If a call for proof "can't be answered", then we are back to OPINIONS. You can have whatever opinions you like without proof. What will be will be. We are running out of fish - or not. The GBR is stuffed - or not.

My opinion is that the reef is OK. I know that we import most of our seafood; I don't know if that's because we are running out of fish, or it's because of unfair, stupid laws by Australian governments who are a) incompetent, b) just plain nasty, or c) have made some agreement with global interests.

Not matter what, there is sweet FA I can do about; there's sweet FA you can do about it, Indyvidual; and there is sweet FA chance that Australian governments can do anything about it, and sweet FA chance of them telling the truth about it.

And, I note, that the complete waste of space, Paul 1405, continues to make useless ad hominem attacks on other posters without any reference to the actual topic. He has always been a nasty little tosser, but he is getting worse as his brain keeps deteriorating.

then we are back to OPINIONS.
ttbn,
Most definitely not ! We are looking at facts. Fact one is the recreational fishing industry is huge as is reef research & they're opposing due to fact two which is income protection !
I can't prove that recreational fishing particularly with barbed hooks is highly detrimental to the ecology of the reef because those who see it refuse to acknowledge it or more to the point they can't afford to acknowledge it. Peter Ridd is an example of that except that he referred to the Coral & not the fish stocks. There is a lot of new Coral growth but no growth in fish numbers.
So you see the problem is again greed & selfishness but hey we can't say that !
Some of the smarter reef tourism Nations have even banned the use of sunscreen lotion. I drew attention to those chemicals 45 years ago & I'm chuffed that some authorities think along the same lines even if it is on the other side of the World !

Why won't you present evidence of these "facts", or at least refer to what you think is evidence so that people can view it for themselves?

ttbn,
As I stated earlier, the evidence is there for people to look at & if they can't go there they should take note of people who do.
Let's see how many OLOer's actually know the reef instead of just believing the fishing shows on TV !
In order to support a ban on barbed hooks one just needs a sense of responsibility & common sense ! Throw in a couple of ounces of healthy mentality & the ecology will show us an improvement within a couple of seasons !

Indyvidual

No. That’s not the way it works. Claims such as yours have to be shown to be correct by accredited people and be peer reviewed. Anyone, especially anonymous people, can't expect their audience to simply believe them.

This sort of subject is best left to qualified and publicly recognised professionals who can explain the how and the why of the conclusions they came up with.

Personal anecdotes don't cut the mustard.