It seems not all green groups agree with the hardline stance taken by US-based conservation group Pew in its bid to turn the Coral Sea into a conservation zone.
The controversial ongoing issue, which has been covered by Fisho at length for some months, is turning traditional allies against one another and has formed unusual partnerships. A report in last weekend’s Australian said a number of scientists and environmental groups, such as the WWF, are wary of the Pew proposal, with some warning that the US group’s over-zealous approach risks derailing the entire process.
WWF says the Coral Sea is a thriving marine environment that presents the government with a “rare opportunity to protect and conserve habitats that elsewhere in the world have been depleted by human activities”, but it disagrees with Pew’s no-budge approach.
“Pew’s approach has scared a lot of fishermen but we think sustainable fishing could be a possibility in the Coral Sea,” said WWF spokesman Jonathon Larkin.
“Both Pew and WWF want to see the area turned into a world-class marine park, but the difference lies in the detail about how much is considered no-take.
“We recognise there may be a role for a sustainable future of the Coral Sea, whereas it seems Pew’s stance is 100 per cent no take.”
Pew’s hardline stance was “completely unhelpful” and would never be accepted by the federal government, according to prominent marine biologist and documentary filmmaker Richard Fitzpatrick, who has been pushing for protection of the Coral Sea for more than a decade.
“It’s ridiculous,” said Fitzpatrick.