$4.5M DROP IN THE OCEAN
Push for funding to propel innovative cool water pilot plan to fight bleaching
A DIVE operator has raised concerns about providing tourists with value for money on Great Barrier Reef trips to sites that have been devastated by coral bleaching.
Wavelength Reef Cruises owner John Edmondson fronted the Senate inquiry yesterday into the impact of climate change on marine fisheries and biodiversity, describing how some passengers wanted to see the Reef for the “last time”, fearing the natural wonder could be destroyed by warmer water temperatures.
Mr Edmondson said, despite his Port Douglas-based company having nearly fully booked cruises, there had been a “very dramatic baseline” change in coral at some Reef sites.
He said, while the Great Barrier Reef was still regarded as a world-class attraction, it was still an expensive trip for some , costing nearly $250 per adult.
But, he feared it was becoming increasingly difficult to find pristine assemblages of coral.
“The people who are knowledgeable about coral know what’s going on, and know that worldwide, coral is in desperate straits ... but even now, it’s getting much, much harder to go out and see the sort of coral topography that we used to have,” he said.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland director Wendy Morris believed Great Barrier Reef trips were great value for money for tourists.
“I’ve been out to the Reef myself with a number of operators over the last couple of months, and I think that people are getting an extraordinary experience,” she said.
“There’s no question, that there’s a mosaic (of coral health).
“But overall, I think you have to say that it’s not the case that people aren’t getting good value for money.”