"It is estimated around 370 sea lions* are killed by the Commonwealth-managed gillnet fishery every breeding season as bycatch," Conservation Council of SA spokesperson Kathryn Warhurst said today.
"The shark fishery has been on notice since 2006 regarding sea lion mortalities from this unsustainable and outdated practice. The Australian Fishing Management Authority's (AFMA) failure to adequately address this in their new management plan is posing a serious threat to the unique sea lion species," said Ms Warhurst.
A 2010 report by SARDI (South Australian Research and Development Institute) states that 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.
The new AFMA sea lion management plan is only likely to reduce bycatch by 30%.
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 as ‘threatened' by the Australian Government.
In South Australia they are a tourism icon, and are the basis of a regional ecotourism industry worth over $100 million every year.
*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
