Stocking Up: Securing our marine economy
By Laura Eadie and Caroline HoisingtonSeptember 2011
Our marine economy—valuable but not fully visible?
Economically ‘visible’Commercial fishing
$2.2 bnBoat/ship building
$6.4 bnMarine tourism $11.1 bnOffshore oil & gas
$24.2 bn
Carbon storage?
$15.8 billion
Fish nurseries, pest and disease control?
$6.2 billion
Recreation & fishing?
$1.9 billion
The world’s oceans are at risk of crashing
6 % drop in ocean productivity since 1990
63 % of stocks over-fished
29 % of seagrass lost since 1879
61 % of corals have gone
65 – 80 % of large predator fish gone
We need to secure our marine asset base
$11 billion marine tourism industry
9,000 commercial fishing jobs
1 in 5 Australians are recreational fishers
42 % Commonwealth fisheries over-fished or unknown
Half Commonwealth fisheries struggling to cope with economic pressure
World’s largestseagrass beds,carbon storage 10 – 40 times forests
World’s highest diversity with over 4,000 fish species
15 % decline in growth rate of long-lived corals in Great Barrier Reef1
1 The decline since 1990 is unprecedented in 400 years of records
Established MPAs show economic benefits• Larger, more fertile fish• Resistance to pollution, predators
and disease• Immediate benefits for tourism• Better catch for recreational fishers
within a few years• Higher and more stable long-term
commercial fishing returns, if combined with good fisheries management
The South-west MPA could protect a further $1.1 billion per year
Scientific blueprint –$1.5 billion per year in ecosystem services
Proposed highly protected areas –$0.4 billion per year in ecosystem services
Coastal shelf
Existing and proposed oil and gas leases
Sustainably managed fisheries could be worth billions
International ecological collapse
Most likely baseline scenario
Current production
3.1
2.4
2.2
PROJECTED VALUE OF PRODUCTION FROM ALL AUSTRALIAN FISHERIES IN 20 YEARS
Source: CPD analysis using Delgado 2003
$ Billions per annum Gross Value of Production1 (2011 terms)
42 % increase
1 This includes fish products from aquaculture, for which prices are also expected to rise
Some simple measures can secure our economic future1. Invest in marine protected areas that meet
scientific recommendations for coastal shelf, seagrass and coral reefs
2. Rebuild fish stocks with a view to raising target stock levels to 50 – 75 per cent of un-fished biomass
3. Ensure sustainable management for all commercial fisheries
4. Establish baseline data for recreational catch levels and un-fished biomass
5. Support marketing and business innovation for sustainable Australian seafood, and sustainable marine tourism.
For more information...
Copies of ‘Stocking Up’ are available at
http://cpd.org.au/2011/09/stocking-up/
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