1kwptiv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Participatory mapping involves traditional owners and marine park planners.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Thake</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The co-design approach was built on genuine <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npxhUJpK2aQ">partnerships</a>, mutual respect and <a href="https://wamsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2019/07/Subproject-Report-WAMSI-KMRP-KSSP-Mobilising-Indigenous-Knowledge-Austin-et-al.pdf">two-way learning</a>. The partnerships developed over several years through other <a href="https://wamsi.org.au/news/gaarragoon-guardians-bardi-jawi-sea-country/">joint projects</a> by scientists and Bardi Jawi rangers.</p>
<p>The department listened to and implemented this strong Indigenous voice in the development of the marine parks’ <a href="https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/news/proposed-marine-parks-on-buccaneer-archipelago-progressing">draft plans</a>.</p>
<p>According to the Traditional Owners themselves, the sea is <a href="https://derbychamber.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Proposed-marine-parks-in-the-Buccaneer-Archipelago-and-surrounds.pdf">fundamental</a> to the spiritual, social and physical existence. Their diet relies heavily on food from the sea such as fish, turtles, dugongs, crabs and oysters. Under Indigenous laws, traditional owners are required to protect significant features in the sea and for some groups, resources such as pearl shell has traditionally been collected and used for ceremony and trade.</p>
<p>A WA government <a href="https://derbychamber.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Proposed-marine-parks-in-the-Buccaneer-Archipelago-and-surrounds.pdf">document</a> outlines how the proposed marine parks contain “special purpose zones” to protect traditional culture and heritage. They allow for seasonal camping areas and places where Traditional Owners can collect customary food and other resources. They will also protect culturally significant features such as cultural sites reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove communities. </p>
<p>The document also says the proposal protects places with “intangible” value related to traditional law, ceremony and stories.</p>
<p>These zones are in addition to sanctuary zones protecting areas of critical habitat, and general use zones where sustainable activities are allowed.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-your-grandchildren-have-the-chance-to-visit-australias-sacred-trees-only-if-our-sick-indifference-to-aboriginal-heritage-is-cured-163581">Will your grandchildren have the chance to visit Australia’s sacred trees? Only if our sick indifference to Aboriginal heritage is cured</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="man sits while fishing on beach" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411401/original/file-20210715-13-1p8apch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411401/original/file-20210715-13-1p8apch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411401/original/file-20210715-13-1p8apch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411401/original/file-20210715-13-1p8apch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411401/original/file-20210715-13-1p8apch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411401/original/file-20210715-13-1p8apch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411401/original/file-20210715-13-1p8apch.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Science informs the activities allowed in each zone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Scientific rigour</h2>
<p>Protected areas in marine parks must be sized, spaced and positioned to allow “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1617138112001203">population connectivity</a>” – the dispersal of eggs, larvae, juveniles and adults through the area. </p>
<p>My involvement in the marine park design included participating in a <a href="https://wamsi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/bsk-pdf-manager/2020/09/Connectivity_-Synthesis-Report-WAMSI-KMRP-Project-1_1_3a_Richards-et-al-2017_REVISEDsml.pdf">study</a> which led to recommendations for how best to achieve this connectivity.</p>
<p>The study was part of a bigger <a href="https://wamsi.org.au/research/programs/kimberley-marine-research-program/">program</a> to improve and integrate ecological and social science knowledge in this region. This information was incorporated into two-way learning and <a href="https://wamsi.org.au/news/wamsi-kimberley-marine-research-program-seminar-series-available-online/">planning</a>, which fed into the proposed marine park.</p>
<h2>Proven on-ground success</h2>
<p>Key to the success of the new marine parks will be the practical capacity of Traditional Owners and Rangers. Indigenous sea ranger groups in the region have already shown they can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ1Obvi9VIc">work with both</a> traditional governance and knowledge structures and non-Indigenous Australian organisations. </p>
<p>What’s more, the <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59fecece017db2ab70aa1874/t/5a7bdb8471c10b9941e9f4b9/1518066605569/bardi-jawi-healthy-country-plan.pdf">Bardi Jawi,</a> <a href="https://maps.northwestatlas.org/files/montara/links_to_plans/WA/5.%20IPA%2059%20Dambimangari_Healthy_Country_Plan_2012-2022.pdf">Dambeemangarddee</a> and <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59fecece017db2ab70aa1874/t/5db0f27b69c8dc5b926ff7ea/1571877610368/Mayala_Country_Plan_final_email_version.pdf">Mayala</a> people have their own healthy country plans. These plans clearly document how they have looked after country for millennia and want to continue this in future. </p>
<p>The Bardi Jawi and Dambeemanagrdee people have also established an <a href="https://www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/environment/bardi-jawi-ipa-and-rangers">Indigenous Protected Area</a> which they’ve successfully cared for since 2013. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qZblVmgs3ZQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>Healthy Country, healthy people</h2>
<p>Some recreational fishers believe the proposed exclusions are unreasonable. But there is growing <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/15-0457">evidence</a> fish populations <a href="https://www.aims.gov.au/our-impact/marine-parks-deliver-bigger-coral-trout-for-fishers">benefit</a> from sanctuary networks. And many local fishers <a href="http://recfishwest.org.au/news/buccaneer-archipelago-marine-parks-opportunity-to-achieve-something-special-lost-if-plans-not-revised-to-preserve-key-recfishing-access/">recognise</a> the increasing threats to the region and welcome Traditional Owners playing a larger management role. </p>
<p>It’s hoped the final marine parks plan will find the right balance between the needs of Traditional Owners, commercial and recreational fishing, pearling and other uses.</p>
<p>By involving traditional custodians from the start, there’s every chance we will realise the ancient Indigenous idea that healthy Country means healthy people – and that will benefit everyone. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>The author would like to acknowledge the Bardi Jawi, Mayala and Dambeemangarddee Traditional Owners and their continuing culture, knowledge, beliefs and spiritual connection to Country. The author recognises they are Australia’s first scientists.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163078/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jim Underwood works for the Australian Institute of Marine Science. He received funding from Western Australian Institute of Marine Science. </span></em></p>
Traditional ecological and cultural wisdom was embraced and valued, enhancing Western scientific knowledge of a beautiful, fragile marine area.
Jim Underwood, Research Fellow and Indigenous Partnerships, Australian Institute of Marine Science
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/119659
2019-07-03T19:58:06Z
2019-07-03T19:58:06Z
No-take marine areas help fishers (and fish) far more than we thought
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282379/original/file-20190703-126345-xa7kok.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A juvenile _Plectropomus leopardus_ from the Whitsundays.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Williamson/James Cook University</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One hectare of ocean in which fishing is not allowed (a marine protected area) produces at least five times the amount of fish as an equivalent unprotected hectare, according to <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.2075">new research published today</a>. </p>
<p>This outsized effect means marine protected areas, or MPAs, are more valuable than we previously thought for conservation and increasing fishing catches in nearby areas. </p>
<p><a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.2075">Previous research</a> has found the number of offspring from a fish increases exponentially as they grow larger, a disparity that had not been taken into account in earlier modelling of fish populations. By revising this basic assumption, the true value of MPAs is clearer.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/protecting-not-so-wild-places-helps-biodiversity-109168">Protecting not-so-wild places helps biodiversity</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Marine Protected Areas</h2>
<p>Marine protected areas are ocean areas where human activity is restricted and at their best are “no take” zones, where removing animals and plants is banned. Fish populations within these areas can grow with limited human interference and potentially “spill-over” to replenish fished populations outside. </p>
<p>Obviously MPAs are designed to protect ecological communities, but scientists have long hoped they can play another role: contributing to the replenishment and maintenance of species that are targeted by fisheries.</p>
<p>Wild fisheries globally are under intense pressure and the size fish catches have levelled off or declined despite an <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/25/12238">ever-increasing fishing effort</a>. </p>
<p>Yet fishers remain <a href="https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/75/3/1160/4098822?searchresult=1">sceptical</a> that any spillover will offset the loss of fishing grounds, and the role of MPAs in fisheries remains contentious. A key issue is the number of offspring that fish inside MPAs produce. If their fecundity is similar to that of fish outside the MPA, then obviously there will be no benefit and only costs to fishers. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-fish-more-fishing-why-strategic-marine-park-placement-is-a-win-win-113374">More fish, more fishing: why strategic marine park placement is a win-win</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Big fish have far more babies</h2>
<p>Traditional models assume that fish reproductive output is proportional to mass, that is, doubling the mass of a fish doubles its reproductive output. Thus, the size of fish within a population is assumed to be <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6389/642">less important</a> than the total biomass when calculating population growth.</p>
<p>But a paper <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/360/6389/642">recently published in Science</a> demonstrated this assumption is incorrect for 95% of fish species: larger fish actually have disproportionately higher reproductive outputs. That means doubling a fish’s mass <em>more</em> than doubles its reproductive output.</p>
<p>When we feed this newly revised assumption into models of fish reproduction, predictions about the value of MPAs change dramatically.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282380/original/file-20190703-126400-1rlyoxs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282380/original/file-20190703-126400-1rlyoxs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282380/original/file-20190703-126400-1rlyoxs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=183&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282380/original/file-20190703-126400-1rlyoxs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=183&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282380/original/file-20190703-126400-1rlyoxs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=183&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282380/original/file-20190703-126400-1rlyoxs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=230&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282380/original/file-20190703-126400-1rlyoxs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=230&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282380/original/file-20190703-126400-1rlyoxs.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=230&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fish are, on average, 25% longer inside protected areas than outside. This doesn’t sound like much, but it translates into a big difference in reproductive output – an MPA fish produces almost 3 times more offspring on average. This, coupled with higher fish populations because of the no-take rule means MPAs produce between 5 and 200 times (depending on the species) more offspring per unit area than unprotected areas.</p>
<p>Put another way, one hectare of MPA is worth <em>at least</em> 5 hectares of unprotected area in terms of the number of offspring produced.</p>
<p>We have to remember though, just because MPAs produce disproportionately more offspring it doesn’t necessarily mean they enhance fisheries yields. </p>
<p>For protected areas to increase catch sizes, offspring need to move to fished areas. To calculate fisheries yields, we need to model – among other things – larval dispersal between protected and unprotected areas. This information is only available for a few species.</p>
<p>We explored the consequences of disproportionate reproduction for fisheries yields with and without MPAs for one iconic fish, the coral trout on the Great Barrier Reef. This is one of the few species for which we had data for most of the key parameters, including decent estimates of larval dispersal and how connected different populations are.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282429/original/file-20190703-126376-1sh2tdx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282429/original/file-20190703-126376-1sh2tdx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/282429/original/file-20190703-126376-1sh2tdx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282429/original/file-20190703-126376-1sh2tdx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282429/original/file-20190703-126376-1sh2tdx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282429/original/file-20190703-126376-1sh2tdx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282429/original/file-20190703-126376-1sh2tdx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/282429/original/file-20190703-126376-1sh2tdx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">No-take protected areas increased the amount of common coral trout caught in nearby areas by 12%.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pauljill/33434962228/in/photolist-418wy4-2f5FcxT-u1qdK-2d8eADB-2f5FcDp-RjjpUe-SWwVq1-23LVKx4-PUYRZf-PAQvt6-23LVKtg">Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We found MPAs do in fact enhance yields to fisheries when disproportionate reproduction is included in relatively realistic models of fish populations. For the coral trout, we saw a roughly 12% increase in tonnes of caught fish.</p>
<p>There are two lessons here. First, a fivefold increase in the production of eggs inside MPAs results in only modest increases in yield. This is because limited dispersal and higher death rates in the protected areas dampen the benefits. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/caught-on-camera-ancient-greenland-sharks-90584">Caught on camera: Ancient Greenland sharks</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>However the exciting second lesson is these results suggest MPAs are not in conflict with the interests of fishers, as is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/75/3/1160/4098822?searchresult=1">often argued</a>.</p>
<p>While MPAs restrict access to an entire population of fish, fishers still benefit from from their disproportionate affect on fish numbers. MPAs are a rare win-win strategy.</p>
<p>It’s unclear whether our results will hold for all species. What’s more, these effects rely on strict no-take rules being well-enforced, otherwise the essential differences in the sizes of fish will never be established.</p>
<p>We think that the value of MPAs as a fisheries management tool has been systematically underestimated. Including disproportionate reproduction in our assessments of MPAs should correct this view and partly resolve the debate about their value. Well-designed networks of MPAs could increase much-needed yields from wild-caught fish.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/119659/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dustin Marshall receives funding from Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liz Morris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Strictly enforced no-take marine areas benefit everyone, from the fish to fishers.
Dustin Marshall, Professor, Marine Evolutionary Ecology, Monash University
Liz Morris, Administration Manager, Monash University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/113374
2019-03-25T22:31:08Z
2019-03-25T22:31:08Z
More fish, more fishing: why strategic marine park placement is a win-win
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265513/original/file-20190325-36267-6gisnm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Marine parks are good for fish - especially if they're in the right areas.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Epstock/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia has some of the most spectacular marine ecosystems on the planet – including, of course, the world-famous Great Barrier Reef. Many of these places are safe in protected areas, and support a myriad of leisure activities such as recreational fishing, diving and surfing. No wonder eight in ten Aussies <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-coastal-living-is-at-risk-from-sea-level-rise-but-its-happened-before-87686">live near the beach</a>.</p>
<p>Yet threats to marine ecosystems are becoming more intense and widespread the world over. New maps show that <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-map-shows-that-only-13-of-the-oceans-are-still-truly-wild-100820">only 13% of the oceans are still truly wild</a>. Industrial fishing now covers an area <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6378/904">four times that of agriculture</a>, including the farthest reaches of international waters. Marine protected areas that restrict harmful activities are some of the last places where marine species can escape. They also support healthy fisheries and increase the ability of coral reefs to resist bleaching.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/most-recreational-fishers-in-australia-support-marine-sanctuaries-112960">Most recreational fishers in Australia support marine sanctuaries</a>
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</p>
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<p>One hundred and ninety-six nations, including Australia, agreed to international conservation targets under the <a href="https://www.cbd.int/convention/text/">United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity</a>. One target calls for nations to protect at least 10% of the world’s oceans. An important but often overlooked aspect of this target is the requirement to protect a portion of each of Earth’s unique marine ecosystems.</p>
<h2>How are we tracking?</h2>
<p>The world is on course to achieve the 10% target by 2020, with <a href="https://www.protectedplanet.net/marine">more than 7.5% of the ocean already protected</a>. However, our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12584">research</a> shows that many marine protected areas are located poorly, leaving many ecosystems underprotected or not protected at all. </p>
<p>What’s more, this inefficient placement of marine parks has an unnecessary impact on fishers. While marine reserves typically <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0909335107">improve fisheries’ profitability in the long run</a>, they need to be placed in the most effective locations.</p>
<p>We found that since 1982, the year nations <a href="https://www.worldparkscongress.org/wpc/about/history">first agreed on international conservation targets</a>, an area of the ocean almost three times the size of Australia has been designated as protected areas in national waters. This is an impressive 20-fold increase on the amount of protection that was in place beforehand.</p>
<p>But when we looked at specific marine ecosystems, we found that half of them fall short of the target level of protection, and that ten ecosystems are entirely unprotected. For example, the Guinea Current off the tropical West African coast has no marine protected areas, and thus nowhere for its wildlife to exist free from human pressure. Other unprotected ecosystems include the Malvinas Current off the southeast coast of South America, Southeast Madagascar, and the North Pacific Transitional off Canada’s west coast.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265253/original/file-20190322-195097-1vpkzr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265253/original/file-20190322-195097-1vpkzr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265253/original/file-20190322-195097-1vpkzr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265253/original/file-20190322-195097-1vpkzr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265253/original/file-20190322-195097-1vpkzr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=319&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265253/original/file-20190322-195097-1vpkzr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265253/original/file-20190322-195097-1vpkzr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265253/original/file-20190322-195097-1vpkzr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Marine park coverage of global ecosystems. Light grey: more than 10% protection; dark grey: less than 10% protection; red: zero protection.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Australia performs comparatively well, with more than 3 million square km of marine reserves covering 41% of its national waters. Australia’s <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/parks/coral-sea/">Coral Sea Marine Park</a> is one of the largest marine protected areas in the world, at 1 million km². However, a recent <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12853">study</a> by our research group found that several unique ecosystems in Australia’s northern and eastern waters are lacking protection. </p>
<p>Furthermore, the federal government’s plan to <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-new-marine-parks-plan-is-a-case-of-the-emperors-new-clothes-81391">halve the area of strict “no-take” protection inside marine parks</a> does not bode well for the future.</p>
<h2>How much better can we do?</h2>
<p>To assess the scope for improvement to the world’s marine parks, we predicted how the protected area network could have been expanded from 1982.</p>
<p>With a bit more strategic planning since 1982, the world would only need to conserve 10% of national waters to protect all marine ecosystems at the 10% level. If we had planned strategically from as recently as 2011, we would only need to conserve 13% of national waters. If we plan strategically from now on, we will need to protect more than 16% of national waters.</p>
<p>If nations had planned strategically since 1982, the world’s marine protected area network could be a third smaller than today, cost half as much, and still meet the international target of protecting 10% of every ecosystem. In other words, we could have much more comprehensive and less costly marine protection today if planning had been more strategic over the past few decades.</p>
<p>The lack of strategic planning in previous marine park expansions is a lost opportunity for conservation. We could have met international conservation targets long ago, with far lower costs to people - measured in terms of a short-term loss of fishing catch inside new protected areas.</p>
<p>This is not to discount the progress made in marine conservation over the past three decades. The massive increase of marine protected areas, from a few sites in 1982, to more than 3 million km² today, is one of Australia’s greatest conservation success stories. However, it is important to recognise where we could have done better, so we can improve in the future.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265254/original/file-20190322-195110-1bgcode.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265254/original/file-20190322-195110-1bgcode.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/265254/original/file-20190322-195110-1bgcode.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265254/original/file-20190322-195110-1bgcode.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265254/original/file-20190322-195110-1bgcode.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265254/original/file-20190322-195110-1bgcode.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265254/original/file-20190322-195110-1bgcode.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/265254/original/file-20190322-195110-1bgcode.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia’s marine park network.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This is also not to discount protected areas. They are important but can be placed better. Furthermore, long-term increases in fish populations often <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0909335107">outweigh the short-term cost to fisheries of no-take protected areas</a>.</p>
<h2>Two steps to get back on track</h2>
<p>In 2020, nations will negotiate new conservation targets for 2020-30 at a <a href="https://www.cbd.int/post2020">UN summit in China</a>. Targets are expected to increase above the current 10% of every nation’s marine area.</p>
<p>We urge governments to rigorously assess their progress towards conservation targets so far. When the targets increase, we suggest they take a tactical approach from the outset. This will deliver better outcomes for nature conservation, and have less short-term impact on the fishing industry.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-200-scientists-urge-rethink-on-australias-marine-park-plans-84366">More than 1,200 scientists urge rethink on Australia's marine park plans</a>
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</p>
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<p>Strategic planning is only one prerequisite for marine protected areas to effectively protect unique and threatened species, habitats and ecosystems. Governments also need to ensure protected areas are well funded and properly managed.</p>
<p>These steps will give protected areas the best shot at halting the threats driving species to extinction and ecosystems to collapse. It also means these incredible places will remain available for us and future generations to enjoy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113374/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerstin Jantke received funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hugh Possingham receives funding from The Australian Research Council as a University of Queensland Professor and he is The Chief Scientist of The Nature Conservancy which receives funding from a very wide variety of sources.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Watson receives funding from the Australian Research Council and National Environmental Science Program. He is the Director of Science and Research at the Wildlife Conservation Society and is a past president of the Society for Conservation Biology. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendall Jones is affiliated with the Wildlife Conservation Society</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alienor Chauvenet and James Allan do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
With strategic planning, the marine protected area network could be a third smaller, cost half as much, and still meet the international target of protecting 10% of every ecosystem.
Kerstin Jantke, Postdoctoral Researcher on conservation biology, University of Hamburg
Alienor Chauvenet, Lecturer, Griffith University
Hugh Possingham, Professor, The University of Queensland
James Allan, Postdoctoral research fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland
James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland
Kendall Jones, PhD candidate, Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/112960
2019-03-15T03:15:48Z
2019-03-15T03:15:48Z
Most recreational fishers in Australia support marine sanctuaries
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262090/original/file-20190305-48444-nubyxx.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C11%2C1242%2C429&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Recreational fishers adjacent to an established marine park in NSW.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>More than 70% of recreational fishers support no-take marine sanctuaries according to our research, published recently in <a href="https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/recreational-fishers-support-for-no-take-marine-reserves-is-high-">Marine Policy</a>. </p>
<p>This study contradicts the popular perception that fishers are against establishing no-take marine reserves to protect marine life. In fact, the vast majority of fishers we surveyed agreed that no-take sanctuaries improve marine environmental values, and do not impair their fishing. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-200-scientists-urge-rethink-on-australias-marine-park-plans-84366">More than 1,200 scientists urge rethink on Australia's marine park plans</a>
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<p>No-take marine sanctuaries, which ban taking or disturbing any marine life, are widely recognised as vital for conservation. However, recent <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/gone-too-far-anglers-spear-government-over-proposed-marine-park-20180907-p502fu.html">media coverage</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-17/nsw-government-backs-down-on-fishing-bans-for-sydney-marine-park/10255432">policy decisions</a> in Australia suggest recreational fishers are opposed to no-take sanctuary zones created within marine parks. </p>
<p>This perceived opposition has been reinforced by recreational fishing interest groups who aim to represent fishers’ opinions in policy decisions. However, it was unclear whether the opinions expressed by these groups matches those of fishers on-the-ground in established marine parks.</p>
<p>To answer this, we visited ten state-managed marine parks across Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. We spoke to 778 fishers at boat ramps that were launching or retrieving their boats to investigate their attitudes towards no-take sanctuary zones.</p>
<p>Our findings debunk the myth that recreational fishers oppose marine sanctuaries. We found 72% of active recreational fishers in established marine parks (more than 10 years old) support their no-take marine sanctuaries. Only 9% were opposed, and the remainder were neutral.</p>
<p>We also found that support rapidly increases (and opposition rapidly decreases) <em>after</em> no-take marine sanctuaries are established, suggesting that once fishers have a chance to experience sanctuaries, they come to support them. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262091/original/file-20190305-48441-yj20k4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/262091/original/file-20190305-48441-yj20k4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262091/original/file-20190305-48441-yj20k4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262091/original/file-20190305-48441-yj20k4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262091/original/file-20190305-48441-yj20k4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262091/original/file-20190305-48441-yj20k4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/262091/original/file-20190305-48441-yj20k4.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=629&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Recreational fishers support for marine sanctuaries increases with marine park age.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Fishers in established marine parks were also overwhelmingly positive towards marine sanctuaries. Most thought no-take marine sanctuaries benefited the marine environment (78%) and have no negative impacts on their fishing (73%).</p>
<p>We argue that recreational fishers, much like other Australians, support no-take marine sanctuaries because of the perceived environmental benefits they provide. This is perhaps not surprising, considering that appreciating nature is one of the <a href="http://fish.gov.au/Archived-Reports/2012/reports/Documents/Henry_and_Lyle_2003.pdf">primary reasons many people go fishing</a> in the first place.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263584/original/file-20190313-123531-13qjo7p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/263584/original/file-20190313-123531-13qjo7p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263584/original/file-20190313-123531-13qjo7p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263584/original/file-20190313-123531-13qjo7p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263584/original/file-20190313-123531-13qjo7p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263584/original/file-20190313-123531-13qjo7p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/263584/original/file-20190313-123531-13qjo7p.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Exploring marine life within an established marine park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tim Langlois</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>In the past opposition from recreational fishing groups has been cited in the decision to scrap proposed <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-17/nsw-government-backs-down-on-fishing-bans-for-sydney-marine-park/10255432">no-take sanctuaries around Sydney</a>, to open up <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/site-archive/rural/news/content/201303/s3714422.htm">established no-take sanctuaries to fishing</a> and to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/sneaky-coalition-move-to-change-marine-park-rules-20131214-2ze8v.html">reduce sanctuaries within the Australia Marine Parks</a> (formerly the Commonwealth Marine Reserve network). </p>
<p>Our findings suggest that these policy decisions do not reflect the beliefs of the wider recreational fishing community, but instead represent the loud voices of a minority.</p>
<p>We suggest that recreational fishing groups and policy makers should survey grass roots recreational fishing communities (and other people who use marine parks) to gauge the true level of support for no-take marine sanctuaries, before any decisions are made.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-backflip-over-sydneys-marine-park-is-a-defiance-of-science-102499">The backflip over Sydney's marine park is a defiance of science</a>
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<p>Despite what headlines may say, no-take marine sanctuaries are unlikely to face long lasting opposition from recreational fishers. Instead, our research suggests no-take marine sanctuaries provide a win-win: protecting marine life whilst fostering long term support within the recreational fishing community.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112960/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Navarro received funding from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Jock Clough Marine Foundation to conduct this research. He currently receives funding under the Australian Government National Environmental Sciences Program to investigate biodiversity and socio-economics benchmarks within the Australian Marine Park network.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr Marit Kragt receives funding from a range of sources including the Australian Marine Conservation Society, and is a recipient of an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE160101306). She is on the Board of Directors of the Australasian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society (AARES), and serves as an associate editor for the Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tim Langlois received funding from the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Jock Clough Marine Foundation to conduct this research. He currently receives funding under the Australian Government National Environmental Sciences Program to investigate biodiversity and socio-economics benchmarks within the Australian Marine Park network.
</span></em></p>
The overwhelming majority of recreational fishers support no-fishing marine sanctuaries.
Matt Navarro, Post-doctoral Fellow, The University of Western Australia
Marit E. Kragt, Associate professor and PVC (Diversity & Inclusion)
Tim Langlois, Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/110877
2019-01-31T19:10:29Z
2019-01-31T19:10:29Z
The presence of people is slowing shark recovery on the Great Barrier Reef
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256545/original/file-20190131-108351-1ko5vja.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Blacktip reef sharks are one of the most common species on the Great Barrier Reef.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Simon Gingins</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Much of the Great Barrier Reef is legally protected in an effort to conserve and rebuild the fragile marine environment. Marine reserves are considered the gold standard for conservation, and often shape our perception of what an “undisturbed ecosystem” should look like.</p>
<p>However our research, published today in <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fee.2003">Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment</a>, suggests that “no-take” marine reserves may be failing shark populations on the Great Barrier Reef.</p>
<p>After 40 years of protection, the average amount of reef sharks in no-take reserves (areas where fishing is forbidden but people can boat or swim) was only one-third that in strictly enforced human exclusion areas. The difference, we argue, is down to poaching, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of no-take reserves.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-200-scientists-urge-rethink-on-australias-marine-park-plans-84366">More than 1,200 scientists urge rethink on Australia's marine park plans</a>
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<h2>Sharks on coral reefs</h2>
<p>Three species of shark are dominant on Indo-Pacific coral reefs: grey reef sharks, blacktip reef sharks, and whitetip reef sharks. All three of these species are considered high-level predators, but the combination of slow reproductive rates and high fishing pressure has depleted reef shark populations across much of their range. </p>
<p>Well-designed and enforced no-take marine reserves help rebuild reef shark populations, but it is not known whether these reserves can facilitate full recovery to baseline (unexploited) levels, or how long the recovery process might take.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256607/original/file-20190131-124043-k7x0b7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256607/original/file-20190131-124043-k7x0b7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256607/original/file-20190131-124043-k7x0b7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256607/original/file-20190131-124043-k7x0b7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256607/original/file-20190131-124043-k7x0b7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256607/original/file-20190131-124043-k7x0b7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256607/original/file-20190131-124043-k7x0b7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256607/original/file-20190131-124043-k7x0b7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People can swim and use boats in no-take reserves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ciamabue/6106833654/in/photolist-aiD7Tq-BovF7C-7pUJdL-qz5iAW-c2Bmuo-7pQMJ2-kCmVB-c2Bg2L-7obCD2-c2Bir7-cRpwuq-omjKP-7gVrzw-7gVscy-PFnLfm-7ofrWE-7ofsgj-7obyZ6-dyLBrf-7ofxBE-cDcdqq-8xWdKz-omjJd-7ofvPA-dyLACb-omjMx-7ofxfC-7oftcu-A1YkZ-7pQNqX-4fV2hM-pQyBa-zdEHU-7obEgx-dyLB3h-hbzin-7obF2t-fQizP1-dyLjqQ-7ofxAG-7ofwLW-omjTQ-7oftxu-7pQGXp-7obDvr-7obDmF-f5mDL-7pUJVA-7pUSp7-SdSDPq">Jon Connell/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>No-take marine reserves</h2>
<p>No-take marine reserves are firmly advocated as an effective way to combat overfishing. With few exceptions, well-enforced no-take marine reserves result in <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982208004569">rapid increases in target fish populations</a>, leading to flow-on benefits such as <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.475.8451&rep=rep1&type=pdf">better fisheries in outlying areas</a>.</p>
<p>In many cases, no-take marine reserves are considered to have intact ecology and therefore drive our perceptions of what undisturbed ecosystems should look like.</p>
<p>The entire Great Barrier Reef was open to fishing until 1980, when no-take reserves were established. More reserves were created over the next two and a half decades, resulting in reserves that vary in age from 14-39 years. A small number of no-entry reserves, which are completely off limits to humans, were also implemented during this period to guard against the potential effects of activities such as boating and diving.</p>
<p>Given that fishing is prohibited in both no-take and no-entry reserves, we expected shark populations to be similar in both areas. Due to the exclusion of humans from no-entry reserves, shark populations within these areas are largely unknown and have only been assessed once, 10 years after protection.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/killing-sharks-is-killing-coral-reefs-too-18368">Killing sharks is killing coral reefs too</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This past research revealed that shark populations were much greater inside no-entry reserves compared to no-take reserves, but this does not allow us to determine whether recovery is ongoing or complete. The diverse ages of marine reserves within the GBR provide a unique opportunity to investigate the potential recovery of reef shark populations and evaluate the performance of no-entry and no-take reserves as tools for shark conservation.</p>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>Using underwater survey data from 11 no-take reserves and 13 no-entry reserves, we reconstructed reef shark populations through the past four decades of protection. Surprisingly, we found shark populations were substantially higher – with two-thirds more biomass – in no-entry reserves than in no-take reserves, indicating that the latter do not support near-natural shark populations. </p>
<p>We looked at potential drivers of shark abundance and found that coral cover, habitat complexity, reef size, distance to shore, and the distance to the nearest fished reef could not explain the large differences between no-take and no-entry reserves.</p>
<p>We argue the disparity between no-entry and no-take reserves is likely due to poaching in no-take reserves. Recent research found up to 18% of recreational fishers <a href="https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fee.1457">admit to fishing illegally</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256613/original/file-20190131-108334-o3pwmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256613/original/file-20190131-108334-o3pwmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256613/original/file-20190131-108334-o3pwmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256613/original/file-20190131-108334-o3pwmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256613/original/file-20190131-108334-o3pwmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256613/original/file-20190131-108334-o3pwmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256613/original/file-20190131-108334-o3pwmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256613/original/file-20190131-108334-o3pwmw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sharks in no-take reserves are vulnerable to poaching.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattia_v/23227239620/in/photolist-BovF7C-7pUJdL-qz5iAW-c2Bmuo-7pQMJ2-kCmVB-c2Bg2L-7obCD2-c2Bir7-cRpwuq-omjKP-7gVrzw-7gVscy-PFnLfm-7ofrWE-7ofsgj-7obyZ6-dyLBrf-7ofxBE-cDcdqq-8xWdKz-omjJd-7ofvPA-dyLACb-omjMx-7ofxfC-7oftcu-A1YkZ-7pQNqX-4fV2hM-pQyBa-zdEHU-7obEgx-dyLB3h-hbzin-7obF2t-fQizP1-dyLjqQ-7ofxAG-7ofwLW-omjTQ-7oftxu-7pQGXp-7obDvr-7obDmF-f5mDL-7pUJVA-7pUSp7-SdSDPq-7obBh8">Mattia Valente/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Enforcement of no-entry reserves is much easier than no-take reserves as evidence of fishing is not required for prosecution. On the other hand, vessels are allowed to be present in no-take reserves, leaving these areas susceptible to poaching. Given the slow reproductive rate of reef sharks, even small amounts of fishing may reduce their populations.</p>
<p>The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most intensely managed marine parks in the world. Despite this, our results reveal that no-take reserves fall well short of restoring shark populations to near-natural levels, and that up to 40 years of strong protection is required to rebuild shark populations. </p>
<p>These results also highlight that no-take marine reserves inadequately reflect ecological baselines and that we may need to reevaluate what we consider to be a natural, intact reef ecosystem.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-majority-of-people-who-see-poaching-in-marine-parks-say-nothing-101456">The majority of people who see poaching in marine parks say nothing</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>While the creation of more and larger no-entry reserves may solve the problem, this approach is likely to be unpopular and politically undesirable. An alternative approach, would be to tackle poaching by enlisting fishing communities in the fight against illegal fishing, better education, and increasing enforcement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110877/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ashley J Frisch receives funding from the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Justin Rizzari does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Banning fishing in no-take marine reserves on the Great Barrier Reef does not protect sharks as well as received wisdom would tell you.
Justin Rizzari, Lecturer in Fisheries Science, Deakin University
Ashley J Frisch, Research Coordinator at Reef HQ / GBRMPA, James Cook University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/109769
2019-01-18T17:48:49Z
2019-01-18T17:48:49Z
A teen scientist helped me discover tons of golf balls polluting the ocean
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254520/original/file-20190118-100282-w0v7ak.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teenager Alex Weber and friends collected nearly 40,000 golf balls hit into the ocean from a handful of California golf courses.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alex Weber</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Plastic pollution in the world’s oceans has become a global environmental crisis. Many people have seen images that seem to capture it, such as <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/waves-garbage-are-washing-beach-dominican-republic-180969747/">beaches carpeted with plastic trash</a> or a seahorse <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/09/seahorse-ocean-pollution/">gripping a cotton swab with its tail</a>. </p>
<p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uo1sSBwAAAAJ&hl=en">scientist researching marine plastic pollution</a>, I thought I had seen a lot. Then, early in 2017, I heard from <a href="https://www.theplasticpick-up.org/">Alex Weber</a>, a junior at Carmel High School in California.</p>
<p>Alex emailed me after reading my scientific work, which caught my eye, since very few high schoolers spend their time reading scientific articles. She was looking for guidance on an unusual environmental problem. While snorkeling in the <a href="https://montereybay.noaa.gov/">Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary</a> near the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Alex and her friend Jack Johnston had repeatedly come across large numbers of golf balls on the ocean floor.</p>
<p>As environmentally conscious teens, they started removing golf balls from the water, one by one. By the time Alex contacted me, they had retrieved over 10,000 golf balls – more than half a ton.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254260/original/file-20190117-24634-adt9fi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254260/original/file-20190117-24634-adt9fi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254260/original/file-20190117-24634-adt9fi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254260/original/file-20190117-24634-adt9fi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254260/original/file-20190117-24634-adt9fi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254260/original/file-20190117-24634-adt9fi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254260/original/file-20190117-24634-adt9fi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254260/original/file-20190117-24634-adt9fi.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=454&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Dense aggregations of golf balls littering the sea floor in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, California.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alex Weber</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Golf balls sink, so they don’t become eyesores for future golfers and beachgoers. As a result, this issue had gone largely unnoticed. But Alex had stumbled across something big: a point source of marine debris – one that comes from a single, identifiable place – polluting federally protected waters. Our newly published study details the scope of this <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.01.013">unexpected marine pollutant</a> and some ways in which it could affect marine life. </p>
<h2>Cleaning up the mess</h2>
<p>Many popular golf courses dot the <a href="https://www.westjetmagazine.com/story/article/top-7-golf-courses-along-california-coast">central California coast</a> and use the ocean as a hazard or an out-of-bounds. The most famous course, <a href="https://www.pebblebeach.com/golf/pebble-beach-golf-links/">Pebble Beach Golf Links</a>, is site of the <a href="https://www.pebblebeach.com/events/2019-u-s-open-championship/">2019 U.S. Open Championship</a>. </p>
<p>Alex wanted to create a lasting solution to this problem. I told her that the way to do it was to meticulously plan and systematically record all future golf ball collections. Our goal was to produce a peer-reviewed scientific paper documenting the scope of the problem, and to propose a plan of action for golf courses to address it. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254259/original/file-20190117-24634-b9pgbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254259/original/file-20190117-24634-b9pgbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254259/original/file-20190117-24634-b9pgbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254259/original/file-20190117-24634-b9pgbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254259/original/file-20190117-24634-b9pgbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254259/original/file-20190117-24634-b9pgbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254259/original/file-20190117-24634-b9pgbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254259/original/file-20190117-24634-b9pgbh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alex Weber and Jack Johnston collecting golf balls from the sea floor.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alex Weber</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Alex, her friends and her father paddled, dove, heaved and hauled. By mid-2018 the results were startling: They had collected nearly 40,000 golf balls from three sites near coastal golf courses: Cypress Point, Pebble Beach and the Carmel River Mouth. And following Alex’s encouragement, Pebble Beach employees started to retrieve golf balls from beaches next to their course, amassing more than 10,000 additional balls. </p>
<p>In total, we collected 50,681 golf balls from the shoreline and shallow waters. This represented roughly 2.5 tons of debris – approximately the weight of a pickup truck. By multiplying the average number of balls lost per round played (1-3) and the <a href="https://www.pga.com/worlds-most-beautiful-courses-pebble-beach">average number of rounds played annually</a> at Pebble Beach, we estimated that patrons at these popular courses may lose over 100,000 balls per year to the surrounding environment. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254258/original/file-20190117-24607-6va8s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254258/original/file-20190117-24607-6va8s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254258/original/file-20190117-24607-6va8s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254258/original/file-20190117-24607-6va8s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254258/original/file-20190117-24607-6va8s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254258/original/file-20190117-24607-6va8s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254258/original/file-20190117-24607-6va8s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254258/original/file-20190117-24607-6va8s.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A harbor seal investigates a member of the golf ball recovery team.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alex Weber</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The toxicity of golf balls</h2>
<p>Modern golf balls are made of a <a href="http://www.ravelast.com/en/r-d/pu-elastomers.html">polyurethane elastomer</a> shell and a synthetic rubber core. Manufacturers add <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-3249-z">zinc oxide</a>, <a href="https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/159747#section=Safety-and-Hazards">zinc acrylate</a> and <a href="https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/7187#section=Safety-and-Hazards">benzoyl peroxide</a> to the solid core for flexibility and durability. These substances are also acutely toxic to marine life. </p>
<p>When golf balls are hit into the ocean, they immediately sink to the bottom. No ill effects on local wildlife have been documented to date from exposure to golf balls. But as the balls degrade and fragment at sea, they may leach chemicals and microplastics into the water or sediments. Moreover, if the balls break into small fragments, fish, birds or other animals could ingest them. </p>
<p>The majority of the balls we collected showed only light wear. Some could even have been resold and played. However, others were severely degraded and fragmented by the persistent mechanical action of breaking waves and unremitting swell in the dynamic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intertidal_zone">intertidal</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littoral_zone">nearshore</a> environments. We estimated that over 60 pounds of irrecoverable microplastic had been shed from the balls we collected. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254261/original/file-20190117-24631-1g85252.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254261/original/file-20190117-24631-1g85252.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/254261/original/file-20190117-24631-1g85252.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254261/original/file-20190117-24631-1g85252.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254261/original/file-20190117-24631-1g85252.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254261/original/file-20190117-24631-1g85252.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254261/original/file-20190117-24631-1g85252.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/254261/original/file-20190117-24631-1g85252.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A sea otter holding a golf ball at one of our study sites.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Alex Weber</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Game-changer</h2>
<p>Thanks to Alex Weber, we now know that golf balls erode at sea over time, producing dangerous microplastics. Recovering the balls soon after they are hit into the ocean is one way to mitigate their impacts. Initially, golf course managers were surprised by our findings, but now they are working with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary to address the problem. </p>
<p>Alex is also working with managers at the sanctuary to develop cleanup procedures that can prevent golf ball pollution in these waters from ever reaching these levels again. Although her study was local, her findings are worrisome for other regions with coastal golf courses. Nonetheless, they send a positive message: If a high school student can accomplish this much through relentless hard work and dedication, anyone can.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/109769/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Savoca does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Snorkeling off the California coast, a high school student found heaps of golf balls on the ocean floor. With a marine scientist, she showed that golf courses were producing tons of plastic pollution.
Matthew Savoca, Postdoctoral researcher, Stanford University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/108043
2018-12-06T18:54:43Z
2018-12-06T18:54:43Z
Perth’s brief abalone season is a time of delicacies and danger
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249149/original/file-20181206-186076-1lui5sp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/11196802@N03/2250408566/">~boonie/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Starting on December 8, <a href="http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/recreational_fishing/licences/rec_licence_abalone.pdf">recreational abalone fishing</a> will be allowed in Perth. Fishing will be limited to one hour on four Saturday mornings between December and February. The maximum catch is still 15 per person per day. A complete ban on abalone fishing between Geraldton and the Northern Territory border will remain in place.</p>
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<p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/abalone-poaching-lifting-the-lid-on-why-how-and-who-88486">Abalone poaching: lifting the lid on why, how and who</a>
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</p>
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<p>This brief, intense season is a social and dining highlight of the year for many Australians – particularly Chinese migrants. It’s also a risky business, with dangers to both people and the reefs the abalone grow on. </p>
<p>As part of our <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/1/1/9">research</a>, my colleague Li Chen and I interviewed abalone fishers (and even took part ourselves). We found that more needs to be done to communicate how to fish for abalone safely and sustainably, especially on Chinese social media. </p>
<h2>Abalone is popular but vulnerable</h2>
<p>Among Chinese people, abalone represents wealth and confers social status. In some Hong Kong restaurants, dried abalone can sell for as much as A$5,000 per 500 grams.</p>
<p>But abalone is a <a href="https://www.abalonewa.com.au/about-abalone-and-the-commercial-industry.html">fragile marine resource</a>. Western Australia is one of few places in the world with relatively healthy wild stocks.</p>
<p>Among the 11 species found in the state, only brownlip, greenlip and Roe’s abalone grow large enough to be collected.</p>
<p>In recent years, marine heatwaves and <a href="http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/About-Us/Media-releases/Pages/_archive/405-abalone-more-than-the-daily-bag-limit.aspx">unlawful harvesting</a> have begun to deplete numbers. Cases of <a href="http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/About-Us/News/Pages/Trafficking-and-other-abalone-offences-attract-heavy-fine.aspx">trafficking</a> and overharvesting have been reported.</p>
<p>According to a WA Department of Fisheries <a href="http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/research_reports/frr241.pdf">report</a>, around 3 tonnes of greenlip is collected illegally each year on the state’s south coast alone.</p>
<p>Despite mounting pressures, the slow-growing mollusc is increasingly sought as a delicacy.</p>
<p>More than <a href="http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/recreational_fishing/licences/rec_licence_abalone.pdf">17,000 recreational licences</a> are issued annually in WA. Yet the safety risks, ecological impacts and cultural factors at work each season are not well understood.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/marine-heatwaves-are-getting-hotter-lasting-longer-and-doing-more-damage-95637">Marine heatwaves are getting hotter, lasting longer and doing more damage</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What are the risks?</h2>
<p>Earlier this year, a man <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/western-australia/a-man-has-died-in-a-suspected-drowning-while-abalone-fishing-in-ocean-reef/news-story/ee356739c121d1cdfc6b5ee397569794">drowned</a> while collecting abalone at Ocean Reef Marina in Perth. Five recreational fishers have died since 2012.</p>
<p>During 2017–18 patrols, <a href="https://www.mybeach.com.au/">Surf Life Saving WA</a> volunteers intervened to prevent 206 potential accidents and performed five rescues at abalone fishing sites around Perth.</p>
<p>In preparation for the upcoming season, SLSWA has developed <a href="https://www.mybeach.com.au/safety-rescue-services/coastal-recreation/abalone/">a new campaign</a> including online images of safety equipment and translations of safety brochures into Chinese.</p>
<p>Chrissie Skehan, health promotion and research coordinator for SLSWA, explains that “a key target demographic for our campaign has been internationals, particularly the Chinese population”.</p>
<p>Known as a “<a href="http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Documents/research_reports/frr241.pdf">dive fishery</a>,” the commercial abalone industry in WA operates mainly in shallow waters off the south coast. In contrast, recreational fishing around Perth requires <a href="http://www.fish.wa.gov.au/Species/Abalone/Pages/Abalone-Recreational-Fishing.aspx">wading and snorkelling</a>.</p>
<p>Fishers must come prepared with reef shoes, prying tools, measuring gauges, and licence cards. Conditions can turn dangerous rapidly. What’s more, many new enthusiasts are not skilled swimmers.</p>
<p>Regulations attempt to reduce the impacts of the intense four-hour season on ecosystems that are already <a href="https://publications.csiro.au/rpr/pub?pid=csiro:EP182603">vulnerable to climate change</a>. Wear on reefs would be severe if not tightly managed.</p>
<p>In our <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/1/1/9">survey</a>, which spanned two Perth abalone seasons, we interviewed Chinese migrants and took part in the activities so as to get a feel for the experience.</p>
<p>Our research suggests that more education is needed to reduce environmental impacts and personal risks. Increasing cross-cultural understanding through the abalone harvest is important.</p>
<h2>What are the benefits?</h2>
<p>For the people we interviewed, the benefits outweigh the risks. Abalone fishing contributes to personal well-being and social networks.</p>
<p>When Billy Han first encountered wild abalone more than 13 years ago, he could not believe the sea treasure was real. “I thought it was impossible to find abalone at the roadside. It is so expensive in China.”</p>
<p>Duan Xin, an experienced fisher, took only ten minutes to reach the daily bag limit of 15 abalone. He spent the rest of the hour helping others learn how to fish while staying safe. The experience each year strengthens Duan’s standing as a mentor.</p>
<p>The abalone season builds a sense of community among Chinese migrants. But participation can also enhance awareness of the environment.</p>
<p>For Tommy Zhan, fishing was a chance to learn more about the coastal habitat. “I know what abalone looks like and tastes like, but I do not know how to harvest it or about the places where it lives.”</p>
<p>Chinese people share fishing stories and swap recipes in person and on social media. These exchanges allow them to adapt ancient traditions to the local environment.</p>
<h2>The future of the abalone season</h2>
<p>We recommend the inclusion of stronger marine conservation messages in public outreach and safety campaigns.</p>
<p>Undersized abalone can die if returned to the sea upside down. Shelling on the beach can attract sharks and other marine predators.</p>
<p>Conservation and safety groups could work with community leaders such as Duan Xin to spread information via Chinese social media networks rather than English-only channels.</p>
<p>Environmental education will be essential to the long-term sustainability of the abalone harvest.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-discovered-20-new-fish-in-northern-australia-now-we-need-to-protect-them-52905">We discovered 20 new fish in northern Australia – now we need to protect them</a>
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</p>
<hr>
<p>Not merely a management issue, the upcoming season is an opportunity for cultural dialogue in a city that is growing more ethnically diverse all the time.</p>
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<p><em>This article was coauthored by Li Chen, drawing on research conducted for her PhD at Edith Cowan University.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108043/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Charles Ryan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Beginning on Saturday, West Australia’s short, intense abalone season will be open for a total of four hours.
John Charles Ryan, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of New England
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/102499
2018-09-20T20:13:18Z
2018-09-20T20:13:18Z
The backflip over Sydney’s marine park is a defiance of science
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237265/original/file-20180920-129850-m92htv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Sydney's iconic beaches are not yet part of a marine park.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Turnbull</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The New South Wales government’s <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-17/nsw-government-backs-down-on-fishing-bans-for-sydney-marine-park/10255432">decision to back away</a> from establishing no-fishing zones in waters around Sydney leaves significant question marks over the plan, which is <a href="https://www.marine.nsw.gov.au/key-initiatives/hawkesbury-shelf-marine-assessment">open for public consultation until September 27</a>.</p>
<p>Fisheries Minister Niall Blair explained the apparent backflip by <a href="https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/832703/Fishing-lockouts-off-the-table.pdf">saying</a> he was “confident that fishing is not the key threat to the sustainability of our marine environment”, after receiving what he described as “robust” feedback from local communities and anglers.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237054/original/file-20180919-158237-1ohsn3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237054/original/file-20180919-158237-1ohsn3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237054/original/file-20180919-158237-1ohsn3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237054/original/file-20180919-158237-1ohsn3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237054/original/file-20180919-158237-1ohsn3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237054/original/file-20180919-158237-1ohsn3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1068&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237054/original/file-20180919-158237-1ohsn3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1068&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237054/original/file-20180919-158237-1ohsn3j.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1068&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The original plans for Sydney’s marine park. Click image to enlarge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NSW government</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.marine.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/821246/Hawkesbury-Bioregion-marine-park-proposal-site-map.pdf">originally proposed Sydney Marine Park</a> comprised 17 “sanctuary zones” (totalling 2.4% of the area, including estuaries), 3 “conservation zones” totalling 2.6%, and 21 “special purpose zones”, which would allow (and in some cases protect) fishing. </p>
<p>Sanctuary zones allow no fishing; conservation zones allow taking of lobster and abalone (see below); and special purpose zones have a range of restrictions or allowances, not necessarily of any conservation benefit. For instance, four offshore artificial reefs are classed as special purpose zones. </p>
<p>The plans cover the waters around Sydney, stretching from Newcastle in the north to Wollongong in the south. Formally known as the <a href="https://www.marine.nsw.gov.au/key-initiatives/hawkesbury-shelf-marine-assessment">Hawkesbury Shelf marine bioregion</a>, it is the only bioregion wholly in NSW that does not have a marine park. This is despite Sydney’s magnificent array of underwater and coastal habitats, which are home to more fish species than the <a href="http://publications.rzsnsw.org.au/doi/abs/10.7882/FS.2010.014?code=RZSW-site">entire British Isles</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/recreational-fishing-in-marine-parks-you-cant-be-serious-12785">Recreational fishing in marine parks: you can’t be serious!</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>New zones and ranked threats</h2>
<p>The original marine park proposal was far from ideal. A good marine park should have a string of closely connected sanctuary zones, but there was a large gap from southern Sydney to Wollongong where no sanctuary zones were proposed. </p>
<p>Instead, there was a new “conservation zone” to allow fishing for lobster and abalone. Yet lobster in particular are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793314/">important to this ecosystem</a>, because they protect kelp by preying on sea urchins.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237056/original/file-20180919-158219-ll8dd8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237056/original/file-20180919-158219-ll8dd8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237056/original/file-20180919-158219-ll8dd8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1649&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237056/original/file-20180919-158219-ll8dd8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1649&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237056/original/file-20180919-158219-ll8dd8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1649&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237056/original/file-20180919-158219-ll8dd8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=2072&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237056/original/file-20180919-158219-ll8dd8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=2072&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237056/original/file-20180919-158219-ll8dd8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=2072&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Threats to the marine region around Sydney, as ranked in a NSW government report. Click image to enlarge.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">NSW government</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The NSW government based its earlier proposal on a principle called TARA, short for “<a href="https://www.marine.nsw.gov.au/key-initiatives/threat-and-risk-assessment">threat and risk assessment</a>”, in which all perceived factors are ranked according to their environmental, social and economic outcomes.</p>
<p>While other major threats such as climate change and pollution are ranked highly, fishing doesn’t appear until number 18 on the government’s list (see page 8 <a href="https://www.marine.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/821520/Hawkesbury-Shelf-Discussion-Paper-1.pdf">here</a>. One reason for this is that fishing is split into eight categories (such as “recreational fishing by boat – line and trap”), masking its overall impact. Even 4WDs on beaches are ranked as a greater threat to the environment than many types of fishing.</p>
<p>Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/your-government/the-premier/media-releases-from-the-premier/protecting-the-future-of-our-marine-estate/">press release</a> about the marine park public consultation didn’t mention the environmental threat posed by fishing at all. Yet there is clear evidence that fishing directly harms fish stocks. </p>
<p>One <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325491433_Rapid_declines_across_Australian_fishery_stocks_indicate_global_sustainability_targets_will_not_be_achieved_without_an_expanded_network_of_'no-fishing'_reserves">recent study</a> shows that stocks of inshore fish species have declined in Australia by 30% in a decade, except in sanctuary zones. Worldwide, sanctuary zones (also called no-take zones) have been shown to help fish grow <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22633811">larger and more abundant</a>. And recent studies in NSW coastal waters have reiterated the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0085825">benefits of no-take zones</a> for species such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320713002632?via%3Dihub">morwong, bream</a>, and <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00208/full">snapper</a>.</p>
<h2>Partial protection doesn’t work</h2>
<p>The latest proposals, which would allow recreational but not commercial fishing, would be much less effective than full protection. One <a href="https://www.springerprofessional.de/en/key-drivers-of-effectiveness-in-small-marine-protected-areas/15514514">recent study</a> suggested that partial protection is no better than no protection at all.</p>
<p>According to a NSW government estimate, recreational fishing removes <a href="https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/598628/West-et-al-Survey-of-rec-fishing-in-NSW-ACT-2013-14-2016_03_02.pdf">more than 3 million fish, crustaceans and molluscs from NSW coastal waters every year</a>. But marine parks are primarily about conservation, and this requires us to face some stark realities. With <a href="https://www.afr.com/news/politics/national/why-australia-needs-to-get-real-on-population-growth-20131129-ij9ym">more than 8 million people</a> likely to call Sydney home in the next 40 years, pressures on our coasts will only increase. </p>
<p>Sanctuary zones are one of the best available conservation tools to guard against these impacts. These zones have also been shown to make wildlife <a href="https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-marine-121211-172411">more resilient to climate change</a>. </p>
<p>Even before the government’s decision to rescind the proposed sanctuary zones, the original plan for no-take zones to cover just 2.4% of the region was a severe compromise. By comparison, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has <a href="https://www.aims.gov.au/docs/media/latest-releases/-/asset_publisher/8Kfw/content/04-April-Great-Barrier-Reef-no-take-marine-reserves-protect-much-more-than-just-the-fish">30% sanctuary zone coverage</a>, and the rest of NSW has 7-8%. International best practice recommends <a href="http://coremap.or.id/downloads/ICRS9th-Bohnsack.pdf">at least 20%</a>, and even the <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/management/">Commonwealth Marine Reserves Management Plan</a> offers 6% no-take coverage. </p>
<p>But now, with no sanctuary zones, Sydney’s proposed “marine park” is not worthy of the name. </p>
<h2>Wrong priorities</h2>
<p>A peculiar contradiction is that despite one-quarter of the listed threats being fishing-related, the NSW government’s <a href="https://www.marine.nsw.gov.au/key-initiatives/marine-estate-management-strategy">marine estate management strategy</a> includes an initiative to encourage fishing. Pollution is also a high-priority threat, and fishing is the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0094593">largest source of subtidal debris</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237267/original/file-20180920-129871-12154cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237267/original/file-20180920-129871-12154cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237267/original/file-20180920-129871-12154cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237267/original/file-20180920-129871-12154cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237267/original/file-20180920-129871-12154cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237267/original/file-20180920-129871-12154cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237267/original/file-20180920-129871-12154cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237267/original/file-20180920-129871-12154cd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Kelp and a tangle of discarded fishing line.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">John Turnbull</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>If local-level threats such as fishing and litter are not dealt with, resilience to climate change <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2062">suffers as a result</a>. We must tackle all threats – overfishing, pollution, climate change – and not shy away from one because it’s politically unpalatable.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/marine-parks-for-fish-and-people-heres-how-to-do-it-33092">Marine parks for fish and people: here's how to do it</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>It is frustrating that the NSW government has opted to abolish these marine sanctuaries before the public consultation was complete. The wider public understands the value of sanctuary zones, as indicated in recent <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/angling-for-a-marine-park-poll-finds-support-for-coastal-protection-20180902-p501b1.html">opinion polls</a> showing clear support for the original plans among Sydneysiders – even many of those who fish.</p>
<p>Some fishers are now calling for sanctuary zones to be scrapped or wound back in other iconic NSW marine parks, such as <a href="https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/A14dCr8DLRt99LRvC7hYfe?domain=abc.net.au">Lord Howe Island and Solitary Islands</a>. This move would be a defiance of the science. The evidence shows that sanctuary zones are essential for restoring and preserving our marine estate for future generations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102499/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Booth receives funding from the Australian Research Council. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Turnbull receives funding from an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship</span></em></p>
The New South Wales government has turned its back on plans to create sanctuary zones covering 2.4% of waters around Sydney, despite evidence that these ‘no-take’ areas are crucial for protecting fish.
David Booth, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Technology Sydney
John Turnbull, UNSW Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/100820
2018-08-01T02:59:08Z
2018-08-01T02:59:08Z
New map shows that only 13% of the oceans are still truly wild
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229921/original/file-20180731-176698-1vumezv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Predatory fish are among the most vulnerable species to human pressures.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rich Carey/Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>HJust 13% of the world’s oceans are now free from intense human activities such as fishing, according to a new map of ocean wilderness areas.</p>
<p>Our research, <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)30772-3">published in the journal Current Biology</a>, shows that only 55 million square km of the global ocean can still be classified as “wilderness”, out of a total of 500 million square km. </p>
<p>There is almost no wilderness left in coastal seas, where human activities are most intense. Much of the remaining marine wilderness is clustered around the poles or near remote Pacific island nations with low populations.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229918/original/file-20180731-176698-214yjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229918/original/file-20180731-176698-214yjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/229918/original/file-20180731-176698-214yjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=278&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229918/original/file-20180731-176698-214yjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=278&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229918/original/file-20180731-176698-214yjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=278&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229918/original/file-20180731-176698-214yjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229918/original/file-20180731-176698-214yjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/229918/original/file-20180731-176698-214yjf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=349&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Marine wilderness in exclusive economic zones (light blue), in areas outside national jurisdiction (dark blue), and marine protected areas (green).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jones et al. Current Biology 2018</span></span>
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<p>Humans rely on the ocean for food, livelihoods, and almost <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11538-015-0126-0">three-quarters of atmospheric oxygen</a>. We use the ocean for the <a href="https://business.un.org/en/entities/13">vast majority of global trade</a>, and <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5555e.pdf">more than 2.8 billion people rely on seafood</a> as an important protein source. It’s little wonder that more than <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article32004">eight in ten Australians live within 50km of the coast</a>.</p>
<p>Earth’s ocean wilderness areas are home to unparalleled levels of marine life and are some of the only places where large predators are still found in historical numbers. Top predators such as sharks and tuna depend on these areas, as their slow reproduction rates make them particularly <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0011968">susceptible to decline even at mild levels of fishing</a>. </p>
<p>Even the strictest, best-managed marine reserves <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12000">cannot sustain the same levels of wildlife diversity</a> as wilderness areas. This is either because reserves are too small, or because human activities in neighbouring areas impact wildlife as soon as they swim outside of reserve boundaries. According to our research, only 4.9% of marine wilderness is currently within marine protected areas.</p>
<p>There is evidence that wilderness areas are <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0006324">more resilient to rising sea temperatures and coral bleaching</a> – stressors that cannot be halted without globally coordinated efforts to reduce emissions. These areas also give scientists a true baseline for system health, providing important information for restoring degraded marine ecosystems.</p>
<h2>Threats to wilderness</h2>
<p>Human impacts on marine ecosystems are becoming more intense and widespread
each year, threatening wilderness areas across the planet. Fishing is
now one of the most widespread activities by which humans harvest natural
resources. Industrial fishing covers 55% of the ocean, an area <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6378/904.full">four times larger than is used for terrestrial agriculture</a>. In many places, fishing has become so intense that large predators and charismatic species such as sea turtles have almost been wiped out.</p>
<p>Technological improvements have allowed humans to fish in the
<a href="http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/6/eaat2504.full">farthest reaches of international waters</a>. In the high Arctic, places that were once safe because of year-round ice cover are <a href="https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/75/1/61/4080407">now open to fishing and shipping</a> as warming seas melt the ice.</p>
<p>Even in nations with world-class fisheries management, such as Australia and the
United States, marine environments are being severely impacted by sediment and
nutrient runoff due to poor land management and deforestation. Sediment runoff onto the once pristine Great Barrier Reef is now <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature01361">five to ten times higher than historical levels</a>, contributing to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X11006503">declining coral diversity and more frequent crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks</a>, and reducing the <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0006324">resilience of reefs</a> against climate change.</p>
<h2>Can we save the last of the wild?</h2>
<p>Marine wilderness is overlooked in both global and national conservation strategies, as these areas are often assumed to be free from threatening processes and are therefore not a priority for conservation efforts. Our results show that this is a myth – wilderness areas in the ocean and on land are <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-carbon-stores-are-going-up-in-smoke-with-vanishing-wilderness-65345">being rapidly lost</a>, and protecting what remains is crucial. The Arctic, once thought of as untouched, is now likely to see new shipping channels, fisheries, and mining operations as sea ice disappears.</p>
<p>Protecting wilderness will require a combination of national and international efforts, but the fundamental goal must be to curb the impacts of current threats such as commercial fishing, shipping, resource extraction, and land-based runoff.</p>
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<p>In nations like Australia and Canada, which still have substantial wilderness remaining within their national waters, using marine protected areas or fishery management regulations to protect wilderness will be crucial. Because even low levels of human activity can <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12000">severely impact vulnerable species such as sharks and tuna</a>, these areas should be strictly protected and cannot allow activities like commercial fishing.</p>
<p>However, current government plans to <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-new-marine-parks-plan-is-a-case-of-the-emperors-new-clothes-81391">almost halve the area of strict protection</a> in the Australian marine reserve system do not bode well for the future of wilderness protection.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-new-marine-parks-plan-is-a-case-of-the-emperors-new-clothes-81391">Australia’s new marine parks plan is a case of the Emperor's new clothes</a>
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<p>While protecting wilderness within national waters is legally straightforward,
preserving wilderness on the high seas will likely prove much more challenging, as no country has jurisdiction over these areas. One option may be to harness existing international and regional agreements, such as <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/international/rfmo_en">Regional Fisheries Management Organisations</a> – international agencies formed by countries to manage shared fishing interests in a certain area. These organisations are already accustomed to set fishing limits, and have been used to close large areas of the high seas to <a href="https://www.sprfmo.int/assets/Fisheries/Conservation-and-Management-Measures/2018-CMMs/CMM-03-2018-Bottom-Fishing-8March2018.pdf">damaging bottom-trawl fishing</a>. An extension of their powers to create high seas conservation areas is certainly feasible, but this is likely to require substantial lobbying from member nations.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-laws-for-the-high-seas-four-key-issues-the-un-talks-need-to-tackle-56298">New laws for the high seas: four key issues the UN talks need to tackle</a>
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<p>The need for improved high-seas management is also now being recognised by the international community, with the UN currently negotiating a “Paris Agreement for the Ocean” – a <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/un-high-seas-conservation-treaty-ocean-protection-spd/">legally binding high-seas conservation treaty</a> to be established under the existing Law of the Sea Convention. Australia, as a wealthy nation and a signatory to fishing agreements in the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans, has the potential to be a world leader in marine wilderness conservation if it so chooses.</p>
<p>Just like <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(16)30993-9">wilderness on land</a>, pristine oceans are difficult to restore once lost. Our research should be a clarion call for immediate action to protect the world’s remaining wild oceans so that future generations can see the sea as it once was.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/100820/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendall Jones is affiliated with the Wildlife Conservation Society</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carissa Klein receives funding from the ARC.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hedley Grantham is affiliated with the Wildlife Conservation Society</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hugh Possingham receives funding from The Australian Research Council and the federal government National Environmental Science Program. He works for The University of Queensland and The Nature Conservancy (global)</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Watson receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is Director of Science at the Wildlife Conservation Society. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alan Friedlander, Benjamin Halpern, Caitlin Kuempel, Nicole Shumway, and Oscar Venter do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The world has some 500 million square kilometres of ocean. But just 55 million square kilometres remain untouched by intensive human activities such as fishing.
Kendall Jones, PhD candidate, Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland
Alan Friedlander, Researcher, University of Hawaii
Benjamin Halpern, Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara
Caitlin Kuempel, PhD Candidate in Conservation Science, The University of Queensland
Carissa Klein, Postdoctoral research fellow in conservation biology, The University of Queensland
Hedley Grantham, Research Associate, The University of Queensland
Hugh Possingham, Professor, The University of Queensland
James Watson, Professor, The University of Queensland
Nicole Shumway, PhD Candidate, The University of Queensland
Oscar Venter, Associate Professor and FRBC/West Fraser research chair, Ecosystem Science and Management Progam, University of Northern British Columbia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/97689
2018-06-07T00:30:21Z
2018-06-07T00:30:21Z
Australian commercial fish populations drop by a third over ten years
<p>Large fish species are rapidly declining around Australia, according to the first continental diver census of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/aqc.2934">shallow reef fish</a>. Contrary to years of sustainability reports, our study indicates that excessive fishing pressure is contributing to decline of many Australian fish species.</p>
<p>In areas open to fishing, we found that exploited populations fell by an average of 33% between 2005 and 2015. This rate closely matches the 32% downward trend in total Australian fishery catches through the same period.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/citizen-scientist-scuba-divers-shed-light-on-the-impact-of-warming-oceans-on-marine-life-85970">Citizen scientist scuba divers shed light on the impact of warming oceans on marine life</a>
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<p>In contrast, in marine parks where fishing is prohibited, the same species increased by an average of 25%. Other species not targeted by fishers showed a small downward trend (11% decline in fished zones; 16% decline in no-take marine reserves), indicating that recent marine <a href="https://theconversation.com/marine-heatwaves-are-getting-hotter-lasting-longer-and-doing-more-damage-95637">heatwaves</a> off southeastern and southwestern Australia have probably adversely affected marine life over a wide area.</p>
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<p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/marine-heatwaves-are-getting-hotter-lasting-longer-and-doing-more-damage-95637">Marine heatwaves are getting hotter, lasting longer and doing more damage</a>
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</em>
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<h2>Citizen science</h2>
<p>Our audit of 531 study sites was made possible by combining data from 50-metre long transects repeatedly surveyed by Australian Institute of Marine Science and University of Tasmania research divers, and by highly trained volunteers participating in the citizen science <a href="https://theconversation.com/citizen-scientist-scuba-divers-shed-light-on-the-impact-of-warming-oceans-on-marine-life-85970">Reef Life Survey program</a>.</p>
<p>After the collapse of some <a href="https://theconversation.com/plenty-of-fish-in-the-sea-not-necessarily-as-history-shows-84440">high-profile fisheries</a> in the 1990s, such as gemfish, orange roughy and southern bluefin tuna, federal and state agencies took a more conservative approach to fish capture. Australian fisheries are now regarded as among the most sustainable worldwide.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/plenty-of-fish-in-the-sea-not-necessarily-as-history-shows-84440">Plenty of fish in the sea? Not necessarily, as history shows</a>
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<p>Regardless, the prevalence of downward population trends in our investigation indicates that a reduction in fishing pressure and additional caution is needed. Otherwise, more Australian fisheries may not be economically viable if this trend continues.</p>
<p>Our analysis identified a variety of issues that affect fishery management practices, many of which are also evident <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-zealands-fisheries-quota-management-system-on-an-undeserved-pedestal-82210">overseas</a>, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>little relevant data for decision-making related to ecological issues</li>
<li>a lack of no-fishing reference areas to scientifically assess impacts of fishing</li>
<li>poorly documented stock assessments with limited public accessibility</li>
<li>management decisions made by committees dominated by industry-aligned members</li>
<li>short-term catch maximisation prioritised over precaution</li>
<li>fishery models that rarely consider species interactions or climate impacts</li>
<li>wider effects of fishing on ecosystems and their resilience to multiple pressures are overlooked</li>
</ul>
<h2>No-fishing reserves work</h2>
<p>Our study indicates that a highly effective but underused tool in the manager’s toolbox is expanded rollout of <a href="https://theconversation.com/worlds-largest-survey-of-marine-parks-shows-conservation-can-be-greatly-improved-22827">no-fishing “marine reserves”</a>. Despite receiving wide public support, most Australian marine reserves are small and located in areas with <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aqc.2445">few fishery resources</a>. They consequently house few mature, egg-producing females and do little to assist in the rebuilding of overfished stocks. Nor are they likely to help much in the recovery of important ecosystem functions, as needed for fished-species populations to rebound after climate shocks and other pressures.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aqc.2445">July rollout of Australian Marine Parks</a>, in particular, represents a lost opportunity that may prove a significant problem for fishers. Although covering 2.76 million square kilometres – the largest marine park in the world – <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-new-marine-protected-areas-why-they-wont-work-11469">it is of limited conservation value</a>. </p>
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<p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-new-marine-protected-areas-why-they-wont-work-11469">Australia’s new marine protected areas: why they won't work</a>
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<p>Through three rounds of public submissions, each largely aimed at minimising any remaining overlap with current fishing activities, the final zoning plans affect very few stakeholders. The outcome is neither an efficient nor effective solution to the actual problem of protecting the oceans.</p>
<p>For example, the Temperate East Zone covering waters from the Victorian border to southern Queensland includes no new “no-take” reserves shallower than 1,000m depth, although these waters are where virtually all fishing impacts occur in this region.</p>
<p>The widespread declaration of marine parks that allow current fishing to continue is perhaps useful when harmful fishing practices for ecosystems are excluded. However, our study indicates that this basic assumption does not apply to Australian Marine Parks. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-1-200-scientists-urge-rethink-on-australias-marine-park-plans-84366">More than 1,200 scientists urge rethink on Australia's marine park plans</a>
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<p>The environmental and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aqc.2745">economic</a> debt for future generations is both huge and unfair.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97689/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Graham Edgar received funding from the ARC for this research. He is also the president of the Reef Life Survey Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Trevor J Ward does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Australia was thought to have some of the most sustainable fisheries in the world, but a recent count has found that fish numbers have plummeted by a third.
Graham Edgar, Senior Marine Ecologist, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Trevor J Ward, Adjunct professor, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/86681
2017-11-03T03:27:17Z
2017-11-03T03:27:17Z
Why are talks over an East Antarctic marine park still deadlocked?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192889/original/file-20171101-19853-1mo9h2i.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An Antarctic icebreaker sails past a penguin. But conservationists are still waiting for their own breakthrough.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">John B. Weller</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Last week, representatives from 24 countries plus the European Union <a href="https://www.ccamlr.org/en/ccamlr-xxxvi">met in Hobart</a> to discuss plans for a vast marine protected area (MPA) off the coast of East Antarctica. </p>
<p>The proposed area, spanning almost 1 million square km, is crucial for a vast array of marine life. Scientists, conservationists and governments have been pushing for the protection of this area for upwards of seven years.</p>
<p>Why, then, has the <a href="https://www.ccamlr.org/">Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)</a> failed to deliver, despite having agreed similar protections for other areas of the Southern Ocean? </p>
<p>Competing national incentives among member states, and complex international relations extending far beyond the negotiations themselves, have stymied consensus as states negotiate power and fishing access in this icy commons at the bottom of the world. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-antarctica-depends-on-australia-and-chinas-alliance-59522">Why Antarctica depends on Australia and China's alliance</a>
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<p>CCAMLR committed to establishing a network of marine parks in the Southern Ocean in 2002 and has enjoyed success. In 2009 it established the world’s first international MPA, covering 94,000 square km south of the South Orkney Islands. Then, in 2016, the Commission made headlines when it successfully negotiated the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-china-came-in-from-the-cold-to-help-set-up-antarcticas-vast-new-marine-park-67911">world’s largest marine park</a>, covering 1.55 million square km in the Ross Sea.</p>
<p>This raised hopes for a similar breakthrough for East Antarctica at this year’s meeting. But those hopes were put on hold for another year.</p>
<h2>Vast protections</h2>
<p>According to plans first proposed to CCAMLR in 2012 by Australia, France and the EU, the East Antarctic marine park was designed as a representative system of seven marine protected areas, covering 1.8 million square km that would capture key ecosystem processes.</p>
<p>By 2017 the seven zones had been scaled back to three, covering just under 1 million square km – largely to accommodate some member states’ economic interests and political concerns. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192885/original/file-20171101-19858-104x6c7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192885/original/file-20171101-19858-104x6c7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192885/original/file-20171101-19858-104x6c7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192885/original/file-20171101-19858-104x6c7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=596&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192885/original/file-20171101-19858-104x6c7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=749&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192885/original/file-20171101-19858-104x6c7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=749&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192885/original/file-20171101-19858-104x6c7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=749&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">CCAMLR current MPAs in the South Orkney Islands (adopted in 2009) and Ross Sea (adopted in 2016) and proposed MPA off the East Antarctic. Original 2012 East Antarctic MPA proposal shown in light purple and current 2017 proposal in dark purple. Figure modified after Brooks et al. 2016.</span>
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<p>Coming into 2017, proponents had worked to strengthen the East Antarctic MPA proposal, achieving the support of all states except Russia and China. </p>
<p>This obstruction is not novel. These two states have been the most vocal opponents of MPAs throughout the history of the negotiations, citing a variety of concerns including fishing interests, sufficiency of science, conservation need, and political accusations. </p>
<h2>Fishing interests</h2>
<p>Fishing interests have been a crucial factor in the negotiations, not just for China and Russia but also for the bulk of fishing states, which make up the majority of the Commission. </p>
<p>One of the reasons the South Orkney Islands reserve was adopted swiftly in 2009 was because it did not interfere with current or future fishing interests. Following this precedent, the Ross Sea marine reserve was designed largely around the lucrative fishing grounds for toothfish, and China only agreed to the plans after a krill-fishing zone was added in 2015 – despite the fact that neither China nor any other member state currently fishes for krill in the Ross Sea.</p>
<p>Small toothfish fisheries are scattered throughout the East Antarctic, including within the proposed MPA. However, this proposal has a multiple-use design, and none of the areas are explicitly closed to fishing. Yet some of Russia’s and China’s opposition concerned potential limitations to fishing. Why? </p>
<p>As a commons where sovereignty is suspended under the Antarctic Treaty, the Southern Ocean continues to be a contested space. Fishing can be used as a means to occupy space in this global commons, meeting geopolitical as well economic goals by asserting power and securing future access. </p>
<p>In recent years China has used the debate over MPAs to challenge the intentions of the very CCAMLR Convention as one inherently offering members a right to fish rather than a responsibility to conserve. A new Chinese krill fishing effort in the East Antarctic that initiated last year may be worth more in terms of geopolitics than it is in terms of money. </p>
<h2>Finding opportunities to break the deadlock</h2>
<p>How can the deadlock be broken? Perhaps negotiators can learn from the success of the Ross Sea marine park plan where high-level diplomacy created a political window of opportunity. China’s support was secured in 2015, after presidential-level bilateral meetings with the United States. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-china-came-in-from-the-cold-to-help-set-up-antarcticas-vast-new-marine-park-67911">How China came in from the cold to help set up Antarctica's vast new marine park</a>
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<p>That left Russia as the only nation not to support the plan – a bad look, given that it was preparing to chair the 2016 meeting, and President Vladimir Putin had declared 2017 a special Year of Ecology. Russia had the opportunity and incentives to demonstrate leadership.</p>
<p>But also importantly, the US Secretary of State John Kerry was personally invested in the outcome, and throughout 2016 he had been liaising with his counterparts in Russia. Pressure was building both inside and outside the meeting room. After securing concessions to increase the amount of toothfish fishing in certain zones, Russia eventually approved the plans. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192888/original/file-20171101-19876-tscy8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192888/original/file-20171101-19876-tscy8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/192888/original/file-20171101-19876-tscy8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192888/original/file-20171101-19876-tscy8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192888/original/file-20171101-19876-tscy8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=959&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192888/original/file-20171101-19876-tscy8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1205&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192888/original/file-20171101-19876-tscy8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1205&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/192888/original/file-20171101-19876-tscy8m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1205&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The process of building consensus for adopting CCAMLR MPAs, with particular focus on the Ross Sea MPA during the 2013–2016 time period. Figure modified after Brooks 2017.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In managing one of the great oceanic commons, despite political plays, CCAMLR has demonstrated leadership in adopting marine protected areas. The Southern Ocean now harbours the world’s largest marine park in the Ross Sea. Despite the latest setback a proposal for the East Antarctic remains on the table as well as plans for other marine parks in the Weddell Sea and off the Antarctic Peninsula.</p>
<p>Securing international agreements takes patience and it is often unclear in the moment how a political window of opportunity opens. It may still take some time to align national incentives and generate international diplomacy for the East Antarctic MPA and the others to come. The Commission’s 25 members ultimately need to find the political will to see it through.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/86681/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cassandra Brooks does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Australia is among nations calling for a 1 million square km marine park off East Antarctica. But Russia and China remain opposed, and a recent summit yet again failed to seal the deal.
Cassandra Brooks, Assistant Professor Environmental Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/83717
2017-10-16T03:34:19Z
2017-10-16T03:34:19Z
Is it too cheap to visit the ‘priceless’ Great Barrier Reef?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190304/original/file-20171016-27708-hx6tj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Would you pay more if you thought it would help?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia Commons</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s finest natural wonders. It’s also extraordinarily cheap to visit – perhaps too cheap.</p>
<p>While a visit to the reef can be part of an expensive holiday, the daily fee to enter the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park itself is <a href="http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/zoning-permits-and-plans/environmental-management-charge/what-are-the-charges">a measly A$6.50</a>. In contrast, earlier this year I was lucky enough to visit Rwanda’s mountain gorillas and paid a US$750 fee, and the charge has since been doubled to <a href="http://www.rdb.rw/tourism-and-conservation/gorilla-trekking.html">US$1,500</a>. </p>
<p>To me, seeing the reef was better than visiting the gorillas. Personally, I would be happy to pay more to visit the Great Barrier Reef. Does this mean we’re undervaluing our most important natural wonder? And if we do ask visitors to pay a higher price, would it actually help the reef or simply harm tourism numbers?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/money-cant-buy-me-love-but-you-can-put-a-price-on-a-tree-84357">Money can't buy me love, but you can put a price on a tree</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Putting <a href="https://theconversation.com/money-cant-buy-me-love-but-you-can-put-a-price-on-a-tree-84357">dollar values on the natural world</a> can be a heated topic. Earlier this year Deloitte Access Economics <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au-economics-great-barrier-reef-230617.pdf">valued the Great Barrier Reef at A$56 billion</a> “as an Australian economic, social and iconic asset”, but was met with the retort that its true value is <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-the-%20economic-value-of-the-great-barrier-reef-its-priceless-80061">priceless</a>. </p>
<p>The A$56 billion estimate was based on surveys that measured “consumer surplus and non-use benefits”. This common research technique involves asking people what they would be willing to pay to get a particular benefit. For example, the entrance fee for the reef is A$6.50 but if I am willing to pay A$50 (say), that equates to a consumer surplus of A$43.50. In other words, I am receiving A$43.50 worth of value that I did not have to pay for. </p>
<p>I understand that some people instinctively object to the idea of trying to put monetary values on things like the Great Barrier Reef. But I think valuation helps, on balance, because it offers a way to assimilate environmental information into the economic processes through which most decisions are made. Money makes the world go around, after all. </p>
<p>However this should be done on the proviso that the valuation is systematic and based on sound environmental and economic data. </p>
<h2>Accounting for the Great Barrier Reef</h2>
<p>The process by which these values are calculated is called “<a href="https://theconversation.com/money-cant-buy-me-love-but-you-can-put-a-price-on-a-tree-84357">environmental accounting</a>”, and estimates have to meet <a href="https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/seeaRev/SEEA_CF_Final_en.pdf">international standards known as the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting or SEEA</a> in order to be valid. This builds on the System of National Accounts (which among many other things gives us the GDP indicator). In this accounting, as in business accounting, the values recorded are exchange values – that is, what someone paid (or was likely to pay) for a good, service or asset. For assets that aren’t regularly traded, this figure can be based on either previous sales or expected future income. </p>
<p>It does not use willingness-to-pay measures. The Deloitte report also estimated exchange values in line with accounting values, with the Great Barrier Reef contributing A$6.4 billion to the economy through tourism, fishing, recreation, and research and scientific management.</p>
<p>The Australian Bureau of Statistics has a <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4680.02017?OpenDocument">huge amount of data</a> on the Great Barrier Reef, covering the physical state of the reef and its surroundings, the economic activity occurring in the region, and more besides.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, tourism is the region’s most valuable industry, contributing A$3.8 billion in <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by+Subject/1367.0%7E2012%7EMain+Features%7EIndustry+Gross+Value+Added%7E6.23">gross value added</a> in 2015-16 (see Table 1 <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4680.0Main%20Features102017?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4680.0&issue=2017&num=&view=">here</a>). That year the Marine Park had 2.3 million visitors, who together paid just under A$9 million in park entry charges (see Table 4 <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/4680.0Main%20Features102017?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4680.0&issue=2017&num=&view=">here</a>). </p>
<p>Ecosystem services are the contributions of the natural world to benefits enjoyed by people. For example, farmers grow crops that are pollinated by insects and use nutrients found in the soil. These things are not explicitly paid for, but by examining economic transactions we can estimate their value. </p>
<p>Surprisingly, the value of ecosystem services used by tourism was A$600 million – just half the value of the ecosystem services used by the agriculture industry. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190318/original/file-20171016-27761-ejcdjj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190318/original/file-20171016-27761-ejcdjj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/190318/original/file-20171016-27761-ejcdjj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190318/original/file-20171016-27761-ejcdjj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190318/original/file-20171016-27761-ejcdjj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190318/original/file-20171016-27761-ejcdjj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190318/original/file-20171016-27761-ejcdjj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/190318/original/file-20171016-27761-ejcdjj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=526&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Value of ecosystem services (in millions of dollars) used by selected industries in the Great Barrier Reef Region in 2014-15.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">ABS</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The result is partly explained by the way things are valued. Agricultural products are bought and sold in markets, whereas the Great Barrier Reef is a public asset and the fee for visiting it is set by governments, not by a market. </p>
<p>On these numbers, paying A$6.50 to visit one of the great treasures of the world is a bargain indeed. But what does it mean for the reef itself?</p>
<h2>Reef under threat</h2>
<p>The reef is under pressure from <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/great-barrier-reef-threats-series-17189">many factors</a>, including <a href="https://theconversation.com/coal-and-climate-change-a-death-sentence-for-the-great-barrier-reef-39252">climate change</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/cloudy-issue-we-need-to-fix-the-barrier-reefs-murky-waters-39380">nutrient runoff</a>, tourism impacts, and fishing. Managing the pressure requires resources, and it makes sense to ask those who use it to pay for it. </p>
<p>Increased funding to help manage these pressures would therefore be good. What’s more, governments could conceivably also use natural resources to generate money to fund other public goods and services, such as roads, education, health, defence, and so on. </p>
<p>Before you protest at this idea, ask yourself: why should the Great Barrier Reef not be used to generate revenue for government? Other natural resources are used this way. The federal and Queensland governments are <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-we-still-pursuing-the-adani-carmichael-mine-85100">pursuing economic benefits</a> from the coal in the nearby Galilee Basin. If government revenue from the Great Barrier Reef were increased, it might reduce the need for revenue from elsewhere. </p>
<h2>So what next?</h2>
<p>Environmental accounting offers a clear way to assess such trade-offs, and will hopefully lead to better decisions. To achieve this we will need:</p>
<ul>
<li>Regular environmental-economic accounts from trusted institutions like the ABS</li>
<li>Governments and business to incorporate this new accounting into their strategic planning and management (including, in the case of the Great Barrier Reef, assessing the likely revenue from increased marine park fees)</li>
<li>The public to use the accounts to hold our government and business leaders to
account. </li>
</ul>
<p>The last will no doubt make some uncomfortable, while the second will take some time. The first is already a reality. I hope others take the time to understand and analyse the accounts already available, and that we get as much debate about managing the environment as we do about managing the economy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83717/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Vardon has previously worked for the Australian Bureau of Statistics and currently coordinates a course on environmental-economic accounting that is is run jointly by the Bureau and the Australia National University. He has received funding from the World Bank and United Nations for work on environmental-economic accounting. </span></em></p>
Is Australia undervaluing its most valuable natural asset by only charging $6.50 a day to visit the Great Barrier Reef? And would it help if tourists were asked to pay more?
Michael Vardon, Visiting Fellow at the Fenner School, Australian National University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/84440
2017-10-02T18:41:08Z
2017-10-02T18:41:08Z
Plenty of fish in the sea? Not necessarily, as history shows
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188275/original/file-20171001-22066-1p8v0lh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ern McQuillan, Tuna Fishing at Eden, New South Wales, 1960.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Library of Australia</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia has had tens of thousands of years of fisheries exploitation. That history reveals a staggering natural bounty, which has been alarmingly fragile without proper management. The current debate over the federal government’s new <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-new-marine-parks-plan-is-a-case-of-the-emperors-new-clothes-81391">draft marine park plans</a> is the latest chapter of this story. </p>
<p>Early accounts described what we can only read today as some sort of fishing Eden. The sea floor off the west coast of Tasmania was carpeted red with crayfish. Extraordinary schools of Australian salmon swelled the beaches of southern Australia — from Albany right around to Port Macquarie. Mountains of mullet migrated annually up the east coast of the continent.</p>
<p>Colonial writers described huge hauls of fish, caught using nets they had brought over on the First Fleet. One catch in 1788 was so large, wrote David Collins, the colony’s newly minted Judge-Advocate, that it actually broke the net. Collins speculated that if the haul had been landed, the entire catch could “have served the settlement [of over 1000] for a day”.</p>
<p>Like colonial fishers on the coast, inland explorers such as John Oxley were struck by the paradox of Australia’s natural world. The land seemed barren and unsuited for pastoralism, he observed in 1817, yet the water teemed with life. In less than an hour, one of his party “caught 18 large fish, one of which was a curiosity from its immense size and the beauty of its colours,” wrote Oxley. “It weighed entire 70 pounds [31kg].”</p>
<h2>Indigenous fishing knowledge</h2>
<p>For Indigenous people, seasonal mobility had both signalled and prescribed the times for fishing and its availability, forming a vital part of their management of local fisheries.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188272/original/file-20171001-13542-1551kjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188272/original/file-20171001-13542-1551kjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188272/original/file-20171001-13542-1551kjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188272/original/file-20171001-13542-1551kjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188272/original/file-20171001-13542-1551kjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188272/original/file-20171001-13542-1551kjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188272/original/file-20171001-13542-1551kjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188272/original/file-20171001-13542-1551kjx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Joseph Lycett, Aborigines Spearing Fish, Others Diving for Crayfish, c.1817.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Library of Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For the Yolngu in Arnhem Land, flowering stringybark trees coincided with the shrinking of waterholes, where fish could be more readily netted and speared, or poisoned. When the D’harawal people of the Shoalhaven region in southern New South Wales saw the golden wattle flowers of the Kai’arrewan (Acacia binervia), they knew the fish would be running in the rivers and prawns would be schooling in estuarine shallows.</p>
<p>In Queensland, the movement and population of particular fish species had their own corresponding sign on land. The extent of the annual sea mullet run in the cool winter months could apparently be predicted by the numbers of rainbow lorikeets in late autumn. If black magpies were scarce in winter, numbers of luderick would also be low. When the bush was ablaze with the fragrant sunny blooms of coastal wattle in early spring, surging schools of tailor could be expected just offshore.</p>
<p>A diversity of Indigenous fishing practices developed to capitalise on this. In the Gadigal nation (where Sydney is situated), Eora fisherwomen hand-lined for snapper, dory and mullet. At the end of their lines, elegant fishhooks made from carved abalone or turban shells were dropped over the side of their canoes. </p>
<p>These canoes, known as <em>nowies</em>, were “nothing more than a large piece of bark tied up at both ends with vines”, described the British officer Watkin Tench. Despite their apparent flimsiness, the fisherwomen were master skippers, paddling across the bays and offshore, waves slapping at the sides of their precarious vessels. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188273/original/file-20171001-21091-yfa5wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188273/original/file-20171001-21091-yfa5wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188273/original/file-20171001-21091-yfa5wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188273/original/file-20171001-21091-yfa5wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188273/original/file-20171001-21091-yfa5wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=363&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188273/original/file-20171001-21091-yfa5wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188273/original/file-20171001-21091-yfa5wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188273/original/file-20171001-21091-yfa5wz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=456&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Frank Hurley, Aboriginal Man Standing Holding a Large Oval Fishing Net, 1914.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Library of Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When the water was calm and clear enough, Aboriginal men around Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay were frequently seen lying across their <em>nowies</em>, faces fully submerged, peering through the cool blue with a spear at the ready. They “do this with such certainty,” wrote John Clark in 1813, that they “rarely miss their aim”.</p>
<p>Yet the growth of stationary colonial settlements soon saw those fisheries put under enormous pressure.</p>
<h2>Over-fishing concerns by the 1880s</h2>
<p>By the mid-1800s, local fisheries near rapidly-growing cities such as Port Jackson and Botany Bay were already seeing the effects of <a href="https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/booralee_fishing_town">over-fishing</a>. Practices such as “stalling” netted off entire tidal flats at high tide, and trapped everything behind a thin layer of fine mesh when the water retreated. Fishers picked out the larger fish such as bream, whiting and flathead for market, but piles of small fish were simply left to rot.</p>
<p>While the “net of the fishermen gradually increased in length”, noted Alexander Oliver, who was appointed to the 1880 Commission of Inquiry into the NSW fisheries, the “meshes decreased in width, so that nothing escaped, and bushels upon bushels of small fry — the young of the very best fishes — were left on the beaches”.</p>
<p>There were calls for greater regulation and fisheries management by the mid-19th century. Fish “are followed up every creek and cranny by their relentless human enemies”, and “perpetually harassed and hunted”, reported the 1880 Commission, which had been convened to investigate the poor state of the local fishing industry. It revealed an anxiety over stocks and sustainability that sounds eerily familiar today.</p>
<p>The fine-line between commercial exploitation and sustainability has been gingerly walked throughout Australia’s fishing history, sometimes catastrophically. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188274/original/file-20171001-12953-68di39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188274/original/file-20171001-12953-68di39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188274/original/file-20171001-12953-68di39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188274/original/file-20171001-12953-68di39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188274/original/file-20171001-12953-68di39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=440&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188274/original/file-20171001-12953-68di39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188274/original/file-20171001-12953-68di39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188274/original/file-20171001-12953-68di39.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=553&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Catch of Sea Garfish (Hemirhamphus) at Thompson’s Beach, near Sydney, N.S.W. 1911, plate II in The Future of Commercial Marine Fishing in New South Wales by David George Stead.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Library of Australia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the late 1920s, tiger flathead stocks south of Sydney completely collapsed - less than a decade after the introduction of ocean trawl fishing. In 1919, takings on the Botany Grounds had totalled 2.3 million tons. In 1928, flattie stocks crashed, and by 1937 only 0.2 million tons were hauled up by the trawling fleet. </p>
<p>That stocks are still only 40% of pre-1915 levels, nearly a century after their initial collapse, shows just how much longer it takes fish populations to recover after plunder.</p>
<p>In the 1970s and 1980s, the same cycle of boom-to-bust played out with southern blue-fin tuna and orange roughy. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188277/original/file-20171001-8620-1hae1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/188277/original/file-20171001-8620-1hae1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188277/original/file-20171001-8620-1hae1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188277/original/file-20171001-8620-1hae1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188277/original/file-20171001-8620-1hae1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188277/original/file-20171001-8620-1hae1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/188277/original/file-20171001-8620-1hae1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Julie Fourter and Ruth Maddison, Guy Robert on Osprey IV Climbing Mound of Orange Roughy, a Deep.
Sea Fish, Portland, Victoria, 1988.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">© Ruth Maddison</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In response, marine parks were introduced from the 1980s, as well as national regulations that enforced catch sizes, fishing zones and seasons, and even the mesh size of nets. </p>
<p>Fisheries management have responded to declining stocks by introducing wide-ranging legislation across the recreational and commercial sectors. But they’re in an unenviable position, essentially forced to make laws in response to fishing practices sometimes over a century old (such as the excessive by-catch of trawlers), while simultaneously “balancing” the contemporary demands of conservationists, recreational and commercial fishers. </p>
<p>To be fair, that quest for “balance” isn’t easy. Yet we also know from history that this is a zero-sum game: there are plenty of fish in the sea — until there aren’t.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84440/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Clark does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The history of fisheries exploitation in Australia reveals a staggering natural bounty, which has been alarmingly fragile without proper management.
Anna Clark, Australian Research Council Future Fellow in Public History, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/84366
2017-09-20T20:36:40Z
2017-09-20T20:36:40Z
More than 1,200 scientists urge rethink on Australia’s marine park plans
<p><em>The following is a statement from the <a href="http://oceansciencecouncil.org/">Ocean Science Council of Australia</a>, an internationally recognised independent group of university-based Australian marine researchers, and signed by <a href="http://oceansciencecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/OSCA-science-statement-2017_09_20.pdf">1,286 researchers from 45 countries and jurisdictions</a>, in response to the federal government’s <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/management/draft-plans">draft marine parks plans</a>.</em> </p>
<hr>
<p>We, the <a href="http://oceansciencecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/OSCA-science-statement-2017_09_20.pdf">undersigned scientists</a>, are deeply concerned about the future of the Australian Marine Parks Network and the apparent abandoning of science-based policy by the Australian government.</p>
<p>On July 21, 2017, the Australian government released <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/management/draft-plans/">draft management plans</a> that recommend how the Marine Parks Network should be managed. These plans are deeply flawed from a science perspective.</p>
<p>Of particular concern to scientists is the government’s proposal to significantly reduce high-level or “no-take” protection (<a href="https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about/protected-areas-categories">Marine National Park Zone IUCN II</a>), replacing it with partial protection (<a href="https://www.iucn.org/theme/protected-areas/about/protected-areas-categories">Habitat Protection Zone IUCN IV</a>), the benefits of which are at best modest but more generally have been shown to be inadequate.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-new-marine-parks-plan-is-a-case-of-the-emperors-new-clothes-81391">Australia’s new marine parks plan is a case of the Emperor's new clothes</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-reserves/overview/resources">2012 expansion of Australia’s Marine Parks Network</a> was a major step forward in the conservation of marine biodiversity, providing protection to habitats and ecological processes critical to marine life. However, there were flaws in the location of the parks and their planned protection levels, with barely 3% of the continental shelf, the area subject to greatest human use, afforded high-level protection status, and most of that of residual importance to biodiversity.</p>
<p>The government’s <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/marinereservesreview/home">2013 Review of the Australian Marine Parks Network</a> had the potential to address these flaws and strengthen protection. However, the draft management plans have proposed severe reductions in high-level protection of almost 400,000 square kilometres – that is, 46% of the high-level protection in the marine parks established in 2012. </p>
<p>Commercial fishing would be allowed in 80% of the waters within the marine parks, including activities assessed by the government’s own <a href="http://conservationgeography.org/content/fishing-gear-risk-assessments">risk assessments</a> as incompatible with conservation. Recreational fishing would occur in 97% of Commonwealth waters up to 100km from the coast, ignoring the <a href="relevant%20link%20from%20ref%20list%20would%20be%20good%20here">evidence</a> documenting the negative impacts of recreational fishing on biodiversity outcomes.</p>
<p>Under the draft plans:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>The Coral Sea Marine Park, which links the iconic Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to the waters of New Caledonia’s Exclusive Economic Zone (also under consideration for protection), has had its Marine National Park Zones (IUCN II) reduced in area by approximately 53% (see map below)</p></li>
<li><p>Six of the largest marine parks have had the area of their Marine National Park Zones IUCN II reduced by between 42% and 73%</p></li>
<li><p>Two marine parks have been entirely stripped of any high-level protection, leaving 16 of the 44 marine parks created in 2012 without any form of Marine National Park IUCN II protection.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Proposed Coral Sea Marine Park zoning, as recommended by independent review (left) and in the new draft plan (right), showing the proposed expansion of partial protection (yellow) vs full protection (green).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">From http://www.environment.gov.au/marinereservesreview/reports and https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/management/draft-plans/</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The replacement of high-level protection with partial protection is not supported by science. The government’s own <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-reserves/overview/background#Social_and_economic_assessments">economic analyses</a> also indicate that such a reduction in protection offers little more than marginal economic benefits to a very small number of commercial fishery licence-holders.</p>
<h2>Retrograde step</h2>
<p>This retrograde step by Australia’s government is a matter of both national and international significance. Australia has been a world leader in marine conservation for decades, beginning with the establishment of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in the 1970s and its expanded protection in 2004. </p>
<p>At a time when oceans are under increasing pressure from overexploitation, climate change, industrialisation, and plastics and other forms of pollution, building resilience through highly protected Marine National Park IUCN II Zones is well supported by decades of science. This research documents how high-level protection conserves biodiversity, enhances fisheries and assists ecosystem recovery, serving as essential reference areas against which areas that are subject to human activity can be compared to assess impact.</p>
<p>The establishment of a strong backbone of high-level protection within Marine National Park Zones throughout Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone would be a scientifically based contribution to the protection of intact marine ecosystems globally. Such protection is consistent with the move by many countries, including Chile, France, Kiribati, New Zealand, Russia, the UK and US to establish very large no-take marine reserves. In stark contrast, the implementation of the government’s draft management plans would see Australia become the first nation to retreat on ocean protection.</p>
<p>Australia’s oceans are a global asset, spanning tropical, temperate and Antarctic waters. They support six of the seven known species of marine turtles and more than half of the world’s whale and dolphin species. Australia’s oceans are home to more than 20% of the world’s fish species and are a hotspot of marine endemism. By properly protecting them, Australia will be supporting the maintenance of our global ocean heritage. </p>
<p>The finalisation of the Marine Parks Network remains a remarkable opportunity for the Australian government to strengthen the levels of Marine National Park Zone IUCN II protection and to do so on the back of strong evidence. In contrast, implementation of the government’s retrograde draft management plans undermines ocean resilience and would allow damaging activities to proceed in the absence of proof of impact, ignoring the fact that a lack of evidence does not mean a lack of impact. These draft plans deny the science-based evidence.</p>
<p>We encourage the Australian government to increase the number and area of Marine National Park IUCN II Zones, building on the large body of science that supports such decision-making. This means achieving a target of at least 30% of each marine habitat in these zones, which is supported by Australian and international marine scientists and affirmed by the <a href="http://www.worldparkscongress.org/">2014 World Parks Congress</a> in Sydney and the IUCN Members Assembly at the <a href="https://www.iucn.org/about/world-conservation-congress">2016 World Conservation Congress</a> in Hawaii.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>You can read a fully referenced version of the science statement <a href="http://oceansciencecouncil.org/statement/">here</a>, and see the list of signatories <a href="http://oceansciencecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/OSCA-science-statement-2017_09_20.pdf">here</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84366/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Meeuwig does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Australia’s reputation as a global leader in marine conservation is being put at risk by plans to strip back sanctuary areas within marine parks, say scientists from around the globe.
Jessica Meeuwig, Professor & Director, Marine Futures Lab, The University of Western Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/81391
2017-07-24T05:40:04Z
2017-07-24T05:40:04Z
Australia’s new marine parks plan is a case of the Emperor’s new clothes
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179377/original/file-20170724-28505-1oghl27.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Orca family group at the Bremer Canyon off WA's south coast.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">R. Wellard</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The federal government’s new <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/management/draft-plans/">draft marine park plans</a> are based on an unsubstantiated premise: that protection of Australia’s ocean wildlife is consistent with activities such as fishing and oil and gas exploration. </p>
<p>Under the proposed plans, there would be no change to the boundaries of existing marine parks, which cover 36% of Commonwealth waters, or almost 2.4 million square kilometres. But many areas inside these boundaries will be rezoned to allow for a range of activities besides conservation.</p>
<p>The plans propose dividing marine parks into three types of zones:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Green</strong>: “National Park Zones” with full conservation protection</li>
<li><strong>Yellow</strong>: “Habitat Protection Zones” where fishing is allowed as long as the seafloor is not harmed</li>
<li><strong>Blue</strong>: “Special Purpose Zones” that allow for specific commercial activities.</li>
</ul>
<p>Crucially, under the new draft plans, the amount of green zones will be almost halved, from 36% to 20% of the marine park network, whereas yellow zones will almost double from 24% to 43%, compared with <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-reserves/overview/resources">when the marine parks were established in 2012</a>.</p>
<p>The government has <a href="http://www.joshfrydenberg.com.au/guest/mediaReleasesDetails.aspx?id=394">said</a> that this approach will “allow sustainable activities like commercial fishing while protecting key conservation features”.</p>
<p>But like the courtiers told to <a href="http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html">admire the Emperor’s non-existent new clothes</a>, we’re being asked to believe something to be true despite strong evidence to the contrary. </p>
<h2>The Emperor’s unrobing</h2>
<p>The new plans follow on from last year’s release of an <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/marinereservesreview/home">independent review</a>, commissioned by the Abbott government after <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/marine-reserves-ditched-despite-tide-of-research-20140825-1083js.html">suspending</a> the <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-reserves/overview/resources">previous network of marine reserves</a> implemented under Julia Gillard in 2012.</p>
<p>Yet the latest draft plans, which propose to gut the network of green zones, ignore many of the recommendations made in the review, which was itself an erosion of the suspended 2012 plans.</p>
<p>The extent of green zones is crucial, because the <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v506/n7487/full/nature13022.html?foxtrotcallback=true">science says</a> they are the engine room of conservation. Fully protected marine national parks – with no fishing, no mining, and no oil and gas drilling – deliver far more benefits to biodiversity than other zone types. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12247/abstract">best estimates</a> suggest that 30-40% of the seascape should ideally be fully protected, rather than the 20% proposed under the new plans.</p>
<p>Partially protected areas, such as the yellow zones that allow fishing while protecting the seabed, do not generate conservation benefits equivalent to those of full protection.</p>
<p>While some studies suggest that partial protection is <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/faf.12044/abstract">better than nothing</a>, others suggest that these zones offer <a href="http://www.int-res.com/articles/meps2008/367/m367p049.pdf">little to no improvement</a> relative to areas fully open to exploitation. </p>
<p>Environment minister Josh Frydenberg has pointed out that, under the new plans, the total area zoned as either green or yellow will rise from 60% to 63% compared with the 2012 network. But yellow is not the new green. What’s more, yellow zones have <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2011.00171.x/abstract">similar management costs</a> to green zones, which means that the government is proposing to spend the same amount of money for far inferior protection. And as any decent sex-ed teacher will tell you, partial protection is a risky business.</p>
<h2>What do the draft plans mean?</h2>
<p>Let’s take a couple of examples, starting with the <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/pub/draft-plans/coral-sea-draft-management-plan-2017.pdf">Coral Sea Marine Park</a>. This is perhaps the most disappointing rollback in the new draft plan. The green zone, which would have been one of the largest fully protected areas on the planet, has been reduced by half to allow for fishing activity in a significantly expanded yellow zone.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=266&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179316/original/file-20170723-28478-1lc3sey.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=335&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Coral Sea Marine Park zoning, as recommended by Independent Review (left) and in the new draft plan (right), showing the proposed expansion of partial protection (yellow) vs full protection (green).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">From http://www.environment.gov.au/marinereservesreview/reports and https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/management/draft-plans/</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This yellow zone would allow the use of <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/629be75b-5c16-4d6e-944e-c104ee312ac6/files/fishing-risk-assessment.pdf">pelagic longlines</a> to fish for tuna. This is despite <a href="http://www.afma.gov.au/fisheries/eastern-tuna-and-billfish-fishery-page/">government statistics</a> showing that around 30% of the catch in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish fishery consists of species that are either overexploited or uncertain in their sustainability, and the government’s <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/629be75b-5c16-4d6e-944e-c104ee312ac6/files/fishing-risk-assessment.pdf">own risk assessment</a> that found these types of fishing lines are incompatible with conservation. </p>
<p>What this means, in effect, is that the plans to establish a world-class marine park in the Coral Sea will be significantly undermined for the sake of saving commercial tuna fishers A$4.1 million per year, or <a href="http://www.joshfrydenberg.com.au/guest/mediaReleasesDetails.aspx?id=394">0.3% of the total revenue</a> from Australia’s wild-catch fisheries. </p>
<p>Contrast this with the <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au-economics-great-barrier-reef-230617.pdf">A$6.4 billion</a> generated by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in 2015-16, the majority of which comes from non-extractive industries.</p>
<p>This same erosion of protection is also proposed in Western Australia, where the government’s draft plan would reduce green zones by 43% across the <a href="https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/management/draft-plans/">largest marine parks</a> in the region.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179320/original/file-20170723-28483-16vxtzl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179320/original/file-20170723-28483-16vxtzl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/179320/original/file-20170723-28483-16vxtzl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=189&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179320/original/file-20170723-28483-16vxtzl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=189&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179320/original/file-20170723-28483-16vxtzl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=189&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179320/original/file-20170723-28483-16vxtzl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179320/original/file-20170723-28483-16vxtzl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/179320/original/file-20170723-28483-16vxtzl.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Zoning for the Gascoyne Marine Park as recommended by the Independent Review (left) and the new draft plan (right).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">http://www.environment.gov.au/marinereservesreview/reports and https://parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/management/draft-plans/</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Again, this is despite clear evidence that the fishing activities occurring in these areas are not compatible with conservation. Such proposals also ignore future pressures such as deep-sea mining.</p>
<p>The overall effect is summarised neatly by <a href="http://www.joshfrydenberg.com.au/guest/mediaReleasesDetails.aspx?id=394">Frydenberg’s statement</a> that the government’s plans will: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>…increase the total area of the reserves open to fishing from 64% to 80% … (and) make 97% of waters within 100 kilometres of the coast open for recreational fishing. </p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Building ocean resilience</h2>
<p>Science shows that full protection creates resilience by supporting intact ecosystems. Fully protected green zones recover faster from <a href="https://theconversation.com/marine-reserves-saved-coral-reefs-from-queensland-floods-26053">flooding</a> and <a href="http://www.wri.org/chagos-archipelago-case-study-rapid-reef-recovery">coral bleaching</a>, have reduced rates of <a href="https://theconversation.com/banning-fishing-has-helped-parts-of-the-great-barrier-reef-recover-from-damage-55828">disease</a>, and fend off <a href="https://theconversation.com/marine-reserves-help-fish-resist-climate-change-invaders-20960">climate invaders</a> more effectively than areas that are open to fishing. </p>
<p>Green zones also contribute indirectly to the blue economy. They help <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms3347">support fisheries</a> and function as <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982212003958">“nurseries” for fish larvae</a>. For commercial fisheries, these sanctuaries are more important than ever in view of the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms10244">declines in global catches since we hit “peak fish” in 1996</a>. </p>
<p>Of course it is important to balance conservation with sustainable economic use of our oceans. Yet the government’s new draft plan leaves a huge majority of Australia’s waters open to business as usual. It’s a brave Emperor who thinks this will protect our oceans. </p>
<p>So let’s put some real clothes on the Emperor and create a network of marine protection that supports our blue economy and is backed by science.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81391/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Meeuwig has received funding from the National Environmental Science Programme and the Ian Potter Foundation in relation to understanding offshore marine protected areas.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Booth has received funding from the Australia Research Council. He is affiliated with Australian Coral Reef Society and Australian Marine Science Association </span></em></p>
The government aims to dramatically reduce the areas offered full protection and expand zones where fishing is allowed, while also claiming that this will still deliver good conservation.
Jessica Meeuwig, Professor & Director, Marine Futures Lab, The University of Western Australia
David Booth, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/67911
2016-10-31T19:00:30Z
2016-10-31T19:00:30Z
How China came in from the cold to help set up Antarctica’s vast new marine park
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143864/original/image-20161031-15821-16r5pfm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Next year the Ross Sea will be home to the world's largest marine reserve.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMt_Herschel%2C_Antarctica%2C_Jan_2006.jpg">Andrew Mandemaker/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Conservationists have been celebrating the <a href="https://www.ccamlr.org/en/news/2016/ccamlr-create-worlds-largest-marine-protected-area">creation of the world’s largest marine park</a>, covering 1.55 million square kilometres of the Ross Sea off Antarctica.</p>
<p>The agreement, brokered at last week’s annual meeting of the <a href="https://www.ccamlr.org">Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)</a> in Hobart, will enter into force on December 1, 2017 – thanks in large part to China ending its resistance to the proposal.</p>
<p>For the next 35 years, fishing will be totally banned in a “no-take zone” covering 1.12 million square kilometres (72%) of the marine park, with exceptions for krill and toothfish in specially designated research zones.</p>
<p>The marine park’s creation follows years of often frustrating negotiations. The United States and New Zealand brought the idea to the 2012 CCAMLR meeting, but were met with concerns, particularly from Russia and China.</p>
<p>At the 2014 meeting, China set out the reasons for its opposition. Its delegates argued that the term “conservation” should balance protection and rational use of marine living resources; that marine parks should not be set up in the Southern Ocean without convincing data showing they will work; and that the CCAMLR has already adopted a wide range of successful conservation measures in the seas around Antarctica. </p>
<p>A year later, China once again looked set to block the issue, posing a series of questions about the proposed marine park. How could marine parks allow rational use of marine living resources? How could they facilitate scientific research? How would they be monitored and regulated, and how long would the protections last? </p>
<p>Nevertheless, China surprisingly supported the Ross Sea proposal at the end of the 2015 CCAMLR meeting, paving the way for this month’s decision. </p>
<p>Why the turnaround from China’s previous opposition? And what does this mean for its growing and changing influence on Antarctic diplomacy? </p>
<h2>Global influence</h2>
<p>There are three key reasons that explain China’s shifting position. First, China is a latecomer to the current global ocean governance regime. When the <a href="http://www.ats.aq/e/ats.htm">Antarctic Treaty</a> was signed in 1959, China was still relatively isolated from the international community. It was not until 1978 that it opened its doors to the world and engaged with the current international legal system, and as such it had little influence on the 1982 <a href="http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overview_convention.htm">United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea</a>. </p>
<p>It has taken time for China to develop the necessary diplomatic and scientific expertise to become comfortable in this space. As a historic rule-taker rather than rule-maker, its government may need to overcome a natural mistrust of many existing regimes. </p>
<p>This issue is not unique to marine parks. Such hesitation was also evident when China <a href="https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/countries_e/china_e.htm">joined the World Trade Organization in 2001</a> and when it started engaging with <a href="http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/status_of_ratification/items/2631.php">UN climate change negotiations</a> in 1994. But China now uses the WTO dispute settlement body as frequently as other members, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/us-china-ratification-of-paris-agreement-ramps-up-the-pressure-on-australia-64821">ratified the Paris climate agreement</a> at September’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/g20-finance-chiefs-meet-as-china-seeks-to-make-a-show-of-its-presidency-55258">G20 summit</a> which it hosted for the first time – another sign of its increasing diplomatic engagement. </p>
<p>Second, China became a party of the CCAMLR in 2007. As the world’s second-largest economy and largest fishing nation, China has global fishing interests, including off Antarctica. Chinese Krill fishing in Antarctica has <a href="https://www.ccamlr.org/en/fisheries/krill-%E2%80%93-biology-ecology-and-fishing">grown significantly since 2009</a>, reaching 54,300 tonnes in 2014. This partly explains China’s concerns over proposed no-take zones. </p>
<p>There is, however, a deeper philosophical concern, which might be described as “anxiousness for commons”. While China’s Antarctic fishing interests account for only a very small share of its global catch, they are highly symbolic because Antarctic fishing showcases China’s quest for freedom in the “global commons”. </p>
<p>Third, the international community is currently developing a new global ocean governance regime. By coincidence, negotiations on the regulation of fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean and other international areas of the high seas have been going on at the same time as the discussions about the Ross Sea. In the Northeast Atlantic, the OSPAR has already established a network of high sea marine parks. </p>
<p>As a rising power, China would not be happy to face constraints or bans on its activities at a time when its rising status gives it access to places like the high seas, the ocean floor, the poles, and outer space. It would be a shame if China were to remain silent on those issues, and it probably won’t – China’s 13th Five Year Plan (2016-20) clearly says the nation would like to take a more active role in global ocean governance. </p>
<p>In the foreseeable future, we could possibly see China become more comfortable and active within the CCAMLR as well as the Antarctic Treaty System. Although generally being supportive, China would not keep silent. Rather, it would speak up more openly for its Antarctic interests, and have more intensive engagement with the Antarctic Treaty System. </p>
<p>One challenge for China would be how to enhance its capacity and expertise so as to provide high-quality proposals, which could not only pursue its own interests, but as an important global player, also help to make a concrete contribution to achieving sustainability in the Southern Ocean.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67911/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nengye Liu receives funding from the EU Centre for Global Affairs, University of Adelaide, Australia and is working on a Project "The European Union and Conservation of Marine Living Resources in Antarctica".</span></em></p>
After years of stalled negotiations, China has ended its opposition to the world’s largest marine park off Antarctica - part of a wider trend towards increased Chinese involvement in global governance.
Nengye Liu, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of New England
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/65224
2016-10-27T19:09:09Z
2016-10-27T19:09:09Z
Changes to Australia’s marine reserves leave our oceans unprotected
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143412/original/image-20161027-11239-15k8nbo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Marlin are one of the prized fish in Australia's oceans. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marlin image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ocean health relies on a strong backbone of protection and management. Marine reserves can be part of the solution, but only if they’re constructed in the right way. <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/marinereservesreview/home">Recent recommendations on Australia’s marine reserves</a> would leave more ocean unprotected. </p>
<p>Marine reserves are a mix of multiple-use zones that allow activities such as mining and fishing, and highly-protected zones called marine national parks that are free of extractive activities. These marine national parks are the gold standard for protecting our oceans. Globally, <a href="http://www.mpatlas.org/">less than 1%</a> of the world’s oceans are fully protected in no-take marine national parks or their equivalents. </p>
<p>Australia is currently deciding how much of its ocean territory it will place in marine national parks and where. To this end, the government recently released its <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/marinereservesreview/home">commissioned review</a> of Australia’s Commonwealth Marine Reserve Network. </p>
<p>Such a review is welcome as Australia has yet to provide <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/ef577ee6-e36e-4435-adf9-cbb5600728a3/files/nrsmpa-principles.pdf">comprehensive, adequate and representative</a> protection for its oceans. This is despite the general recognition within the Australian community that <a href="http://www.marinescience.net.au/blue-economy/">economic growth</a> depends on a healthy and properly functioning environment.</p>
<p>Marine national parks play a fundamental role in contributing to ocean ecosystem function and provide a means to assess the health of areas outside of these zones that are open to greater use by humans.</p>
<p>This understanding of the interdependence of how we protect and sustainably use our oceans is, unfortunately, largely missing from the review’s recommendations.</p>
<h2>The gold standard</h2>
<p>In early 2016 the <a href="http://oceansciencecouncil.org/">Ocean Science Council of Australia</a> (OSCA) prepared a <a href="http://oceansciencecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/OSCA-CMR-Review-2016_02_04-FINAL.pdf">scientific analysis</a> aimed at helping define what Australia’s marine reserves should deliver. </p>
<p>Based on hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and myriad international consensus statements from researchers on the need for strong ocean protection, the Council concluded that science-based decisions and actions should:</p>
<p>(1) Prevent fishing, mining and other extractive activities on at least 30% of each marine habitat, according to the <a href="https://portals.iucn.org/congress/motion/053">international standard for ocean protection</a> to deliver protection of both biodiversity and ecosystem services</p>
<p>(2) Improve representation of marine national parks in bioregions (regions of the ocean defined by particular species and climate) and <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/sprat-public/action/kef/search">key ecological features</a> (such as the continental shelf and offshore reefs) that were already under-represented in the 2012 marine reserve plans</p>
<p>(3) Build and maintain large, contiguous, highly-protected marine national parks in regions such as the Coral Sea</p>
<p>(4) Quantify the benefits of Australia’s marine reserves so as to make their value to Australia clearer.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143408/original/image-20161027-11256-1pafgts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143408/original/image-20161027-11256-1pafgts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/143408/original/image-20161027-11256-1pafgts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143408/original/image-20161027-11256-1pafgts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143408/original/image-20161027-11256-1pafgts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=431&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143408/original/image-20161027-11256-1pafgts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143408/original/image-20161027-11256-1pafgts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/143408/original/image-20161027-11256-1pafgts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=542&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">We need to monitor and study our ocean ecosystems to understand how they work.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Booth</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What the review says</h2>
<p>The government review reflects science and community concerns in some respects, recommending for instance that more bioregions have at least one marine national park. This review also recommends more protection for some important coral reefs and there is an expansion of protection from mining in some areas.</p>
<p>Most importantly, the review recognises the fundamental role of highly-protected marine national park zones in the conservation of species and ecosystems. As a corollary of this, the review also recognises that “partial protection” zones within reserves are primarily used to address narrow sector-based concerns such as fishing, and result in reduced conservation outcomes (as reviewed <a href="http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v367/p49-56/">here</a> and <a href="https://environmentalevidencejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2047-2382-2-4">here</a>). </p>
<p>It requires explanation therefore that the review mostly fails to recommend zoning changes consistent with its own findings on the science. In comparison with the <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/fed/catalog/search/resource/details.page?uuid=%7B2E8DD19C-1B93-4D90-BD1C-128DDC4A2998%7D">2013 recommended zoning</a>, the <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/fed/catalog/search/resource/details.page?uuid=%7B9A273DA2-9D3A-49F8-A158-A1A9A319C505%7D">review’s recommended zoning</a> would: </p>
<p>(1) Remove a total of 127,000 square kilometres of marine national park from the overall network, an area 1.9 times the size of Tasmania, with a net loss of 76,000 sq km</p>
<p>(2) Reduce by 25% the contiguous Coral Sea marine national park</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142856/original/image-20161024-26504-r42j87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142856/original/image-20161024-26504-r42j87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142856/original/image-20161024-26504-r42j87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142856/original/image-20161024-26504-r42j87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142856/original/image-20161024-26504-r42j87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142856/original/image-20161024-26504-r42j87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142856/original/image-20161024-26504-r42j87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142856/original/image-20161024-26504-r42j87.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Changes to Coral Sea marine national park proposed by review. Map generated from shape files provided by the Department of the Environment.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>(3) Demote 18 areas from marine national park zones to varying forms of partial protection</p>
<p>(4) Shift the location of some marine national parks from the continental shelf to offshore areas as a way of maintaining cover but further eroding representation and indeed reducing protection on the shelf where it is most needed. </p>
<p>Overall, the review’s recommendations would see only approximately 13% of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone protected in marine national parks. This falls well below the recommended international standard of at least 30% of habitats being under <a href="https://portals.iucn.org/congress/motion/053">high protection</a>, or indeed higher levels as recently <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12247/full">determined</a>.</p>
<h2>Smoke and mirrors</h2>
<p>The recommendations in the review are tainted by a feeling of smoke and mirrors. While some of the review’s authors suggest that their recommendations would <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-story-behind-australias-marine-reserves-and-how-we-should-change-them-65220">increase protection</a>, there would indeed be a net loss of highly-protected zones should these recommendations be adopted by the government. </p>
<p>Under the review’s recommendations, Australia would do a great job of protecting the deep water abyss, but achieve little to protect ocean wildlife on the continental shelf where human pressures are highest. This out-of-sight-out-of-mind approach does not address the principles of marine conservation and also departs from recommendations from the research community.</p>
<p>Australian marine national parks are too-often relegated to <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-new-marine-protected-areas-why-they-wont-work-11469">residual areas</a> of relatively little conservation value simply because these areas are of little value to commercial interests.</p>
<p>The significant erosion of protection in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-coral-sea-an-ocean-jewel-that-needs-more-protection-65219">Coral Sea</a> is further evidence of this failure. Much of the erosion of this important reserve reflects a shift from full protection to partial protection in order to open up more ocean to tuna fishing. </p>
<p>The 25% reduction in large marine national park would increase tuna catch and value by 8-10% across the fishery, worth a mere <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/23061bf8-df19-4b74-b867-5a57ccbc5c8b/files/commercial-fishing-displacement-panel-recommended-zoning-scheme-abares.pdf">A$26,376</a> to individual tuna fishers. This recommendation fails both the science and the economic test. </p>
<h2>Where to from here?</h2>
<p>The changes recommended by the review in many cases appear to prioritise economic benefits, no matter how trivial, over conservation. This is despite conservation being the core reason behind the marine reserves.</p>
<p>This stands in stark contrast to international moves towards protection of large areas of the ocean as a response to ongoing declines in ocean health. </p>
<p>Key examples of such large-scale protection are US President Barack Obama’s recent expansion of the <a href="http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/">Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument</a> over the North West Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key’s declaration of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/29/new-zealands-new-ocean-sanctuary-will-be-one-of-worlds-largest-protected-areas">Kermadec Marine Sanctuary</a> in New Zealand’s waters.</p>
<p>Australia still has a major opportunity to protect and secure its marine ecosystems and make a significant contribution to global ocean conservation. At the same time we can develop important economic activities such as fishing and mining. Large and well-managed areas are going to become more important, not less, as climate change intensifies. </p>
<p>This will require the federal government to acknowledge and build on the global body of science and create a backbone of representative marine national parks. This will include retention of the Coral Sea’s high level protection and resisting the temptation to shift of marine national parks offshore. At a time of great environmental change, these moves are not just important, but urgent.</p>
<p><em>This is a contribution from the <a href="http://oceansciencecouncil.org/">Ocean Science Council of Australia</a>.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65224/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Meeuwig receives funding from a range of government and philanthropic organisations to support primary research on the state of our oceans and their response to management. She is a member of the Ocean Science Council of Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Craig Johnson receives funding from the Australian Research Council and several other research providers to work on elucidating and predicting marine ecosystem dynamics, how these dynamics are influenced by human activity, and the spatial distribution of marine species and diversity. He works at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of Tasmania, and is a member of the Ocean Sciences Council of Australia (OSCA).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Booth is affiliated with the Australian coral Reef Society and OSCA. He has received funding from the Australia Research Council for research into coral and fish dynamics on the Great Barrier Reef.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Professor Hoegh-Guldberg undertakes research on coral reef ecosystems and their response to rapid environmental change, which is supported primarily by the Australian Research Council (Canberra), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Washington, D.C.), Catlin Group (London), and Great Barrier Reef Foundation (Brisbane). He not receive salary for writing this article.</span></em></p>
Australia’s oceans would be less protected under recent recommendations.
Jessica Meeuwig, Professor & Director, Centre for Marine Futures, The University of Western Australia
Craig Johnson, Professor, University of Tasmania
David Booth, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Technology Sydney
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Director, Global Change Institute, The University of Queensland
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/67053
2016-10-19T04:07:14Z
2016-10-19T04:07:14Z
Fishing is worth more than jobs and profits to Australia’s coastal towns
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142280/original/image-20161019-20316-1p1449l.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Fishing is a vital part of Australia's coastal towns. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marcia Phillip</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many of the iconic coastal villages of Australia have a close association with professional fishing. In New South Wales, towns up and down the coast historically supported fishing fleets which supplied the seafood needs of locals, Sydney and the broader state community. </p>
<p>But the NSW fishing industry has changed significantly in the past 30 years, in response to a range of environmental and community concerns. People are more worried about the number of fish, habitat impacts, and how access to fish should be allocated.</p>
<p>There have been changes and restrictions on licences and fishing gear, quotas for some species and fisheries, and a substantial reduction in fishing areas through the expansion of marine parks and the creation of recreational fishing havens (where all professional fishing is banned). The number of current fishing licences in NSW is just a quarter of what it was during the industry’s peak in the 1970s and ‘80s. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142125/original/image-20161018-12416-tqff2c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142125/original/image-20161018-12416-tqff2c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142125/original/image-20161018-12416-tqff2c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142125/original/image-20161018-12416-tqff2c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142125/original/image-20161018-12416-tqff2c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142125/original/image-20161018-12416-tqff2c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142125/original/image-20161018-12416-tqff2c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142125/original/image-20161018-12416-tqff2c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Estimated NSW fishing licence holders 1881-2016.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wilkinson, 2013, Wilkinson, 1997 and NSW Department of Primary Industries</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The industry is currently going through <a href="http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/commercial/reform">more management changes</a> and an expansion of existing <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-story-behind-australias-marine-reserves-and-how-we-should-change-them-65220">marine reserves into Commonwealth waters</a>.</p>
<p>There will be more challenges in the future. As populations grow, there will be more competition for resources, and <a href="http://www.fishingworld.com.au/news/pittwater-residents-close-to-ending-commercial-netting">pressure from recreational fishers</a> to close more of the ocean to professional fishing. Similar campaigns in <a href="https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industry/fisheries/commercial-fishing/net-free-zones">Queensland</a> and <a href="http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/fisheries/recreational-fishing/target-one-million">Victoria</a> have prompted changes to the professional fishing industry, with unknown <a href="https://blogs.deakin.edu.au/anthropology/2015/07/23/anthropologist-tanya-king-comments-on-the-netting-ban-in-corio-bay/">impacts on local communities</a>. This has led to serious concerns about the ongoing viability of the industry in some regional centres. </p>
<h2>How much is fishing worth?</h2>
<p>We recently carried out a <a href="http://www.uts.edu.au/valuing-coastal-fisheries">two-year assessment</a> of the ways professional fishing contributes to the social and economic lives of NSW coastal communities. We assessed how the industry contributes to seven key dimensions of community well-being. </p>
<p>We traversed the NSW coast speaking to the breadth of the community, through interviews and surveys. We found that the industry remains a vital ingredient for maintaining the economic, social and cultural richness of coastal communities. </p>
<p>In particular our approach highlighted the importance of considering both social and economic factors, and the interdependence between sectors, when judging the value of professional fishing to communities. </p>
<p>The economic assessment revealed that the industry contributes more than A$436 million in revenue annually to the NSW economy and accounts for about 3,290 full-time jobs. This includes the fishers, service industries, sales and marketing.</p>
<p>This is a significant increase over previous estimates of the industry’s value, which did not include the “flow on” economic impacts to other businesses that rely on the fishing industry. These contributions are especially valued in smaller, regional communities where fishing still plays a central role in local economies.</p>
<p>For instance, Kari Esplin, secretary of the Eden Chamber of Commerce and a local business owner, told us:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Economically I see the fishing industry as a baseline in our community … it’s something that’s been there for a hundred years providing a steady economic benefit to the town and the region … It also has the benefit of being a sustainable fishery, not only from the point of view of its fishing practices, but also from a family point of view. So it’s the type of business that can be handed down through families if they choose, which builds a sense of tradition in the town, and also gives those families a feeling of self-worth that they’re a second, third or even fifth generation family business.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Looking beyond economic data gave us an insight into role the industry plays in other areas of community life. Professional fishers, for example, regularly participate in search and rescue. </p>
<p>Seafood is central to many cultural celebrations such as Christmas and the Lunar New Year. And fishing and long standing fishing families are part of the cultural heritage of many communities.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142281/original/image-20161019-20308-h7szs3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142281/original/image-20161019-20308-h7szs3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/142281/original/image-20161019-20308-h7szs3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142281/original/image-20161019-20308-h7szs3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142281/original/image-20161019-20308-h7szs3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=344&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142281/original/image-20161019-20308-h7szs3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142281/original/image-20161019-20308-h7szs3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/142281/original/image-20161019-20308-h7szs3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=432&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hauling fish in the 1950s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Seafood tourism</h2>
<p>The research also revealed sometimes hidden or unrecognised relationships between different sectors. In particular, professional fishing and tourism support and sustain each other in NSW coastal communities. </p>
<p>We found that 89% of NSW residents expect to eat local seafood when they visit the coast and 64% indicated they would be interested in watching professional fishers at work while on holidays. </p>
<p>Grahame Lewis, the Nelson Bay Co-Op manager, told us: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>People love watching – they come down and watch the boats unload, they see what sort of fish are coming in, they see it getting wheeled over to the shops and they know there’s stuff going in there from the local fishermen. It’s a drawcard really. People love going to seaside ports and just watching – not only here but everywhere along the coast.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Recreational fishers were much more likely to be interested in both buying fish from local professional fishers and watching professional fishing. This seems at odds with the messages of conflict between recreational and professional fishers commonly seen in public debate. Likewise 78% of recreational fishers across the state prefer bait caught by NSW professional fishers.</p>
<p>Professional fishing is also economically and culturally important in many coastal Indigenous communities. Indigenous fishers have a long history in the industry. Fishing still plays an important role in providing income, employment, a nutritious food source, independence and pride. This extends into the broader Indigenous community with fishers sharing a proportion of the catch and important cultural knowledge with kin. </p>
<p>Efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of the industry have been largely successful, and this is continuing to improve. Studies like ours give us an insight into how we can also ensure the economic and social sustainability of the industry, given its integral role in many coastal communities. </p>
<p>Nearly all (94%) of NSW coastal residents believe the fishing industry should be maintained in NSW. Our research gives us insights into how we can achieve this. And what we stand to lose if we don’t get it right. </p>
<p><em>This article was also co-authored by Nicole Mazur, visiting fellow in the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/67053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Voyer has been involved in a number of projects that have received funding from the Commonwealth Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, the NSW Recreational Fishing Trust and the NSW Department of Primary Industries. This project was funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alistair McIlgorm has received funding from The Commonwealth Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and The Department of Primary Industries, NSW for commercial and recreational fishing research. He is Director of Dominion Consulting Pty Ltd. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kate Barclay receives funding from the Australian Commonwealth Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. She has previously received research funding from a range of organizations including Greenpeace, TRAFFIC, the World Bank, the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries and the United Nations Development Programme. She is affiliated with the International Pole and Line Foundation. </span></em></p>
Many of the iconic coastal villages of Australia have a close association with professional fishing.
Michelle Voyer, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Wollongong
Alistair McIlgorm, Professor of Marine Economics, University of Wollongong
Kate Barclay, Associate professor, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/65219
2016-10-05T19:16:38Z
2016-10-05T19:16:38Z
The Coral Sea: an ocean jewel that needs more protection
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140460/original/image-20161005-14208-1o63xy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A booby family on a sandy cay in the Coral Sea</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniela Ceccarelli</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The federal government is considering changes to Australia’s marine reserves to implement a national system. This week The Conversation is looking at the science behind marine reserves and how to protect our oceans.</em></p>
<p>Off Australia’s northeastern coastline, extending eastwards from the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef, is a vast extent of ocean known as <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124080966000043">the Coral Sea</a>.</p>
<p>Almost a million square kilometres of the Coral Sea is within Australian waters, making up one of six regions used for planning national networks of marine reserves. Unlike the other regions, virtually all of the Coral Sea is within <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/topics/marine/marine-reserves/coral-sea">a single reserve</a>. </p>
<p>On the face of it, this should encourage people who are concerned with conservation of marine biodiversity. But, as often happens, the devil is in the detail. </p>
<p>The effectiveness of the reserve hinges on its internal zones – subdivisions that vary in the uses and activities they allow. So “protected” is a slippery concept. Just how protected the Coral Sea is depends on where and how large the different zones are. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/review/reports.html">review of Commonwealth marine reserves</a>, released earlier this month, recommended changes to the zoning arrangements put in place when the network was declared in 2012, but not for the better.</p>
<h2>A world-class sea</h2>
<p>The Coral Sea is almost entirely open ocean, reaching depths of more than 4,000m. Scattered through this expanse of deep blue are important patches of coral and rock: cays and islets, 30 atoll systems with shallow-water and <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00338-011-0725-7?LI=true">low-light coral reefs</a>, and <a href="http://deepreef.org/images/stories/publications/conference-proceedings/ColdwaterCoralGBR_Deepsea2008.pdf">seamounts and pinnacles</a> supporting <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-015-0434-5">deep-sea</a>, cold-water ecosystems.</p>
<p>The global significance of the Coral Sea for marine biodiversity – including corals, fish, turtles, seabirds, and whales - has been <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124080966000043">reviewed recently</a>, but new discoveries continue. </p>
<p>Recent exploration of the <a href="http://www.palaeontologie.geo.uni-muenchen.de/DDU/">deep slopes</a> of Coral Sea atolls has found unique and previously undocumented biodiversity, such as <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00338-011-0802-y?LI=true">precious corals and glass sponges</a>. Many of these species are “<a href="http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2016/01/secrets-of-the-coral-sea-revealed">living fossils</a>”, now restricted to the deep, dark waters of the Coral Sea. </p>
<p>The southern Coral Sea is also a <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/100/17/9884.short">global hotspot for predators</a>. The protection of large predatory species such as sharks and marlin is particularly important, given their key roles in open ocean ecosystems and the <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v423/n6937/abs/nature01610.html">massive worldwide decline</a> of these animals at the hands of industrialised fishing.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140461/original/image-20161005-14243-asu3d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140461/original/image-20161005-14243-asu3d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140461/original/image-20161005-14243-asu3d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140461/original/image-20161005-14243-asu3d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140461/original/image-20161005-14243-asu3d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=366&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140461/original/image-20161005-14243-asu3d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140461/original/image-20161005-14243-asu3d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140461/original/image-20161005-14243-asu3d4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=460&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Coral Sea is a global hotspot for marine predators.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniela Ceccarelli</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Coral Sea’s remoteness does not make it immune from human impacts. Some fishing methods alter the structure and composition of seabed ecosystems. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X14003546">Globally</a> and in <a href="http://www.afma.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ETBF-ERM-Feb-2012.pdf">eastern Australia</a>, pelagic long-lining takes a large toll in bycatch (non-target fish that are discarded, often dead, including shark species listed as vulnerable). </p>
<p>Many reefs in the Coral Sea are open to line fishing, which is known to <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/107/43/18278.full?sid=ac4f4508-e4e9-45d4-8496-945ca17c119a">deplete target populations</a> and adversely affect <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/14-1952.1/full">corals</a> in the neighbouring Great Barrier Reef. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/2016-coral-bleaching-event-26991">2016 coral bleaching event</a> that affected 93% of the Great Barrier Reef also caused significant death on reefs in the northern and central Coral Sea.</p>
<p>The importance and vulnerability of the Coral Sea call for well-planned protection. That protection should also be precautionary - where impacts are unknown or uncertain we should increase protection, or at least not put marine ecosystems at risk. This is one of the explicit principles of marine planning in Australia. </p>
<p>Commercial and recreational fishing present ecological risks that need to be managed carefully. Precaution is also called for because most parts of the Coral Sea, even those in relatively shallow water, are still largely unexplored, with the discovery of new species likely.</p>
<h2>The Coral Sea reserve</h2>
<p>In November 2012, the Labor federal government announced massive increases to Australia’s marine reserves, including large additions to existing smaller reserves in the Coral Sea. The zoning of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve that resulted was typical of the larger picture. </p>
<p>Zones that prohibited fishing (“no-take” zones, shown in green in the left-hand map below) were mostly far offshore in very deep waters where little or no fishing occurred.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140436/original/image-20161005-15889-x3x1g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140436/original/image-20161005-15889-x3x1g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140436/original/image-20161005-15889-x3x1g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140436/original/image-20161005-15889-x3x1g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140436/original/image-20161005-15889-x3x1g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140436/original/image-20161005-15889-x3x1g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140436/original/image-20161005-15889-x3x1g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140436/original/image-20161005-15889-x3x1g.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Coral Sea zones as established (left) and recommended by the review (right)</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Zones that protected the marine environment from open ocean long-lining were placed in areas where <a href="http://www.colinhunt.com.au/files/9413/8246/9841/Published_article_saved_pdf.pdf">little or no long-lining</a> occurred. Most reefs, cays and seamounts remained open to fishing. So did the world’s only known black marlin spawning aggregation. </p>
<p>Overall, the no-take zones were strongly “<a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.2445/full">residual</a>” – placed in areas left over from commercial and recreational uses, and least in need of protection – rather than designed to mitigate known threats. </p>
<p>The approach could be described as “business as usual”, with priority given to existing uses and conservation coming a poor second.</p>
<h2>The Coral Sea reserve, take two</h2>
<p>Following a backlash against the new marine reserves by <a href="http://theconversation.com/government-review-supports-australias-marine-reserves-now-its-time-to-move-on-64884">commercial and recreational fishing interests</a> the then opposition leader Tony Abbott fished for votes by promising to review the reserves. </p>
<p>Just over a year after they were established, the new reserves were “re-proclaimed” by the Coalition government, effectively rendering them empty outlines on the map. The strength of the <a href="http://saveourmarinelife.org.au/resources/fact-sheet-coral-sea-mythbuster-2/">pushback</a> against the reserves was perplexing, given that they were obviously designed to have <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.2445/full">minimal effect on fishing</a> and no effect on extraction of oil and gas.</p>
<p>Before the release of <a href="http://www.parksaustralia.gov.au/marine/review/reports.html">the review</a>, a cynic might have predicted, given <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/26/marine-life-fishing-coalition-review">statements</a> when the review began, that the process was intended to convert a largely residual reserve system into a completely residual one. As it happens, that is close to what has been recommended for the Coral Sea.</p>
<p>A major feature of the recommended zoning is a reduction of no-take by more than 93,000km², or 9.3% of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve (no-take zones, or national park, now cover 40% of the reserve). No-take zoning is now even more strongly concentrated in remote, deep water where it will make even less difference to fishing than before. </p>
<p>The panel recommended new no-take zones in areas next to those in the central and southern Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, but large parts of the same region in the Coral Sea are proposed to be reopened to demersal trawling.</p>
<p>Some reefs have less protection than before, and some have more. Notably, two of the most <a href="http://www.hsi.org.au/editor/assets/marine_conservation/082011%20Australias%20Coral%20Sea_%20A%20Biophysical%20Profile%20by%20marine%20ecologist%20Dr%20%20Daniela%20Ceccarelli.pdf">important reefs</a> in the Coral Sea – Osprey and Marion – are partly open to fishing and partly no-take. Split zones are known to pose <a href="https://mcbi.marine-conservation.org/publications/pub_pdfs/Day_2002.pdf">problems for compliance</a> and are typically avoided in conservation planning. Fishing on Osprey could also compromise its value as a globally significant dive destination, specifically for its sharks and pelagic fish.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140463/original/image-20161005-14208-4eal7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140463/original/image-20161005-14208-4eal7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140463/original/image-20161005-14208-4eal7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140463/original/image-20161005-14208-4eal7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140463/original/image-20161005-14208-4eal7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140463/original/image-20161005-14208-4eal7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140463/original/image-20161005-14208-4eal7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140463/original/image-20161005-14208-4eal7s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A giant trevally in the Coral Sea.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniela Ceccarelli</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are net increases in areas open to gear types known to pose ecological risks: sea floor longlines (2,400km² of the reserve, including the Fraser Seamount), sea floor trawl (26,300km²), and open sea long-lining (269,000km²). These changes appear inconsistent with advice on ecological risks. </p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/23061bf8-df19-4b74-b867-5a57ccbc5c8b/files/cmrreviewbioregionaladvisorypanelreportfinalchapter45.pdf">Bioregional Advisory Panel for the Coral Sea</a> found that seafloor long-lining is incompatible with the conservation values of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve, particularly on seamounts. </p>
<p>Two target species for open sea long-lining are either <a href="http://www.afma.gov.au/fisheries/eastern-tuna-and-billfish-fishery-page/">overfished or at risk of overfishing</a>, and this fishery poses a <a href="http://www.afma.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/ETBF-ERM-Feb-2012.pdf">high risk</a> for whales, sharks, and turtles.</p>
<p>When evidence was limiting, it appears that the Expert Scientific Panel placed the burden of proof on the environment, not on commercial and recreational users. </p>
<h2>Protecting the Coral Sea from what?</h2>
<p>Protected areas are meant to protect biodiversity from threats to its survival. Why bother saying that? </p>
<p>Because the 2012 marine reserves made almost no difference to activities threatening marine biodiversity. There is a key difference between protection, which stops threats from affecting species and ecosystems, and re-badging large tracts of ocean in ways that make no difference. </p>
<p>At least for the Coral Sea, the proposed new zones involve further re-badging but less overall protection. A similar mentality appears to underlie both the 2012 and recommended zonings: marine protected areas are good things to have, providing they don’t get in the way of socioeconomic interests.</p>
<p>While the new zones largely failed to protect the Coral Sea’s biodiversity, the review’s <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/23061bf8-df19-4b74-b867-5a57ccbc5c8b/files/cmrreviewexpertscientificpanelreportfinal.pdf">Expert Scientific Panel</a> favourably assessed the “performance” of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve in ways that are simply uninformative and distracting. </p>
<p>For instance, one of the measures used by the review is the number of conservation features (such as seafloor types) in reserves. This measure is misleading in three ways: many of the represented features don’t need protection, others are affected to varying, but unstated, degrees by fishing, and we don’t know how much of each feature needs protection.</p>
<p>At the core of systematic conservation planning, which is widely accepted as the most effective way of designing reserve systems, are <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v405/n6783/full/405243a0.html">quantitative objectives</a> for features, preferably reflecting ecosystem structure and function, scaled to reflect <a href="http://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/abstract/S0169-5347(07)00280-7">levels of threat</a>. But these objectives were notably absent from the assessment of performance of the Coral Sea Marine Reserve, and from the review process that recommended the new zones. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140464/original/image-20161005-14243-1ktazaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140464/original/image-20161005-14243-1ktazaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140464/original/image-20161005-14243-1ktazaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140464/original/image-20161005-14243-1ktazaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140464/original/image-20161005-14243-1ktazaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140464/original/image-20161005-14243-1ktazaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140464/original/image-20161005-14243-1ktazaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/140464/original/image-20161005-14243-1ktazaf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fish gather over reefs in the Coral Sea.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Daniela Ceccarelli</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How to do things better</h2>
<p>Better planning for the Coral Sea would move beyond the qualitative goals and principles advocated by the <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/23061bf8-df19-4b74-b867-5a57ccbc5c8b/files/cmrreviewexpertscientificpanelreportfinal.pdf">Expert Scientific Panel</a>, which can be readily interpreted to favour economic considerations over conservation. </p>
<p>Because of the global significance of the Coral Sea and uncertainty around the actual risks posed by fishing, effective planning would be truly precautionary, prioritising the persistence of biodiversity where there is doubt. It would also engage with managers and governments in adjacent marine regions to limit cross-boundary threats. </p>
<p>The amount of protection needed for species and other conservation features, including <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ecog.01450/full">types of open sea</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124080966000043">other significant habitats</a>, would be identified quantitatively by experts on marine biodiversity, considering distinctiveness, threats, and reliance on Australian waters for their persistence. </p>
<p>Those conservation objectives would be achieved by a mix of zones that varied levels of protection from place to place and perhaps seasonally to limit the adverse effects of fishing and other extractive activities. The relative contributions of those zones to each objective would be assessed and put into the mix.</p>
<p>Such an explicit approach was a major reason for the lasting, worldwide recognition of the Great Barrier Reef <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00302.x/full">rezoning in 2004</a>, but has been avoided elsewhere in Commonwealth waters to maximise flexibility for extractive interests. </p>
<p>And finally, effective planning would acknowledge that no-take zones in areas with no fishing make no contribution to conservation.</p>
<hr>
<p>*<em>Update: this article has been updated to clarify the use of conservation features in measuring reserve performance</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65219/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bob Pressey receives funding from the Australian Research Council and is a member of WWF Australia's Eminent Scientists Group. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span><a href="mailto:tjward@bigpond.net.au">tjward@bigpond.net.au</a> is affiliated with Seafood Watch, USA. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alana Grech does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
The marine reserves review has recommended major changes to the Coral Sea, but not for the better.
Bob Pressey, Professor and Program Leader, Conservation Planning, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University
Alana Grech, Senior lecturer, Macquarie University
Trevor J Ward, Adjunct professor, University of Technology Sydney
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/66274
2016-10-03T19:15:44Z
2016-10-03T19:15:44Z
Marine parks and fishery management: what’s the best way to protect fish?
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/140033/original/image-20161003-15278-1txbgdk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Closing parts of the ocean to fishing displaces fishers to other areas. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tuna image from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The federal government is considering changes to Australia’s marine reserves to implement a national system. This week The Conversation is looking at the science behind marine reserves and how to protect our oceans.</em></p>
<hr>
<p>While academics often focus on biodiversity objectives for marine parks, the public and political debate tends to come down to one thing: fishing. </p>
<p>When former federal MP <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/with-barely-one-vote-to-spare-marine-reserve-patchwork-was-saved-20130610-2nzvy.html">Rob Oakeshott cast one of the deciding votes</a> in support of the Commonwealth marine parks plan in 2013, he explained that he believed they <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-06-04/coalition-motion-to-kill-off-marine-reserve-parks-fails/4733306">benefit fisheries</a>. The federal government has also emphasised the <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/5eaad4f9-e8e0-45d1-b889-83648c7b2ceb/files/benefits-mpas.pdf">benefit of marine parks to fisheries production</a>. </p>
<p>There’s also an academic debate. When a study showed that the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/14-1427.1/full">Great Barrier Reef marine park had harmed fisheries production</a>, there was a <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1890/15-0457/full">passionate response from other experts</a>. This is despite advocates arguing that reserves are primarily about biodiversity conservation, rather than fishing production. </p>
<p>Clearly, fishing is a hot issue for marine parks. So what does the science say?</p>
<h2>How do marine parks protect fish?</h2>
<p>The proposed benefits to fisheries from marine parks include: protection or insurance against overfishing; “spillover”, where larvae or juveniles from the parks move out and increase the overall production; habitat protection from damaging fishing gear; and managing the ecosystem effects of fishing such as resilience against climate change.</p>
<p>Marine parks regulate activities, mainly fishing, within a specified area. They come in a variety of categories. Some allow fishing, but the most contentious are “no-take” marine parks.</p>
<p>Fishery managers also sometimes close areas of the ocean to fishing. This is different to how no-take marine parks work in two ways: the legislative authority is different (being through fisheries rather than environmental legislation); and the closures usually target a specific fishery, whereas no-take marine parks usually ban all fishing.</p>
<p>Fishery closures, rather than no-take marine parks, are usually applied to protect special areas for particular fish, such as spawning sites or nursery areas. They are also used to protect habitats, such as in the case of trawl closures, which allow the use of other gear such as longlines in the same location. </p>
<p>Fisheries legislation bans damaging fishing gear outright, while benign gears are allowed. In contrast, no-take marine parks tend to exclude all gear types.</p>
<h2>Displacing fishers</h2>
<p>Neither marine parks nor fishery closures regulate the amount of catch and fishing effort. They only control the location. Commercial fishers take most fish caught in Commonwealth waters and most of this is limited by catch quotas.</p>
<p>When a no-take marine park closes an area to fishing, fishers and their catch are displaced into other areas of the ocean. This occurs for all types of fishing, including recreational fishing. Recreational fishers displaced by marine parks don’t stop fishing, they just fish somewhere else – and the same number of fishers are squeezed into a smaller space. </p>
<p>Marine parks increase the intensity of fishing impacts across the wider coast, which is an uncomfortable outcome for marine park advocates. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00288330.2005.9517344?needAccess=true&#aHR0cDovL3d3dy50YW5kZm9ubGluZS5jb20vZG9pL3BkZi8xMC4xMDgwLzAwMjg4MzMwLjIwMDUuOTUxNzM0ND9uZWVkQWNjZXNzPXRydWVAQEAw">Modelling of Victorian marine parks</a> showed that displaced catch would harm lobster stocks and associated ecosystems, and was counterproductive to their fishery management objective of rebuilding stock.</p>
<p>Because ecosystems don’t respond in predictable ways, depletion of fish stocks from the fishing displaced from marine parks could lead to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793314/">severe ecosystem outcomes</a>. </p>
<p>For this reason, a second and separate management change is often needed after marine parks are declared, which is to reduce the number of fishers and fish caught to prevent risk of impacts from the park. </p>
<p>Controlling how many fish are caught (which is what traditional fisheries management does) has substantially more influence on overall fish abundance than controlling where fish are caught with parks, as <a href="http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(16)30344-X">shown recently on the Great Barrier Reef</a>.</p>
<h2>Public cost</h2>
<p>Commonwealth fisheries catch quotas are routinely reduced <a href="http://www.afma.gov.au/about/objectives-functions-powers/">if a fishery harms the sustainability of the marine environment</a>. There’s no compensation to fishers, so there’s no cost to the public, other than a possible reduced supply of fish. </p>
<p>Catches can also be reduced to manage fishing displaced by marine reserves and the outcome is identical except in terms of the public cost. Creation of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park led to over <a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/4b3d907c-a200-40ce-88b0-c377c371357f/files/gbrmp-sap-review.doc">A$200 million in payments to displaced fishers</a>. <a href="http://www.environment.gov.au/node/20736">Another publicly funded package</a> is planned for the Commonwealth marine reserves. </p>
<p>Marine parks also have high recurring public cost because boundaries need to be policed at sea. Catch quotas can be policed at the wharf, with <a href="http://www.afma.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Levy-Guide-2014-15.pdf">compliance costs fully recovered from industry</a>. </p>
<h2>Do marine parks help fish and fishers?</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms3347">Evidence of a benefit to fisheries</a> from marine parks is scarce. However, there are some clear examples of <a href="http://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v384/p47-60/">fishing displacement that is so minor</a> that there has been an <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0073922">overall increase in fish</a> inside and outside the park. </p>
<p>These examples show that marine parks can sometimes benefit fish stocks, the fishery and also the overall marine ecosystem. However, these examples come from situations where traditional fishery management has not been applied to prevent overfishing.</p>
<p>This is consistent with modelling of marine parks that shows they only increase overall fish populations when there has been severe overfishing. This generally means that if there’s already <a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0107032">effective traditional fisheries management</a>, marine reserves cannot benefit fish stocks and fisheries, or restock fish outside the reserve (spillover) (<a href="http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/f05-243">see also here</a>). </p>
<p>In jurisdictions where fisheries management is lacking, any regulation, including through marine reserves, is better than nothing. But this isn’t the situation with Australia’s Commonwealth fisheries where harvest strategies are used and <a href="http://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/media-releases/2015/fishery-status-reports-released">overfishing has been eliminated</a>.</p>
<p>The conclusions from <a href="http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/content/66/1/122">modelling of marine reserves</a> mean that the areas of the reserves that limit fishing would be expected to reduce fishery production and harm our ability to contribute to global food security. </p>
<p>The Coral Sea marine reserve, in particular, represents an area with known large stocks of fish, especially tuna, that could be harvested sustainably. Limiting fishing in the Coral Sea eliminates any potential for these resources to help feed Australians or contribute to global food supplies. </p>
<p>The potential sustainable, ecologically acceptable harvest from the Coral Sea is unknown, so we don’t know the full scale of what’s being lost and how much the recent changes reduce this problem, although Papua New Guinea sustainably harvests 150,000-300,000 tonnes of tuna in its part of the sea.</p>
<p>Allowing fishing doesn’t mean the oceans aren’t protected. Existing fisheries management is already obliged to ensure fishing doesn’t affect <a href="http://www.afma.gov.au/about/objectives-functions-powers/">sustainability of the marine environment</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66274/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Caleb Gardner has received funding from the Australian Research Council, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, the Australian Seafood CRC, and the Tasmanian Government to assess sustainability of fisheries, conduct research on fishery harvest systems and provide advice on improving fisheries sustainability. This includes research evaluating the effectiveness of fishery closures and marine parks. He is affiliated with the University of Tasmania and has participated or is participating in roles on committees that provide management advice to the Tasmanian, Victorian and Australian Commonwealth Government and fishing industry groups including the Tasmanian Lobster Fishermen's Association as a Director (unpaid research representative) of Southern Rock Lobster Ltd. </span></em></p>
The public and political debate about marine reserves often comes down to one thing: fishing.
Caleb Gardner, Principal Research Fellow, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.