Very fishy: Australia fails to see ocean for the fish

According to UNESCAP, the sale of fishing licences to foreign fishing companies

provides Pacific Islands with US$60-70 million per annum.

This focus has been strongly reflected in the oceans negotiations at the summit, which Australia is facilitating.

Seven out of nineteen oceans paragraphs in the draft text focus on fisheries, a huge number when considering ocean acidification, ocean fertilisation and coastal erosion.

But an intense focus on fisheries alone fails to address the environment necessary for their success.

A spokesperson from Oceanwatch touched on these concerns.

"Development is decreasing fisheries productivity," he said, referring to the creation of industrial plants on the east coast of Australia.

"Estuaries are nurseries. Development is removing access to these habitats."

Associated seminars and less conferences have revealed a disconnect between concerns of scientific organisations and civil society and those of governments, as the latter calls for more interest in ecosystems protection.

In spite of this, New Zealand has named the draft text "ambitious" and some nations have been please with the outcome so far.

"We are putting a strong emphasis on oceans in New Zealand's contribution to Rio+20 because it is so important for our part of the world," said the New Zealand Minister for the Environment, Nick Smith.

Others are not so impressed.