Ross Sea failure - 'the worst possible outcome

I have been waiting for confirmation of this news before posting.

 The reports will emphasize the role of the major fishing nations but ignore the key role of the New Zealand government and fishing industry in scuppering any agreement. It was New Zealand which first developed the Antarctic toothfish fishery in the first place – and therefore has no interest in protecting the last pristine area left on the planet – the Ross Sea.

Please listen to the excellent interview with one of the foremost scientists and experts on the area – from Radio New Zealand yesterday

Ross Sea talks fail, nations to meet again next year

Major nations have failed to reach an agreement on whether the world's largest marine reserve should be set up in the Southern Ocean.

TVNZ,

2 November, 2012

Representatives from the 25-nation Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) have been meeting in Hobart, to create a plan to protect whales and penguins in Antarctica's Ross Sea.

However, it is believed that Korea, China, Japan and Russia blocked the advancement of the proposal for the protection plan at a meeting last night.

Instead, the group has agreed to hold a special session in Germany in July 2013 to try and break the deadlock.

New Zealand and the United States have already agreed to advance a joint proposal for a 2.27 million square kilometre marine reserve in the Ross Sea. This proposal would allow "light" fishing in certain areas.

Green MP Gareth Hughes said if the CCAMLR nations failed to reach an agreement by next year, it could set the negotiation process back by ten years or more.

"New Zealand has been planning towards a proposal for a Marine Protected Area in the Ross Sea since 2009 and had successfully negotiated a joint proposal with the US," he said.

"Rather than leaving it up to officials, Foreign Minister Murray McCully needs to get involved in talks with other foreign ministers to push for a positive outcome."