Ocean protection needs action

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June 17, 2025

Many of you will have seen David Attenborough’s final documentary film “Ocean” which is currently in cinemas. At the beginning of the film, he shows us how, over many decades, the state of our oceans has systematically declined – mainly the result of human action. Whether by overfishing, destructive fishing methods, land-based run-off or climate…

Many of you will have seen David Attenborough’s final documentary film “Ocean” which is currently in cinemas. At the beginning of the film, he shows us how, over many decades, the state of our oceans has systematically declined – mainly the result of human action. Whether by overfishing, destructive fishing methods, land-based run-off or climate change, it is shocking to see how we are decimating our once pristine ocean environment.

The footage showing the close-up workings of a bottom trawl net was particularly disturbing, with David Attenborough’s cameraman saying it was the most extreme example of human-induced environmental destruction he has seen in a lifetime of filming. Also heart breaking, were the scenes of remote fishing villages in third world countries whose fishermen’s catches have greatly diminished due to the incursion of huge international fishing fleets scooping up a once sustainable fish population. Then there are the fast-dying coral reefs that can’t tolerate the ocean warming phenomenon and are becoming bleached ocean deserts, a probable result of climate change.

The final part of the film is more uplifting as David outlines the possibility and hope that the damage can be turned around. David explains that the ocean will recover very quickly if given the chance; if we stop these damaging fishing methods, especially bottom trawling, if we set aside large areas of our ocean as no-catch zones and limit the amount of land-based development pollution from industries like construction, manufacturing and forestry that finds its way into our marine environment.

His film shows the results of doing this in various areas of the world, where protection is not only helping the ocean environment recover, but is also benefiting fishing and tourism interests because there are more fish and a healthy marine environment. Finally, he urges us to take notice of the UN Oceans Conference taking place in Nice, France in June, hosted by France and Costa Rica.

According to the UN, the overarching theme of the Conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”. The Conference aims to support further and urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and identify further ways and means to support the implementation of SDG 14 (detailed aims of the UN policy). It will build on existing instruments to form successful partnerships towards the swift and effective implementation of ongoing processes that contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean.

One of the target aims is to ensure that by 2030, at least 30% of coastal and marine areas, especially those important for biodiversity, are effectively conserved and managed through protected areas.”

So, while Australia, and other countries, are laying the foundations for reaching these targets, and given the fact that we have already committed to them, where do we stand now?

Well, the Guardian quotes Helen Clark, former director of the UN Development Program as saying, “New Zealand is the only country still bottom-trawling on seamounts in the South Pacific, and twice now, the current coalition government has blocked international proposals (which, notably, New Zealand had originally tabled) to restrict this damaging practice, prompting international concern.

“Most significantly, plans to establish a vast Kermadec Rangitāhua Ocean sanctuary off the coast of New Zealand’s most northerly islands have been abandoned. Had the sanctuary gone ahead, it would have brought us halfway toward the 30% protection goal and safeguarded one of the few remaining pristine places on Earth….Our outdated marine protection legislation is no longer fit for purpose, and proposed reforms have languished over decades.”

Currently, less than 1% of our ocean zone enjoys high protection status.

With our current industry-friendly minister of fisheries devising new legislation concerning fewer cameras on fishing boats, quota management rules benefiting the industry, reduced public consultation, to name a few; how, may I ask, are these measures designed with a view to reaching our obligated protection targets of 2030?

We only have 5 years.

And given that we inhabit a marine area and are part of the highly degraded Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf, I might also ask our local MP, former associate minister for the environment, Scott Simpson how he plans to put pressure on his colleague, Shane Jones, to achieve these targets.

If you share David Attenborough’s dream in the last years of his wonderfully productive life, to bring our oceans back to their former glory, while still sustainably fulfilling the needs of a fish-hungry world population, I would urge that those dreams be strongly communicated to those in power through letters, petitions, submissions, protests and ultimately through the ballot box.

Finally, we could instil into our children that life in the sea is valuable and essential for the survival of our oceans and therefore us – that catching cockabullies and sprats on the wharf and letting them flop around till they die and then throwing them back into the sea is not ok; that watching their parents keeping undersized fish or too many fish or dumping unwanted fish back into the sea dead is equally abhorrent; that seeing agricultural, construction and manufacturing pollution being allowed to contaminate our waterways and therefore our oceans must be challenged. Gradually, through education, and the aforementioned actions we may learn to respect and be thankful for all the oceans give us, and help them recover for the benefit of future generations.

One of the target aims is to ensure that by 2030, at least 30% of coastal and marine areas, especially those important for biodiversity, are effectively conserved and managed through protected areas.”

So, while Australia, and other countries, are laying the foundations for reaching these targets, and given the fact that we have already committed to them, where do we stand now?

Currently, less than 1% of our ocean zone enjoys high protection status.

We only have 5 years.

And given that we inhabit a marine area and are part of the highly degraded Tikapa Moana/Hauraki Gulf, I might also ask our local MP, former associate minister for the environment, Scott Simpson how he plans to put pressure on his colleague, Shane Jones, to achieve these targets.

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