What is our Coral Sea?

Contributed by Tim Hochgrebe

The Coral Sea is a tropical marine jewel, which lies east of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It’s one of the last places on Earth where large marine animals can still be found in great numbers. The Coral Sea is one of the last remaining places on Earth where populations of sharks, tuna and billfish have not been drastically reduced.

Yet less than 1% of this Serengeti of the Seas is protected.

Today is World Oceans Day and right now the federal government is considering the future of the Coral Sea within Australian waters.

Protect Our Coral Sea Campaign

'Protect our Coral Sea' is a joint campaign supported by regional, national and international conservation organisations, who are calling on the federal government to establish a highly protected marine park in the Coral Sea. The marine park would cover over a million square kilometres and protect it from extractive uses such as mining and commercial fishing. It would be the World’s largest marine park.

Why the Coral Sea?

The proposed Coral Sea Marine Park would include coral reefs, remote islands, underwater mountains and deep-sea canyons. Recent scientific discoveries in the Coral Sea are only just beginning to unravel some of the deep sea mysteries of the area. The region is also home to more than 300 animal species currently listed on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Aussie Stars ‘Coral Sea Love’ to Save Australian Ocean Wilderness.

Australian actress Isabel Lucas and her boyfriend musician Angus Stone have created a short video ‘Coral Sea Love’ in which they call for viewers to sign a petition and help create a marine park in the Coral Sea.

Isabel Lucas is an Ambassador of the Protect Our Coral Sea campaign, an effort to protect a vast area of ocean wilderness adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef.

The video has been released to coincide with World Oceans Day on June 8th, an international celebration of the sea, and Julia Stone has created and sings the song titled 'In the City of Lights'. The Coral Sea is one of the last remaining places on Earth where populations of sharks, tuna and billfish have not been drastically reduced.

Photos by Xanthe Rivett

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