SALMON FARMING NEEDED IF ANTARCTIC MARINE RESERVE ZONING IS A REALITY
Salmon farming is a way to turn agricultural product into fish.
For it to work, you need a good water supply to grow crops. The crops, you turn into fish.
Waters Rich Antarctic News: New Zealand and the United States are in chats to to brainstorm the creation of an historic marine protection area in Antarctica’s Ross Sea.
The head of the US delegation at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in Hobart says both countries are aware they will need to compromise if an agreement is to be reached.
The meeting is hoping to establish the world’s largest marine protection area (MPA). Competing plans for the Ross Sea are in discussion. The New Zealand plan is for a larger area but the US proposal is favoured by environmental groups because it puts more restrictions on fishing.
New Zealand is anxious to protect its toothfish industry, while the US proposal would set up a no-fishing reference area for scientific research.
“If you have an MPA you have to establish objectives for the MPA,” head of the US delegation Evan Bloom told NZ Newswire.
“Both have been presented and both are under discussion and indeed we’re talking with New Zealand at the same time.”
CCAMLR’s consensus model means all members will need to agree on a proposal.
Mr Bloom, who is director of the US Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs, said he was hopeful a deal could be struck.
But he said meeting the 2012 deadline was not the most important consideration.
“I’d love to have it happen this year. My main concern is that it be done and done well.”
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has taken a personal interest in the progress of the talks, which will conclude next week.
“She has been active in talking with other leaders about the issue of marine protected areas and also with respect to this particular Ross Sea proposal, and she thinks it’s important that we make progress in this area,” Mr Bloom said.
The US will support two other MPA proposals on the table, one a joint Australian/French initiative for an area of east Antarctica and the other an EU move to protect ice shelves.
NZN
What I think: The USA love fish. Big cat fish eaters and salmon eaters too. California as a State (LA and surrounding areas of LA is 20 million people alone) thrive on Mexican, Sushi and Chinese too. When I say sushi, I mean like mega portions of it in the Health & Fitness Capital of the world. It’s very admirable seeing people love sushi that much. So these plans from the USA are more about oil, are more about territorial zoning for the US than the fish per se.
Realistically to ensure the fish aspect – salmon farming needs to happen all over the world. From NZ especially. California people without sushi or China-Japan (Asian nations) without fish…. not pretty to even think about. So, whose on salmon farming then? Nations who can do salmon farming? Nations with water. Fish is a key symbol of maintaining world peace in the not-too-distant future. So … for those of us with good water supplies, best we start developing them quicker.
Journalism parts of this post written by - David Beniuk.
~Posted by Horiwoodblog, Aotearoa New Zealand, Polynesia Asia-Pacific. 26.10.12~
