Beware Shonky website.

[rayke1938]

If you google Coral Sea or barrier reef you invarably get this sponsored websire.

*

*

Australia’s Coral Sea

Less than 1% is protected Make it 100%. Sign the e-petition!

www.ProtectOurCoralSea.org.

Initially looks ok so you think yeah lets do it but when you look at the who we are page and all the usual culprits are revealed.

* Australian Conservation Foundation

* Australian Marine Conservation Society

* Pew Environment Group in Australia

* Project AWARE Foundation

* Queensland Conservation Council

* Cairns and Far North Environment Centre.

To get a true picture of what is happening and how the truth is being twisted by the GBRMPA and the above groups please spend a bit of time and read the attached.

/>http://www.quadrant.org.au/blogs/doomed-planet/2010/03/reef-report-lacks-credibility

You will note how pervasive this Protect our coral sea are as their ad comes up beside the report.

Cheers

Ray

looks like the link doesnt work properly

March 24, 2010

Extraordinary claims in Great Barrier Reef assessment require evidence

A new Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority report, published in PNAS, the journal of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, claims remarkably rapid, large, widespread and diverse environmental and economic benefits from the expanded protected areas introduced on the Great Barrier Reef in 2004. An examination of this report finds:

* The authors declare no conflict of interest, yet all 21 are employed by or recipients of generous funding from GBRMPA and they are reviewing outcomes of their own findings and recommendations.

* Claimed results of protection are notably larger, more rapid, widespread and uniformly positive than has been observed anywhere else or than appears probable.

* Several of the most important claims are contradicted by other more extensive work from the same researchers and such disparity is glossed over or ignored.

* The major claim of a doubling of fish on protected reefs rests on a single example inconsistent with abundant other evidence including that which is presented in the report itself.

* Economic analysis is heavily distorted by attributing total value for all tourism in the region to the reef, when only half of visitors even take a one day reef tour.

* Scant actual evidence is provided to support claims.

The full text by Walter Starck is available in a pdf file here…
/>http://www.quadrant.org.au/Starck%20document.pdf

[rayke1938]

Been looking more at the Protect Our Coral Sea wbsite and found this.

It finds your local federal member and sends a proforma letter to him with a area where you can add your own words.

of Petition

Dear Andrew Laming,

As my federal Member of Parliament, I am writing to ask you to support full protection for the Coral Sea within Australian waters.

The Coral Sea lies to the east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and extends to our maritime border with Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia. It hosts spectacular coral reefs, remote islands, towering underwater mountains and deep-sea canyons, and is home to whales, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, rays and seabirds.

In the last 50 years, 90% of the world’s big ocean-going fish have disappeared due to overfishing. The Coral Sea is one of the last places on Earth where large marine animals can still be found in great numbers, making it a special place on a global scale.

The Coral Sea is of great historic significance. In May 1942, it was the arena for the Battle of the Coral Sea, and many shipwrecks can be found on its scattered and diverse reefs.

I welcome Minister Garrett's recognition of the value of the Coral Sea by declaring a Conservation Zone over the area. I believe the Coral Sea Conservation Zone should become a permanent, fully protected, marine park.

Given that less than one tenth of one percent of the world’s ocean is fully protected, there could be no better ocean legacy for future generations.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this important issue and I look forward to your reply.

Your personal note will be here

Yours sincerely,

Your name will appear here

Personal Note

Voice Your Support

Your postcode is 4165

Parts of your postcode fall in more than one electorate. Please choose your electorate from the following list

First Name

Last Name

Email

Please send me the Coral Sea newsletter

22973 supporters have emailed their MP

The sad thing is that 23thousand people have signed it.

What hope do we have fighting this mob when they are so organised.

Also just read a press release from Garrett that they are looking at ofshore Double Island Point to Fraser ,Lord Howe Island,Tweed to Byron Bay as well as the Coral Sea.

Think I may have to look at buying shares in the Barra farm at Bli Bli as soon that is going to be the only place we can fish.

Cheers

Ray

[Scope]

Cheers for heads up ray. The thing is, these 23000 people have probably never even seen the water, let alone appreciated it, fished it, dived it, cleaned it up and or looked after it for future generations. They just sound like people misguided into thinking they're doing the right thing by the above-listed organisations.

[ellicat]

I've fixed the links, Ray.

If Starck's article is anything like his last it will make very interesting reading. His last paper dispelled many of the Green movement myths and deceptions.

I'll see if I can upload it to be a permanent resource on AFO like the last one (which can be found here - http://www.australianfishing.com.au/community/downloads/cat_view/70-newsletters-and-articles)

As for the blind faith of the petitioners, we can only hope Garrett continues to be too lazy and doesn't read their petition :whistle:

[Do$tylz]

maybe AFO can create our own pre-completed petition that we can email to our local council rep to express our drive to keep these places open??

dunno if its possible.. just somewhere to start.