Campbell defends extended Barrier Reef fishing closures

The Federal Environment Minister, Senator Ian Campbell, has defended increasing fishing closures on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef but says the matter was poorly handled.

The comments follow the release of a review into the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA).

Commercial and recreational fisherman were incensed when the GBRMPA locked them out of a third of the reef in 2004.

A review has found GBRMPA consulted widely, but the social and economic impacts were not taken into account.