1.2 Million Square Miles Are Now Off Limits to Oil Drillers and Commercial Fishermen
Australia has just announced that it is creating the world’s largest marine reserve. It is setting aside 3.1 million square kilometers (1.2 million square miles) that cannot be used for commercial fishing or fossil fuel exploration. In order to offset losses incurred, the government will allocate $100 million AUS to fishermen displaced by the new reserves.
Although this is a drop in the ocean in terms of solving the world’s ocean crisis, 3.1 million square kilometers is larger than Alaska, California, Texas, and Montana combined. So it is definitely a good start.
