Swedish Radio & Swedish Science Radio reported on June 24th, 2008, that overfished species are able recover fast in marine reservations where no fishing is allowed. The results were published by Australian scientists who had done research in the world’s largest marine reservation, the Great Barrier Reef, outside the northeastern Australian coast.
The results for the endangered tropical fish Coral Trout are surprisingly good, said Markus Nyström, a doctorate at the system-ecological institution at Stockholm University. What makes this study unique is that it’s done on a very large scale and that we’re shown conclusive results, indicating a quick and extensive effect. The Great Barrier Reef marine reservation, located outside northeastern Australia, is currently the world’s largest of its kind and a place were one’s attempting to protect 70 different ecosystems.
The Coral Trout is threatened both by commercial fishing and environmental changes, but scientists can now see how the amounts of fish has increased by almost 70% in less than two years, where no fishing has been allowed.
However, marine reservation areas are controversial and often criticized by fishermen. Despite the fact that the earth is covered to 2/3 by oceans, only 0,5% of the marine habitats are officially protected. On land, on the other hand, the corresponding number is 13%. (Translated into English for the Good News Network from the Swedish report on Swedish Radio )