I saw this play out on my own lifetime growing up on the North Shore of Auckland from the late 70s to late 80s. From reefs covered in kelp and diverse lifeforms to kina barrens and then to bare rock once even the kina died off. That whole coastline is now dead
yeah after they ate all the seals and the Moa ! but wait who are the major stake holders in commercial fishing in NZ Maori are...it's just not a trickle down $ chain
Totally agree with everything i have seen it all play out i grew up by the sea on the east coast and spent a lot of time snorkeling, the sediment now is awful its just grey sludge everywhere that kills everything. If people only knew what it really looks like under the water in many many places all that exists now in Little Manly bay beach for example is sludge , rotting vegetation and sea slugs its not a pretty sight.
Corporate governmental regimes from the left, centre and right are the key problem in New Zealand. A big part of the solution is to get corporate money out of our political system.