The impacts of coral and shell collecting - The Great Barrier Reef: An Environmental History - page 132

A suggestion was made to this Department by the Director of the Queensland
Government Tourist Bureau that it is desirable to prohibit or restrict the
removal of live coral from Queensland waters, in view of anticipated
developments of the tourist traffic to islands in the Barrier Reef area and
the possibility of considerable destruction of growths of coral forming scenic
attractions in the neighbourhood of the tourist resorts . 6
Nevertheless, some degradation of coral reefs had already occurred, the Secretary
reported: for example, in 'the Stone Island area where tourists and others have
done some damage to the coral formations from a scenic point of view'.
Another area about which early concerns about the coral collecting were
publicised was the Whitsunday Islands; one account, written by H. G. Lamond
in 1933, requested the Queensland government to prohibit coral collectors 'from
removing oysters or coral, shells and other beauties from the Molle reefs' since
degradation was occurring in those places. In another letter, Lamond argued
that damage to the reefs was occurring, not only as a result of the removal of
specimens, but also because other corals were damaged in the process. In the
same year, the Queensland Government passed legislation to protect the most
vulnerable locations by prohibiting the taking of coral from the foreshores and
reefs of eighteen islands: Masthead, Heron, Lady Musgrave and North West
Islands (Bunker Group); Middle and South Islands (Percy Isles); Tern and Red Bill
Islands (Northumberland Islands); Scawfell, Molle, Shaw, Lindeman, Hayman,
St Bees and Brampton Islands (Cumberland Islands); Stone Island (Edgecombe
Bay); Bait Reef; and the foreshores and reefs of Cid Harbour (Whitsunday
Island) . 7 T he locations of those early protected areas are shown in Figure 9.2. In
1937, the foreshore and reef surrounding Hamilton Island (Whitsunday Passage)
were added to the list of protected areas, followed by other foreshores and reefs in
the Whitsunday and Cumberland Islands, in 193 9. 8
Nevertheless, coral collecting remained a popular activity amongst both
amateur collectors and naturalists. Ellis (1936, p83) described the attraction of
coral collecting as follows:
So far as naturalists are concerned, I can hardly imagine one being happier
than when taking a stroll at low spring tide on the Barrier Reef, with its
wealth of shells, corals, crabs, sea-urchins, b ê che-de-mer , and other strange
things that only a naturalist could classify. Every stone one turns over reveals
material for a collection; every piece of live coral broken off seems to add
its share; not only the polyp which made the structure, but the weird and
wonderful tiny crabs, shrimps, and little fish that make their homes among
the branching coral. Everything seems to be teeming with life. And it is not
necessary to be a naturalist to enjoy these wonders; anyone with a love of
nature would be thrilled. The scale on which things are done, too, is befitting
the noble proportions of this great reef.