More marine reserves

Forest and Bird, Issue 267, 1 February 1993, Page 2

More marine reserves

IN A FLURRY OF activity, timed for the Wellington Central byelection, three new marine reserves were approved by the government late last year — at Cathedral Cove near Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula, Mayor Island in the Bay of Plenty, and Long Island in the Marlborough Sounds. All reserves were actively supported by Forest and Bird. The Hahei reserve has been in the pipeline for some time (see Conservation Update August 1992) and has been gazetted without any of the major reductions in size that were feared. Hahei is significant in

that it is the first "mainland" marine reserve after Leigh. The Mayor Island reserve, on the northern side of the island, began with a Maori initiative and had the active support of MAF Fisheries. It adjoins a restricted fishing area and includes underwater hot springs and areas of black volcanic glass. The Long Island reserve, extending out halfa kilometre right round the island, was proposed originally by Marlborough dive clubs and enjoyed strong local support. While three new reserves in one hit is encouraging (and it is even more encouraging that the

government sees the announcement as "good" political news), the proportion of the coastline protected in notake reserves remains under a pitifully small one percent. In many respects they remain an orphan in coastal and marine policy and are barely mentioned in the recent fisheries task force report and the draft national Coastal Policy. It is essential that the reality of marine reserves as an insurance against greed and ignorance are built into both fisheries legislation and coastal policy.