New Zealand: Leading the Way

New Zealand implemented a "no take" position in a 2 mile stretch of sea (Goat Island) This meant that this stretch of sea needed to be completely free from human interference. This meant no line fishing, no spearfishing, no hooking a lobster out of its lair, no prying off a clump of rock oysters. The action was revolutionary not justbecause it was one of the world's first no-take reserves, but also because it protected an ordinary stretch of coastline. The legislation was enacted in 1971. New Zealand has a coastline greater in length than the US, and has the fourth largest EEZ recognized by the UN. High school classes have participated in the action to designate their local coastal community a reserve.

Today, New Zealand has 31 reserve sites, covering 8% of the country's coastal waters. 99% of this protected habitat lies within 2 reserves, each hundreds of miles from the mainland. The smallest of the country's 14 terrestrial national parks protects an area greater than all the coastal marine reserves combined.

No-take reserves have develped in other parts of the world, such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. California has recently established a network of 29 reserves, half of which ban all fishing along its central coast, covering nearly 200 square miles of state waters from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz. The state plans to set up reserves along its entire coastline by 2011.

New Zealand's billion-dollar fishing industry recently proposed that 30% of the country's EEZ be set aside. Dredging and bottom trawling would be prohibited in these areas in recognition of of the destructiveness of these forms of fishing.

Despite the recent gains, only 0.01% of the world's oceans are closed to fishing. The World Wildlife Fund has called for 20% no-take protection by 2020. Some scientists have suggested that 40 to 50% closures may be necessary to prevent the commercial extinction of some species.

New ocean ethic needs to be developed. The ocean needs to be seen not as a commodity we own but as a community of which we are a part. The sea is worth saving for tis own sake.