We have reached 1,000 signatories and we are drafting the letter, which we will post here for comment shortly. Meanwhile, there is just enough time to do one more important update. 

Why do we need stronger protection of Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary?

This week the Economist ran an article on the value of Marine Protected Areas (MPA). The benefits are clear and astounding. The number of fish increases dramatically. Because fish don't respect zoning plans though, this lifts overall fish populations, building greater ecosystem resilience and sustaining populations elsewhere. It's a win-win for everyone. 

A study along the Southern Great Reef found that fully protected areas of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park had 30% more fish species and two and a half times the fish biomass than areas with no restrictions.

To have those benefits, however, strong protections are critical according to a review by the Pew Trusts. MPAs that are poorly managed are effectively of no benefit to anyone. Fish abundance declines and with that goes the opportunity for any marine user including fishers.

This was the finding of a global study on MPAs. 

Highly and moderately regulated areas [exhibit] higher biomass and abundance of commercial fish species, whereas fish abundance and biomass in weakly regulated areas differed little from unprotected areas (Zupan et al 2018). 

Meanwhile, when protected areas have strong management, the benefits to fishers are rapid and compelling. A 24-year study across a dozen fish landing sites in Kenya, for example, found that:

Per-person daily catches rose 25 times faster near the no-take MPA than in fished areas with gear restrictions.

No doubt there will be opposition to any strengthening of protection at Ricketts Point. But it is also a clear and categorical fact that the biggest threat to fishing is poorly regulated fishing itself.

Meanwhile, MPAs are one in an arsenal of tools that are critical to the future of fish stocks. In Victoria we have only 5% protected, compared to the target of 30%, that the world's governments have signed up to. It's even more important that we don't allow these tiny fragments to decline.

We need our government to show more committment to protection, so the benefits can be shared by everyone. We need recognition of:

1. The role reef fish play in rebuilding living systems and how critical that is to the future integrity of Victoria’s coastline;
2. The significant livelihood and economic impact that the loss of these fish is currently having on the people of Melbourne and Victoria; 
3. The over-riding significance of our national parks as a source of future economic value; 
4. The risks that illegal activity poses to the recovery of lost natural capital; and
5. The benefits this protection brings to restoring lost fish populations outside of the parks and sanctuaries; 

The benefits to our economy and livelihoods are, according to the UN, 8-30 times greater than our business as usual approach, which leads to continual ecosystem degradation.

Thank you again for your support. 

Simon.