Reef closures helping fish stocks
Fish are once again in abundance in the iconic Great Barrier Reef (GBR), thanks to the combined work of WWF and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).
Coral Reef with anthias bassletts, Great Barrier Reef
© WWF-Canon/Jürgen FREUND
According to reef expert Professor Bruce Mapstone from the Cooperative Research Centre for the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, WWF and the GRBMPA's work to establish a 345,000 km2 Marine Protected Area on the reef has allowed fish populations to recover after years of overfishing.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) safeguard the ocean's rich diversity of life while supporting local economies. They provide a safe haven for commercial fish stocks as well as endangered species and offer alternative sources of income for local people, for example through tourism.
The Great Barrier Reef attracts 1.6 million visitors annually and tourism in the reef catchment area provides 47,660 jobs - the industry is expected to grow by 50 per cent by 2020.
"All the research we've been doing both in the effects of line fishing experiment and associated projects indicate that the reef line fishery is now in relatively good shape," said Professor Mapstone.
Marine parks act as an insurance policy for the future both for marine life and local people by ensuring industries such as tourism.
The Great Barrier Reef includes over 2,900 reefs, around 940 islands and cays, and stretches 2,300 kms along the Queensland coastline.
Since the reef's no fishing zone was expanded from 4% to more than 33% two years ago, the reef's marine park is now larger than the entire area of the UK and Ireland combined, meaning fish stocks in the area now have greater area to thrive.
The spotlight on the GBR comes close on the heels of the announcement that the Australian Government will take a fresh look at planning for activities within the entire Commonwealth marine real estate.
WWF's Marine Program Leader Gilly Llewellyn said the next step for Australia would be to establish a network of MPAs around the country to protect a greater variety of fish species and their habitat into the future.
"The real challenge that lies ahead for Australia is to ensure that a network of MPAs is established to cover all major marine habitats, and that these protect all significant sites for biodiversity and critical habitats for marine species," she said.
