by frog
Sourced from www.linz.govt.nz. Crown Copyright Reserved
The Ross Sea is described as the world’s last ocean.
The Ross Sea, Antarctica, is stunning. A jigsaw puzzle of floating ice extends to the horizon in all directions, punctuated by floating mountains of blue ice that saw at the sky like jagged teeth. It is a desert of ice, subjected to 6 months of solid night, 200 kph winds, and temperatures of -40°C. It is also filled with life.
The Last Ocean Charitable Trust is campaigning to protect it from the fate of other oceans:
Overwhelming evidence suggests that over-fishing has profoundly damaged most, if not all the rest of the world’s marine ecosystems. Estimates are that we’ve eaten 90% of the world’s top predatory fish, finned 95% of the world’s sharks, and harpooned 90% of the great whales. The oceans are in serious trouble. The Ross Sea is recognized as the most pristine open-ocean ecosystem left on earth. In essence, the Ross Sea is the last ocean.
Wellington hosted the Trust’s presentation last night, and Christchurch will this Sunday at 7:30pm. If you’ve missed out, here’s a taster:
The Greens support making the Ross Sea a Protected Area, which would mean protecting the Ross Sea’s Antarctic toothfish from fishing. Do you agree?
Published in Environment & Resource Management | Featured by frog on Thu, November 5th, 2009
Tags: antarctica, christchurch, conservation, environment, fishing, ice, oceans, ross sea, toothfish, wellington
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
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I agree but this is an example of treating the symptom, rather than the disease. The world’s people need to live sustainably. If they did so, we wouldn’t need to declare any protected areas.
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‘people living sustainably’.
Everything, it seems, is up for grabs and if it isn’t taken in the first instance, the grabbers will be back for a second, third and fourth try, until they have what they desire. Where there’s money to be made…
I’ve always thought how unfortunate it was that the fish was named ‘toothfish’. It’s fate was sealed the moment it was given an unlovely title. Had it been called the ‘rose-scented bubblefish’, it’d never have been exploited at all (maybe…)
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Nice explanation of the toothfish range, in the half-way down the bottom link. The obvious solution, which will never happen, is to restrict the fishing effort away from the reservoir habitat, so that the fishermen take consequences of overfishing early. How many nations would have to agree, in order for there to be a chance of such regulation being effective?
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Agreed, greenfly. The problem, though, is that by just treating the symptoms, it leads countries into a false sense that they are doing something sustainable. In the end, though, if any country suffers economically by agreeing to some environmental treaty, you can be sure that it will tear up the treaty.
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I agree with the part to prevent it from the fate of other oceans. But about fishing, I don’t agree. Instead, we must increase the fish in Ross Sea rather than prevent it from fishing.
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This area has always been a protectorate of New Zealand, we even issued stamps for them (& I think, still do) so that scientists visiting the Ross Dependancy had their own postal system. (Which made cute souvenirs, and prompted the interest in Antartica that I have had to this day.)
So few people ever get to appreciate the true beauty of this frozen sea (slushy in summer) that it slips the mind of the average conservationist.
With all the publicity of the 30-year anniversary of the Erebus crash (which put a stop to aerial tourism in the region), we should be mindfull of the fact that this area is in need of protection and respect, not increased tourism, fishing contracts, or any other form of industrial exploitation of this unique environment.
Put me down as a fervent supporter of fishing restrictions, and good on the Last Ocean trust for starting the ball rolling on this one.
Another first strike for the Antarctic Research Centre & Dr Peter Barrett?
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I only see two ways to preserve this area and its inhabitants.
1) Develop a strong navy and airforce and bomb the heck out of anyone who treats the area badly (A tougher version of the “Sea Shepherd” response)
2) Find a way to decrease world population in order to change the balance of “supply and demand”.
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