Save the Sea Kittens

[Aliantha]

Pesticides in the water are a problem all over the place. Just recently it has been found that some fish hatcheries in the Noosa River are now completely sterile thanks to a pesticide banned in the US but used in Australia on Macadamia trees.

With regard to the reef, there are conflicting reports on what damage is occuring and who or what is causing it, or whether it's naturally occuring. Daryl has an associate who has written papers on both sides in order to garner more research dollars, so even within the scientific community, it's hard to know who to trust or believe. There is no doubt that the reef is in a period of decline, but the causes could be just about anything you might think of naming.

With regard to fish stocks in the Great Barrier Reef area, there have been a number of measures put in place to ensure the survival of many fish species such as restrictions on fishing zones for either or both commercial and ammature/recreational purposes. Different licensing laws for commercial fishers with regard to periods they're allowed to fish and catch restrictions and also mandatory installation of suitable by-catch reduction devices. These restrictions while great for the environment have had serious negative social repercussions such as an increase in domestic violence, divorce and suicide in all coastal fishing towns due to the fact that many fishers found themselves unable to provide a living for their families. The government severely underestimated the compensation package which would be required and this in turn caused more conflict between fishers and also local authorities. Daryl has been involved with this whole process and was at the time a member of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority committee. He advocated for the fishers and what compensation should be paid. Unfortunately initially he was one small voice (among a few others) which was shouted down. He was vindicated later when it was revealed the the government would be spending almost 10 times what they had initially planned to spend.

So, the issues with Australian fisheries is contentious at best. There are various groups involved in monitoring and managing fishers from all areas, but it's a big job and not much funding is available. There have been some wins though, but it's a constant battle.