Unlikely coalition campaigns for Coral Sea

An unlikely coalition of marine scientists, environmentalists and navy officers are calling for the seas around the Great Barrier Reef, known as the Coral Sea, to be protected from fishing by international law.

The Coral Sea, on the east coast of Australia, covers an area of one million square kilometres.

Hidden beneath its surface lie 25 coral reefs and an underwater mountain range.

In addition to its environmental importance, the sea is historically significant as the pivotal Second World War Battle of the Coral Sea took place on its waters in 1942.

If the Coral Sea Campaign coalition gets its way, it will become the largest marine protected area in the world.

Those attending the launch of the campaign this week were told how the Coral Sea is one of the last safe places in the world for tuna, sharks, swordfish and marlin.

The reef is also home to endangered species of sea turtle, 13 species of sea bird, and 25 species of whales and dolphins.

Populations of these species thrive in the Coral Sea whilst they dwindle elsewhere in the world due to overfishing and pollution.

The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first sea battle in World War II to involve aircraft carriers.

Three American ships and a Japanese aircraft carrier were lost during the fight.

Navy officers call the area an ‘ocean monument’ to the soldiers and seamen who fought in the battle.

Researchers backing the campaign say that fishing in the Coral Sea has rapidly increased over the last two decades, with catch numbers already down despite more effort being put in.

The Queensland fishing industry, however, is nonplussed by the campaign.

A spokesperson for the Queensland Seafood Industry Association said the Coral Sea Campaign coalition is a group of ‘emotional and over the top greenies’.

He added that the Coral Sea is an ‘eminently sustainable’ fishing area.