Coral Sea deserves protecting
I HAVE been a diver for over 54 years. This means I am one of the very few people who remembers the wonderful reefs of the Coral Sea before they were over fished.
This memory makes the Turnbull Government’s plans to wind back its protection and expand destructive fishing incredibly hard to understand.
The Coral Sea is still one of the most magnificent marine wilderness areas left on our blue planet.
Its reefs, growing as they do on marine mountain tops in a far off sea are not easily accessible.
While it’s not the same as I once knew it, the water is still gin-clear, big fish and sharks patrol its healthy reefs, whales cruise by and turtles nest in their thousands on the sandy cays.
A young diver seeing this wonderland today would be impressed by the beauty of nature and the life she supports, but the young diver will never know how rich this magnificent marine world once was.
I was once a young diver, eyes wide to the wonders of our oceans.
Sadly, in my time I have also seen a steep decline in marine life in the Coral Sea.
The corals and reef edges are still inhabited by masses of colourful reef fish, but missing are the big animals that once patrolled the drop offs, thrilling the observer with their beauty and powerful presence.
Fortunately nature, if left alone, will heal the inroads man has made into her wild life.
Australia’s marine tourism industry is worth roughly $28b each year – our greatest natural asset is our coral reefs.
Fortunately for all Australians, past politicians had huge areas of reef dotted ocean protected from exploitation.
We used to have governments who understood the importance of keeping enough wilderness areas safely aside as places where animals could live, love and breed in peace.
John Howard realised this as did many other prime ministers before him.
We now have a government that wants to remove over half of what was so wisely protected.
These areas were wisely set aside as a marine sanctuary supported by the Australian public and by a trove of scientific evidence.
If the Turnbull government has its way, an area of the Coral Sea larger than the state of Victoria will now be opened to exploitation.
This is against the advice of scientists, former politicians and the wishes of most Australians.
The value of this great natural wonder and tourist attraction is not one we have built, but one we inherited and thus beyond count.
With strong leadership it can be an attraction that will last forever.
One day our Coral Sea could become the most important natural marine wilderness area in the world.
This will never happen if the Coral Sea’s marine sanctuaries are opened to the uncaring few to plunder for personal gain.
No amount of laws or catch limits will control the greed.
I know, I first went to the Coral Sea in the sixties on fishing boats.
We paid our way by spearing fish for the boat to sell.
Huge coral trout were plentiful as were dog tooth tuna. However many of these large fish are now no longer.
I am 82 this year, I have seen the worst of what greedy uncaring men can do to a pristine environment in the name of so called progress.
I’ve never heard of a country with a government that would cutback protected areas on land or sea for the short term benefit of those same greedy few. It is all a case of out of sight, out of mind, unless of course like me you are a diver or old time spearfisher, and have had the beauty of the pristine Coral Sea imprinted forever into your mind’s eye.
I speak from the heart; a heart that has been on this planet a long time.
I have had incredible success in having reefs and animals protected.
I have been knighted, given a title, but more importantly I have achieved securing a brighter future for some of our oceans – a legacy for future generations.
It will be a sad day for the people of Australia and our Coral Sea if its sanctuary protection is diminished by a thoughtless, unnecessary Government act.
Regular columnist Julian Tomlinson will return October 12