Agmates,

I have a background on the Paroo as aq jackaroo and overseer at Tongo Station, and as manager of Calvert Hills Station NT. A lifetime of diving has also provided considerable experience and information rural people might be interested in.

Concerning whether farmers are to blame for damage to coral, see the following article and especially the photograph at:

http://www.solomontimes.com/news.aspx?nwID=4043

I would appreciate any comment. Prove me wrong if possinle. There is need for proper treatment of the real causes of problems in the ocean, and in any case, farmers should not be blamed for something they are not doing. For example how can science know what load of nutrients is coming from Queensland agriculture and what part of the total load is coming from southern cities and towns?

Ocean food web ecosystem devastation impacts agriculture because of a range of reasons including increased cost of fish used for fishmeal and fertilizer. Baitfish are seagrass dependent. Searbirds are baitfish dependent. Guano phosphate supply depends on seabirds.

As fish have become depleted the price of fish has increased, causing feed mills to turn to abattoirs to buy lower cost offal to make meatmeal in place of fishmeal, cattle then eating brain of their own species, resulting in mad cow disease, CJD in humans, and turmoil in beef industry worldwide. My opinion anyway.

Depletion of fish is causing inflation and higher cost of food that an increasing number of people can not afford. Customers are being lost. Unsold food is sometimes reduced in price and virtually dumped at a non viable price.

Of course there are causes and impacts and consequences of world fish resource depletion.

If anyone disagrees, please advise.

Regards,

JF