Is there any proof of this?
ttbn,
Yes, for those who can accept it ! Do a dive trip out of Cairns & ask to visit those "world famous" dive spots "teeming" with Marine life. Let me know if you think you got your money's worth ! Same with the fishing charters. Like a frequent fisher who used to go to Cape York for several years in a row. When he flew out from his last trip he said "they were the most expensive sandwiches" he ever got because sandwiches was all he got & he hasn't come back since I was told ! Even the fishing charter operators have moved on.
Those beautiful UW photos shown are from 40 years ago !

Indyvidual

I can't even swim, let alone dive.

I'm talking about proof from people who know what they are talking about: not anonymous anecdotes. If you want people to believe what you say, you must produce the evidence.

Remember Peter Ridd. After that fiasco I wouldn't believe any stories about the GBR without scientific proof.

Indyvidual take it easy on ttbn- he's based in South Australia from memory where the population has shrunk by half in the last thirty years. Where as Queensland's population has quadrupled or something. The Gold Coast is bigger then the whole of South Australia's population. And there's another Gold Coast north of Brisbane. I think Cairns Airport is as big as Adelaide Airport.

Ttbn see's the problem from a different perspective, but he would probably agree that world population is a problem, on a number of levels.

But just because fish are down in certain areas, doesn't mean they are everywhere, and that the scale of the coral bleaching conspiracy is real.

The forums number one "cooker" is sprooking conspiracy theory again...this time its the "coral bleaching conspiracy". Next thing you know he'll be telling us all those fish are Woke Marxists.

He got one thing right, the old hick from SA, he wouldn't have a clue about the real Australia.

wouldn't believe any stories about the GBR without scientific proof.
ttbn,
That's a call that can't be answered. Peter Ridd says one thing & the other scientists say another. So, here we have scientists from two sides & we still don't know which scientist is actually right.
Proof is always from the side that rakes in the most funding or at least that's how it looks in such debates.
I watch fishing charter boats on a daily & sometimes even hourly basis & for the past five years I haven't seen a single fish being reeled in. "Should have been here yesterday" or "tomorrow should be much better" are two most uttered sentences in those circles. The operators have no qualms conning the unsuspecting tourist out of some good Dollars whilst fully well aware that no fish will be caught because there hardly are any fish left & those that are swim around with sore mouths & doin't feel like biting for a while !
As far as I can observe, there are no opportunities only opportunists exploiting the gullible !
There are a few operators who now encroach on remote areas to make one more stab at some Dollars by advertising "untouched fishing grounds" ! No consideration being given for the long term. Nothing in nature seems to be off limit for "recreational" fishing.
The one fortunate dent in this exploitation is the SE Tradewinds & if it weren't for that the GBR would be like an old quarry by now !