Climate change and water acidification are dominant pressures for reef susceptibility (Anonymous 2015), offsetting a massive chain of reef devastation in the form of increased weather damage (storms, cyclones and flooding), rising water temperatures and coral bleaching. The reef plan simply does not address this in proportion to the severity of the issue (Australian Government 2015), and requires revision. Although climate change is the primary long-term threat to the GBR, water quality is an immediate concern. Sediment runoff from coastal development and the agriculture industry causes ocean acidification, causing alterations in coral's natural calcification (De'ath, Lough and Fabricius 2009). The new synthesized, warmer water is the perfect breeding ground for plankton that feeds the predacious crown-of-thorns starfish, prompting a successful control program to cease the proliferation. However, the 2050 plan shows no intention to continue it after 2015 (Australian Government 2015).
Water quality has also declined due to dredge spoil disposal, liberating contaminated sediments to pollute the habitual conditions of the sea life, coral and plant life (Stylan and Hanley 2015). Although the dumping of dredge spoil in the reef has now been banned and the plans for the Abbott Point expansion have been halted (Validakis 2015), there is still an alarming amount of industry, commercial, tourist and recreational traffic going through the reef and the act of dredging will still be allowed under the proposed 2050 plan (Australian Government 2015). As one of the key sources of income for Australia, the sizable fishing industry contributes to a significant amount of port activity and traffic through the GBR, which raises the question of overfishing. Despite being regulated, there is evidence of overfishing occurring in the reef, not allowing the reproduction rate to correlate with amount caught to keep a natural equilibrium (Fox 2015).