It looks like the fishing industry is still getting what they pay for:
The Government has again bowed to fishing industry pressure and refused to extend a marine reserve around Campbell Island, a subantarctic sanctuary recognised for its value in conserving and maintaining unique creatures.
Campbell Island/Motu Ihupuku is uninhabited and is New Zealand's southern-most island. It is accepted as one of the most pristine places on earth and an important breeding ground for seabirds and marine mammals.
The move has exposed a split between the Green Party and its Government partner Labour over protection of the oceans.
Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage says she backed enlarging the sanctuary. But she was overruled by Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash, who sided with industrial fishing interests.
There's no actual fishing down there, but the fishing industry opposes sanctuaries for ideological reasons: they hate the idea that there might be anywhere they are not allowed to pillage. They're not interested in sustainable management, they're not "stewards" ensuring a viable future for their industry, they're purely about environmental destruction. As for how to stop it, a first step is to vote out the politicians they've bought, and elect ones they can't buy.
