Sea Lions facing extinction due to shark fishery

The Conservation Council of South Australia (CCSA) is calling for the immediate end to the practice of gillnetting in Australian sea lion habitat. A small shark fishery targeting gummy sharks (sold as flake in fish and chip shops) is using gillnets, a type of net known to drown sea lions. CCSA is alarmed at the continuing risk to which sea lions are being exposed.

A 2010 report* calculated 374 sea lions are killed by the shark fishery every breeding season.
Sea lions are drowning in unsustainable numbers putting 40% of colonies at risk of extinction. The report by SARDI (South Australian Research and Development Institute) states bycatch of female Australian Sea Lions must be reduced to ‘zero or close to zero' to adequately protect the species over its entire habitat. The report found that additional losses of 1-2 female sea lions per year could result in up to 40% of colonies becoming extinct.

This fishery has been on notice since 2006 regarding sea lion mortalities and CCSA is alarmed that the latest management approach fails to adequately respond to the risk posed by this type of net to sea lions populations. The government department that manages this fishery , the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has failed in its legal and moral responsibility to protect Australian sea lions from unsustainable bycatch.
South Australia is home to 85% of the total Australian sea lion population thought to only be around 10,000 animals. The Australian sea lion is a species unique to Australia and is classified by the IUCN as endangered, and as ‘threatened' by the Australian Government. The Australian sea lion is an SA eco-tourism icon, with the colony at Seal Bay attracting over 100,000 tourists annually.

Take Action Here

Conservation Council SA's work on marine conservation, click here

Conservation Council SA and The Wilderness Society SA joint submission on the Draft Australian Sea Lion Management Strategy for the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery click here [PDF]

The letter Conservation Council SA and The Wilderness Society SA were signtories to, adressed to Min Garrett.

 

* Goldsworthy, S.D., Page, B., Shaughnessy, P.D. and Linnane, A. (2010). Mitigating Seal Interactions in the SRLF and the Gillnet Sector SESSF in South Australia. Report to the Fisheries Research and Development Institute. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI publication No. F2009/000613-1. SARDI Report Series No. 405

Image courtesy of Dr Brad Page, SARDI Aquatic Sciences