Fisheries Minister, Hon John Luxton, today announced moves to close part of Spirits Bay and Tom Bowling Bay, between Cape Reinga and North Cape, to commercial fishing in order to protect a unique seabed community.

Scientific studies indicate that species, such as rare sponges, found on the sea floor in Spirits Bay and Tom Bowling Bay form a unique coastal ecosystem.

"The area with the greatest number of unique species in the 50-70 metre depth zone will be closed to trawling, Danish seining and scallop dredging. If fishing is not constrained, there is the potential that the species in this area could become extinct."

Mr Luxton said the closure would allow the seafloor communities to begin regenerating, thereby maintaining biological diversity.

The Ministry of Fisheries will conduct a further review with stakeholders next year, when a final scientific report on the area is completed. Once this information is available, it will be appropriate to consider whether future research programmes or adjustments to management controls are warranted for Spirits Bay and Tom Bowling Bay.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>