By Roy Weavers


Thanks to a new computer system, commercial fishers in Queensland can now monitor their carbon emissions.

The president of the Queensland Seafood Industry Association, Michael Gardiner, said the new program was produced in co-ordination with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Apparently it calculates a range of factors and even suggests how to reduce a carbon footprint.  Apart from the vessel itself, it can be programmed to look at all the elements of each operation for their catch from the fuel and energy generation methods onboard to how the fish are processed and packed.

Editors comments: This is a great start for the marine environment by looking at the commercial fishing operations and giving them the ability to control their own carbon footprint.  I'm sure this will ultimately mean reducing it but there are other concerns like waste products that are either deliberately being discarded or inadvertently falling into the ocean which subsequently also has an impact on other marine life as well as the overall impact on the environment.

Having listened to the good people from Tangarao Blue Ocean care, I think this should be considered as one big picture don't you think and let's not forget it's not just the fishing industry who should be copping the blame, it's not all their fault ?  There's plenty of other seafarers who damage our oceans far worse !