Fishing for Antarctic Toothfish in the Ross Sea is estimated to earn New Zealand $20 million to $30 million each year.
It is a highly controversial fishery and is currently the subject of a debate over marine protection.
Environmental groups led by the Antarctic Ocean Alliance (AOA – a coalition of environmental NGOs) are calling for more protection afforded by either New Zealand’s or the United States’ draft proposals for a Marine Protected Area (MPA).
The debate over marine protection has revealed a distasteful underbelly to the Green movement.
We call the extremists green-necks – they are no better than red-necks in their refusal to take on evidence that doesn’t support their pre-existing beliefs.
There are some in the fishing industry who act honourably and thanks to their work and those of the relevant regulators, toothfish is one of the best managed fisheries in the world.
Yet still the Green Extreme hammers them. It’s time to expose the ideological nutters.
These misconceptions and misinformation have not come directly from the AOA campaign, but people associated with their campaign have been perpetuating the myths.
Ultimately the misinformation risks undermining the credibility of the whole campaign for marine protection; the AOA need to dissociate themselves from any misinformation, or risk being dragged down by it.
Let’s be clear from the outset; it is perfectly reasonable to have a moral belief that the whole area south of 60 degrees latitude should be locked up in a marine reserve.
That doesn’t mean it is realistic, and there are no grounds to expect other people in the world will share that moral high ground.
The debate on what is realistically achievable and balances conservation with commercial interests can only proceed on the basis of the science.
2012, APN Holdings NZ Limited