Australia: The National Party's Senator Ron Boswell said that the Federal Government's establishment of a Coral Sea Conservation Zone has created distrust throughout the fishing industry as the government was seen to have bowed to pressure from foreign-based environmental lobby group, Pew.
Nearly a million square kilometres of the Coral Sea, which is in Australian territorial waters east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, was declared a conservation zone by Environment Minister Peter Garrett on the May 14, 2009.
"This declaration of a conservation zone is seen by many as the first step to unilaterally declare a one-million-kilometre 'green' zone (the world's largest no-take marine park), under the predominant pressure of Pew," said Mr Boswell.
"Pew has been at the forefront of pressuring the government to succumb to their agenda, which is to lock-up the Coral Sea from any use, contrary to any scientific fact.
"The use of the Coral Sea has never been under question, especially when 60 percent of fishing is already excluded from the available reef platform and coral bank area in the region. This exceeds even the maximum 50 percent level of protection suggested by advocates of the marine protected areas.
"There is no need for additional no-fishing areas in this Coral Sea region. However this is what is likely to occur with Pew at the helm."
"I was told…that Pew had not been invited to be a stakeholder in negotiations and yet… Pew's Australian campaign Director, Imogen Zethoven has been present at consultation meetings arranged by the Department of Environment," Senator Boswell said.
"Imogen Zethhoven from Pew even took it upon herself to ring up the Chairman of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and suggest that GBRMPA police the Coral Sea.The government departments are at the whim of Pew's lobbying influence. It is outrageous for the government to be pressured by this massively funded United States-based group, which is motivated by an agenda that will destroy businesses and jobs of ordinary, hardworking Australians."
