All Rights Reserved

TV3 News recently reported that the Dept. of Conservation (DoC) have a goal of 10% of New Zealand's waters to be locked-up in marine reserve status by 2010.

What does this really mean? -

DOCs definition of their 10% Marine Reserve policy:

'The 10% target comes from the New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy 2000 which that a target of protecting 10 percent of New Zealand's marine environment should be achieved by 2010. 'Marine environment' is defined in the Strategy as follows:
 
'includes all areas in which the ocean and coast are significant parts, and all natural and biological resources contained therein. It includes the area from mean spring high water mark to the full extent of our EEZ (to 200 nautical miles offshore). Environments covered in the 'marine environment' include estuarine, near-shore coastal, continental shelf,seamounts, and sea-trenches.'

Adding up the numbers:

New Zealand's EEZ (Economic Exclusion Zone) is an area of 405 million Hectares.15 times NZ's landmass. DOC are proposing to lock up 10% of this area. That equates to 40.5 million hectares of ocean. That is 500 times what they currently have in reserve at the If Doc are to lock up New Zealand coastline using the figure of 40.5 million hectares, this would create a marine reserve to 26.76 km (14.5nm) from New Zealand's entire coastline.
 
Bottomline is that anyone wanting to catch a fish in New Zealand waters after 2010 will be forced to travel up to 27kms offshore to do so. 'Reserves are not going to happen in my backyard' doctrine of thought is a very dangerous one and has major ramifications to your birth right to go and catch a feed of fish.

Join a fishing club, talk to your friends, subscribe to www.option4.co.nz, write letters to your local mayor, MP's and newspapers - DO SOMETHING RIGHT NOW!