Atlantis Found - The Wilderness Society

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Atlantis Found:
Underwater Icons of Australia’s
Unique South West
10 Hotspots for marine life from
Geraldton to Kangaroo Island
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Kalbarri
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The Abrolhos
Islands
Geraldton
Dongara
The Rottnest
Shelf
Perth’s Grand
Canyon
Naturaliste
Plateau
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Jurien
Cervantes
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Geographe
Bay
Lancelin Swan
River
Perth
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Mandurah
Bunbury
Esperance
Yallingup
Margaret River
Augusta
Albany
Walpole Denmark
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Diamantina
Fracture Zone
Abrolhos Islands – rock lobsters and gropers
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The Rottnest Shelf – a nursery of marine life
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Albany
Canyons
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Perth’s Grand Canyon – where giants feed
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Geographe Bay – pit stop for humpbacks on the marine superhighway
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Naturaliste Plateau – WA’s lost cape
Atlantis Found: underwater icons
of Australia’s unique South West
10 hotspots for marine life from
Geraldton to Kangaroo Island
Eucla
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The Great
Australian Bight
Recherche
Archipelago
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Kangaroo Island
Canyons
Canyons and Pool
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Diamantina Fracture Zone – the bottomless ranges
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The Albany Canyons – deep diving whales and endangered
orange roughy
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Recherche Archipelago – pristine beaches and leafy seadragons
Great Australian Bight – home of the great white
Kangaroo Island Canyons and Pool – restaurant for whales
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Australia’s South West
rivals The Great Barrier Reef
Western Australians have a love affair with the sea. Nine out of 10 live
by the coast, and those who live inland are drawn to the ocean to swim,
surf, fish, dive, picnic and simply relax.
South Australians share a similar bond with
their ocean, which supports a bountiful fishing
industry and international tourism icons like
Kangaroo Island and Port Noarlunga.
But few realise just how special the deep waters
beyond their favourite beach are. The oceans
off both Western Australia and South Australia
are home to one of the world’s tallest mountain
ranges, and some of the largest canyons!
Near Albany there is a 7000 metre-deep
submerged mountain range - higher than many
of the world’s tallest peaks.
A vast undersea plateau referred to as ‘Australia’s
Atlantis’ is another iconic area located offshore
from Margaret River.
These underwater icons create a unique
environment for marine life to thrive, feed and
breed.
Australia’s South West marine region – stretching
from Kalbarri around to Kangaroo Island – has
a greater level of unique marine life than the
world famous Great Barrier Reef.
Did you know that the South West is
home to a third of the world’s whale
and dolphin species?
As much as 90 per cent of the marine life in
the South West is found nowhere else. Just
offshore from Perth is a canyon larger than
the Grand Canyon, also one of three places
in Australia that the world’s largest animal;
the endangered blue whale, comes to feed.
This report identifies 10 ‘hotspots’ that are
unique but remain unprotected from the
impacts of overfishing and ocean pollution,
including oil spills. In fact, less than one per cent
of the 1.3 million square kilometre South West
region is protected.
The map of current Australian
marine sanctuaries reveals that just
1 per cent of Australia’s south west
marine region is protected.
Only 1% ...
protected
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Highly protected
marine sanctuaries
Leading researchers from local and national
marine science authorities have established
that a network of large marine sanctuaries
will protect marine life for the future, prevent
local extinctions of marine life, and provide
safe havens for fish stocks to recover from
overfishing. Sanctuaries stop oil drilling in
important marine habitats and buffer marine life
from the devastating impacts of oil spills.
Marine sanctuaries also make economic sense,
with independent economic research predicting
that marine sanctuaries in the South West would
lead to rapid tourism growth for the region,
injecting at least $55 million per year into the WA
economy.
An economic study by the Allen Consulting
Group released in 2010 found that a healthier
marine environment in the South West would
help to make fishing more sustainable, and
provide insurance against mismanagement. This
would lead to an increase in the number of fish
caught from areas near marine sanctuaries by at
least 5 per cent, worth millions of dollars.
The Australian Government is currently assessing
the oceans of the South West for new areas
for protection. You can add your voice to the
growing number of people who wish to see a
healthy, sustainable legacy created in the South
West now and for future generations.
Endangered
blue whale
© Doc White
www.naturepl.com
Coral detail
© Glen Cowans
South West coral
© Glen Cowans
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A message from
Tim Winton
All across the blue planet, fisheries are rapidly reaching
the end of the line. We humans are literally eating
ourselves out of house and home. If this trend continues
unchecked, our children and grandchildren will be
condemned to live beside empty acidic oceans in a world
very different to our own. The only chance we have of
turning this around is by reforming our fishing practices,
controlling our appetites and by providing sanctuaries
for marine life. And our task begins here at home.
For generations Australians have been caught up in a
love affair with the sea; it’s a big part of our self-image.
We’re islanders. We grow up expecting access to open
beaches, clean seas and good seafood. We regard all
this as a birthright as much as a lifestyle. But here in the
twenty-first century we persist with a nineteenth century
notion of the sea as an inexhaustible resource, a mighty
and invulnerable force, a field of endless plenty. This
is a demonstrably false image, and clinging to it out of
nostalgia isn’t just silly – it’s reckless.
You don’t have to be a fisheries scientist or a marine
biologist to know that more and more people are
fishing harder for less and less. Any recreational angler
forced further and further from shore in order to get
a feed knows the true picture. Any diver can see the
evidence of depletion in the water. The consumer
buying fish at the market can’t avoid the link between
higher prices and scarcity of product. Every oil spill,
every algal bloom, every mass fish-kill along the coast
tells us the truth – that the ocean is vulnerable, that sea
life is under enormous and unrelenting pressure from
overfishing, from pollution, from mining and unchecked
coastal development. The science on this is universally
in agreement: worldwide, corals and fish stocks are in
desperate trouble. Most of the great pelagic species are
90% gone. Seventy percent of our planet needs a break,
and it needs it in a hurry.
Here at home the marine environment is an incredible
asset, a gift we tend to take for granted. But it’s also
finite, fragile and largely unprotected. Most Western
Australians are shocked to realize that a mere 1% of
our own waters are off-limits to mining or fishing. This
is a level of protection that surely belongs to another
century. In terms of marine conservation we’ve fallen
behind poorer nations and it’s a scandal.
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In an era when conservation was a new and challenging
concept, our grandparents had the foresight to accept
that Australia’s terrestrial environment is precious. When
the nation was poorer than it is now, individuals and
governments had the courage and wisdom to begin
reserving lands across the continent for conservation.
This was a radical departure, a real innovation, and
thanks to this major cultural change of heart, 12% of the
country is managed with conservation in mind. Imagine
Australia without Kakadu and the ‘Bungle Bungles’; it’s
inconceivable. We owe these visionaries of the past a great debt. As
heirs to their brave and enlightened actions, we need
to build on their example and extend sanctuary to
a significant proportion of our marine environment
as well. Fish, corals, mammals and invertebrates
desperately need places of refuge and respite from
pollution and exploitation. Marine protected areas are a
significant investment in the future health of our seas. If
a mere 1% protection for land conservation was deemed
inadequate by our WA forebears, why should it be an
acceptable level of sanctuary for the seas in the twentyfirst century? This is the moment for change. It’s time –
way past time – for us to wake up and to catch up.
Western Australian waters are home to some of the
country’s oceanic treasures. These precious ecosystems
need proper and realistic protection right now.
Here is a generational opportunity to reward the good
faith of our forebears. Let’s seize it and make a material
difference to the future. Together we can create a legacy
to be proud of. For the sake of our children - and for
those yet unborn - help save our marine life while there’s
still time.
Tim Winton
Patron, Australian Marine Conservation Society
AMCS is a proud member of Save Our Marine Life
Our South West:
unique but unprotected
Our love of the sea and the riches it provides has given us an unparalleled lifestyle. However, it has also
created problems in our big blue backyard. Our clean waters and pristine beaches are increasingly
threatened by overfishing and the risks posed by oil spills because of expanding oil and gas drilling.
Overfishing
Oil spills
One-in-six Australian fisheries are overfished.
The United Nations has predicted that without
a change in the way we manage our oceans,
commercial fish stocks will disappear globally
within 40 years.
Oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and
off the Kimberley coast in 2009 both show
that things can and do go wrong in spite of
industry safeguards and reassurances, and with
devastating consequences.
In Western Australia the ‘vulnerable five’ reef fish
– pink snapper, red snapper, dhufish, baldchin
groper and breaksea cod - and the western
rock lobster, are suffering from the impacts of
overfishing. As technology has improved, we have
become better at catching fish in waters that
were previously out of reach. This has lead to a
serious decline in fish stocks and put our fragile
marine environment out of balance.
Around Australia, 31 new oil and gas leases have
been opened up since the Kimberley oil spill. Two
of these areas in the South West are also marine
life hotspots; one is just off the surfing ‘mecca’ of
Margaret River and the other is near the wildlife
refuge of Kangaroo Island.
WA’s Department of Fisheries says recreational
fishing of the ‘vulnerable five’ needs to be cut by
at least 50 per cent in Western Australia. Marine
sanctuaries will help achieve this, in a way that
does not impact heavily on tackle shop owners,
charter operators and fishers.
West Atlas oil spill
© Chris Twomey
The vulnerable five: (l to r) dhufish, pink snapper, red snapper, baldchin groper, breaksea cod.
© Illustrations by Donna Chapman
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Our South West:
unique but unprotected
Maps released by the Australian Government. Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism
Where are the new leases for oil drilling?
The map above right shows the locations of proposed oil drilling leases opened up in 2010. The insets
point out in more detail the locations of (top-left) the proposed Mentelle Basin site, off the coast of
Cape Mentelle in south-western West Australia, and (bottom-left), the Duntroon and Ceduna sub-basins
which are west of Adelaide and Kangaroo Island.
What would it look like if there was an oil spill in our backyard?
Worst case scenario - (below) a CSIRO model shows the drift of an oil spill off the coast of Kangaroo Island
(bottom left) or Margaret River (bottom right), if it were of a similar size to the Kimberley oil spill.
26ºS
22ºS
50
30ºS
40
32ºS
30
34ºS
36ºS
20
38ºS
10
40ºS
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PERCENTAGE PROBABILITY OF OIL SPILL SPREAD
28ºS
24ºS
26ºS
28ºS
30ºS
32ºS
34ºS
36ºS
126ºE 128ºE 130ºE 132ºE 134ºE 136ºE 138ºE 140ºE 142ºE 144ºE 146ºE
108ºE 110ºE 112ºE 114ºE 116ºE 118ºE 120ºE 122ºE 124ºE 126ºE 128ºE
The science is in:
marine sanctuaries work
Why marine sanctuaries work
Marine sanctuaries are areas of the ocean where
all marine life and their habitat are protected.
These ‘national parks in the sea’ give fish the space
to feed, breed, grow and recover from overfishing.
Put simply, marine sanctuaries allow marine
life to survive and thrive. There is scientific
consensus about the value of marine
sanctuaries in protecting marine life and
studies show the majority of Australians
support high levels of marine protection.
In fact, polling consistently shows that 8 in
every 10 Australians want to see Australia’s
oceans protected with large marine sanctuaries.
Research into the existing network of marine
sanctuaries on the Great Barrier Reef shows that
reef fish are two to three times more abundant,
and migrating species like whales, turtles and
some sharks are more common inside sanctuaries.
Marine sanctuaries can reduce the impacts of
pests like the coral eating crown of thorns starfish.
World-first research by Australian scientists has
also now found that marine sanctuaries can
prevent local extinctions of fish.
Science and experience from existing marine
sanctuaries shows that sanctuaries mean more
fish for fishers in surrounding waters. Some of
the best fishing spots of the future are likely to
be on the edge of marine sanctuaries.
Marine sanctuaries also protect important
areas from seismic testing and oil drilling which
reduces the risk of nearby oil spills.
Marine sanctuaries make
economic sense too
Establishing large marine sanctuaries in
Australia’s South West would underpin growth
in tourism to the region, with the industry
injecting at least $55 million a year into the
WA economy, a landmark study by the Allen
Consulting Group found.
Released in March 2010, The Economics of
Marine Protected Areas found that a healthier
marine environment in the South West
of WA would help to make fishing more
sustainable, and provide insurance against
mismanagement; leading to an increase in the
number of fish caught from areas near marine
sanctuaries by at least 5 per cent.
The study also revealed that marine sanctuaries
would not result in a significant financial
impact on the recreational fishing industry in
WA as has been claimed. It found a worst-case
scenario would be as low as $3.25 million, much
less than the $500 million previously claimed
by the industry.
WA’s South West’s eco-tourism industry, such
as whale, dolphin and seal watching, would
receive a 20 per cent boost to generate $55
million per year and would continue to grow
as the popularity of the region as a marine
destination increased.
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The Abrolhos Islands
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Rock lobsters and gropers
Seventy kilometres west of Geraldton, the
The undersea canyons and currents to the
Abrolhos Islands are one of the most important
west of the islands bring food to the surface,
reefs in Western Australia.
supporting seabird populations and feeding
The islands are the traditional home of the
grounds for migratory whales and fish.
western rock lobster fishery and are their main
The shallow waters around the islands are also
breeding grounds. Until recently this was
the main breeding area for the baldchin groper,
Australia’s most lucrative fishery - but western
one of the ‘vulnerable five’ reef fish favoured
rock lobster numbers are down; a worrying
by recreational fishers. The baldchin groper
factor for the economy, local communities and
is only found in Western Australia and is now
WA’s marine environment.
threatened by overfishing.
The islands are the southernmost coral reefs in
The potential for the Abrolhos as a tourism
the Indian Ocean.
destination for diving and snorkeling is starting
The Abrolhos Islands are a home to 1500
species of plants and animals, including
to be recognized, and it’s an increasingly
popular destination for recreational fishing.
400 species of fish and 184 species of coral.
Yellow basket star
© CSIRO Wealth from
the Oceans Flagship.
Australian sea
lions at Abrolhos
© Shannon Conway
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This hotspot
is home to
1500 species
of plants and
animals.
Batavia Wreck
© Shannon Conway
Western rock lobster
© Glen Cowans
Abrolhos Islands
coral reef
© Glen Cowans
Baldchin groper
© Shannon Conway
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The Rottnest Shelf
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A marine playground
The Rottnest Shelf is Western Australia’s marine
playground, where people come to swim,
snorkel, fish, dive, sail and whale watch.
This place is one of a kind; a subtropical
ecosystem with protected limestone reefs and
clear, nutrient poor water that allows seagrass to
grow in very deep water.
The area is foraging habitat for green turtles,
which can grow to 1.5 metres long. Protecting the
habitats of green turtle populations is important
as they have declined by 37-61 per cent.
The Rottnest Shelf is also home to all of the
‘vulnerable five’ reef fish; under severe pressure
because of overfishing.
Blue groper also live in this area but are facing
local extinction in some parts due to decades
of overfishing. These amazing fish live up to 80
years, changing sex from green females to blue
males at around 30 years old.
In spite of cuts to commercial fishing,
recreational fishing continues to grow. With
improved fish-finding technology, deep sea
electronic reels and booming boat ownership
(more than 100,000 boats and growing fast),
there are few places left for the fish to hide. Even
with ‘catch and release’ fishing, many fish die
after release from the trauma of being caught.
Sanctuary protection can help reduce
fishing pressure without further harsh
measures and extended seasonal closures.
None of this incredible marine area is protected
from the expansion of the oil industry into the
region. One oil company already operates on
the Rottnest Shelf and new exploration leases
are proposed for the Jurien Bay Marine Park. Oil
leases near Rottnest Island mean there is still the
possibility of oil drilling offshore from Perth.
The Rottnest Shelf spans south of the Abrolhos
Islands to Geographe Bay - past coastal towns
including Jurien Bay, Dongarra and Mandurah.
Western blue groper
© Craig Lebens
Blue-ringed octopus
© Shannon Conway
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Sanctuary
protection
ensures
biodiversity
protection
and bountiful
fishing.
Green turtle
© WWF, Jürgen Freund
Bight redfish
© Sue Morrison
Seagrass
© Glen Cowans
Fish cavern
© Glen Cowans
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Perth’s Grand Canyon
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Rare blue whale feeding ground
Perth’s backyard holds an underwater secret
larger than the Grand Canyon; the Perth
Canyon. This ancient riverbed of the Swan
extends 100km out beyond Rottnest Island, and
ends in water 4000 metres deep.
The Perth Canyon is one of the only three
places in Australia where the blue whale is
known to feed.
The blue whale is the largest animal to exist on
earth. At 30 metres it is as long as a passenger
jet and larger than any dinosaur. Sadly, blue
whales have shown little sign of recovery since
their numbers plummeted to near-extinction
because of whaling.
Up to 90 per cent of the marine life in the
southwest is unique, so who knows what
other mysterious species live in the depths of
the canyon. Some deep sea sponges found in
places like the Perth Canyon live for hundreds
of years.
But this area is facing increasing threats.
Recreational fishers are increasingly targeting
the Perth Canyon as it gets harder to find fish
close to shore.
On top of this, oil leases overlap the canyon
bringing with them the potential for seismic
testing - a threat to the blue whales and the
Gray’s beaked whale that feed in the canyon.
Undersea currents hit the canyon and bring
food to the surface where seabirds, whales and
travelling fish like marlin, tuna and samson fish
also feed, making it an important feature on the
nutrient-poor coast of Western Australia.
Blue whale
© Donna Chapman
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Up to 90 per
cent of the
marine life in
the southwest
is unique.
Grey nurse shark
© Shannon Conway
The Grand Canyon
© Andrew Wong
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Geographe Bay
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Playground and pit stop for humpback whales
Geographe Bay is not just a rest area to our
majestic humpback whales on their migration
path. In summer holidays, people also flock to
Busselton and Bunbury to rest and visit these
tranquil waters, whale watch, fish, dive, sail and
enjoy the beaches, forests and wine of the region.
The seagrass beds and limestone reefs in the
bay are a nursery for many species, including the
iconic Western Australian dhufish. These giant
fish are popular with recreational fishers and
divers alike. Unfortunately dhufish numbers are
in decline; because they are long-lived (up to 40
years) and they are suffering from many years of
overfishing and too little time to reproduce.
Marine sanctuaries in Geographe Bay would
help protect the big, old female fish that are the
best breeders, helping to ensure their future. The
number of eggs produced by one 98cm female
dhufish is equivalent to that produced by 11
females of 60cm!
The highly productive seagrass meadows of
Geographe Bay are home to both temperate
and tropical species, and are teeming with squid,
anchovies, pilchards, garfish, whiting and herring.
This makes the area an important nursery for
larger predatory fish such as tailor, snapper,
dhufish, Samson fish and sharks.
The bay also boasts a remarkable range of corals
and sponges – shown by the popularity of diving
on the Busselton Jetty – the longest wooden jetty
in the southern hemisphere and one of Australia’s
top ten jetty dives.
The Australian sea lion also lives here,
with a permanent colony of about 40 near
Dunsborough.
Geographe Bay is suffering from being overloved but under-cared for.
Coastal development and overfishing have
depleted the bay. Old commercial fishermen tell
stories of times when the dhufish used to form
giant breeding schools in the bay, right near the
shore.
Seagrass meadows
© Clay Bryce
Corals and fish,
Geographe Bay
© Shannon Conway
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The bay is a nursery
for snapper, dhufish,
samson fish, tailor
and sharks.
Juvenile leafy
seadragon
© Shannon Conway
Humpback whales
© Doug Perrine
www.naturepl.com
Dhufish
© Glen Cowans
Fishing trawler
© Courtesy Greenpeace
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Naturaliste P lateau
The lost cape
The largest submerged plateau in Australia is
off the coast of Margaret River; the Naturaliste
Plateau.
This ‘undersea island’ sits in 5000 metres of
water, surrounded by 1000 metre high cliffs and
canyons rising up to a plateau at 2000 metres.
Little is known about this large mysterious
fragment of continent off our shores –
‘Australia’s Atlantis’.
The species that might live here are undoubtedly
worth discovering! ‘Dumbo the octopus’ and the
ancient megamouth sharks would likely make
this their home, as well as deep diving beaked
whales and sperm whales which are likely to
feed in this area.
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Leeuwin Current meets the cooler nutrient rich
Southern Ocean. The Mentelle Upwelling caused
by the plateau is an important feeding ground
for migrating whales, dolphins and fish.
This plateau is now threatened by the new
Margaret River oil lease that also intersects the
Mentelle Upwelling. This lease threatens to bring
noise and pollution to the area, along with the
risk of a deep water oil spill.
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill off the United States
has demonstrated the catastrophic risks that
come with deep water oil drilling. An oil spill
here would devastate this unique deep-sea
environment and bring oil to the beaches of
Margaret River.
The Naturaliste Plateau is the only place in
Australia’s waters influenced by the cool
and nutrient rich waters of the Subtropical
Convergence Zone where the warm tropical
Sperm Whale
© marinethemes.com/ Tony Wu
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Cape Naturaliste
Turban Corals
© Glen Cowans
Dumpling squid
© CSIRO Wealth from
the Oceans Flagship.
Dumbo octopus
© 2003 Monterey Bay
Aquarium Research
Institute (MBARI)
Greeneye Fish
© Edie Widder
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Diamantina Fracture Zone
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The bottomless range
Australia’s biggest mountain range is actually
under the sea. Sitting in 7000 metres of water
this massive mountain range runs parallel to the
coast, from Augusta almost to Esperance.
The ocean here is so deep that the bottom has
never been seen, but the deepest recorded
trench was 7390 metres – the limit of the
equipment used to measure depth.
The Diamantina Fracture zone was discovered
in 1960 by a team aboard the frigate HMAS
Diamantina. This was the same ship that hosted
the surrender of Japanese forces at Nauru and
Ocean Island in September 1945.
Little is known about the marine life of the
bottomless range, but the same conditions that
make life in the southwest so unique exist here
too. Given the diversity of the range of deep sea
habitats on these underwater mountains, this
area is likely to be a hidden treasure chest of
unique and amazing marine life.
Sperm whales, and the mysterious deep diving
beaked whales about which science still knows
very little, are very likely to be found feeding at
these lonely peaks.
iamantina Fracture Zone – Australia’s
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deepest sub-sea mountain range.
Google Maps
Diverse seamount
community of filter
feeding corals,
sponges and brittle
stars 1106m
© CSIRO Wealth from
the Oceans Flagship.
Feather star
amongst deepwater
corals at 1115m
© CSIRO Wealth from
the Oceans Flagship.
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The ocean here is
so deep that the
bottom has never
been seen.
Deep diving
submersibles could
one day explore the
Diamantina mountains
© OAR/National Undersea
Research Program (NURP);
Univ. of Hawaii
New species of
Trichopeltarion
deepsea crab
© CSIRO Wealth from
the Oceans Flagship.
Pom pom anemone,
found in deep sea
waters
© Ed Bowlby,
NOAA/Olympic
Coast NMS; NOAA/OAR/
Office of Ocean Exploration
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The Albany Canyons
Deep diving whales and
endangered orange roughy
Albany has a historical connection with the
sperm whale, being the place where the global
campaign to stop hunting these majestic
creatures for their oil centered in the 1970’s. The
collapse of whaling in Albany triggered the end
of this trade across the world.
Now the sperm whales dive deep into the
Albany Canyons, a series of intricate fissures,
trenches and canyons along the south coast.
These canyons create upwellings of food that
support an abundance of squid and fish in deep
waters. Sperm whales can dive 2500 metres deep
to do battle with, and feed on, giant squid.
Southern right whales return each year from
Antarctica to breed in the cool waters between
the Albany Canyons and the coast. Only a few
hundred live along the coast, after 26,000 southern
right whales were killed in Australian and New
Zealand waters before whaling was banned.
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The Albany canyons are also spawning grounds
for the orange roughy. These fish are extremely
vulnerable to over-fishing because they do not
breed until they are 20 to 30 years old and can
live up to 150 years.
Australian orange roughy have been heavily
overfished with some populations as low as
seven per cent of their pre-fishing numbers.
In 2008, orange roughy became the first
commercially sought fish to appear on
Australia’s endangered species listings because
of overfishing
Fishing for orange roughy continues in Australia
– using destructive bottom trawling methods
that also destroy fragile and ancient deep sea
corals, and other bottom dwelling marine life.
Sperm whale
© IFAW / WDCS
Bird Rock
© Andrew Halsall
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The collapse
of whaling in
Albany triggered
the end of this
trade across
the world.
Southern right
whale and calf
© Andrew Halsall /
Photograph courtesy
of the Western
Australian Museum
Squid
© Tim Nicol
Tam O’Shanter sea
urchin at 700m
© CSIRO Wealth from
the Oceans Flagship.
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Recherche Archipelago
Pristine beaches and leafy seadragons
The Recherche Archipelago consists of 105 islands
off the coast from Esperance, which stretch out
into the Southern Ocean.
The scenic depths of this wonderland descend
from plate corals around the island shores,
to kelp beds hiding the rare leafy seadragon,
before spilling into magnificent, colourful
sponge gardens which plunge into the deep.
The warm waters of the Leeuwin Current mean
that the Archipelago has lots of unusual species.
About 30 per cent of the fish that are unique to
Australia are found here. It is also a biodiversity
hotspot, hosting 1200 species in total. A survey of
sponges and soft coral in the area found over 450
different kinds.
The same survey found extensive beds of
Rhodoliths, a cross between a coral and an algae.
Rhodoliths live more than 700 years and are highly
susceptible to disturbance.
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Esperance’s sweeping beaches and magnificent
coastal scenery are major tourism attractions and
the surrounding waters are important to the local
commercial and recreational fishers.
The area is a nursery for species recovering from
over-exploitation including nursing southern
right whales and Australian sea lions. There are
also rookeries for birds like shearwaters, terns, and
nesting areas for white-bellied sea-eagles.
Isolation and unpredictable weather have helped
to preserve the Archipelago, making it a haven
for species that have suffered from overfishing.
Fortunately, most species can still be found around
the islands in abundance.
However, increasing boat ownership is leading to
more fishing in the area, and proposals such
as aquaculture ventures, pose threats to this
special place.
There are also plans to expand oil and gas drilling
into this region - so it is even more important
now to make sure some of this fragile ecosystem
is protected.
Australian
sea lions
© Gary Bell /
Oceanwideimages.com
A large sponge
of the South West
© Glen Cowans
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It is even more
important now
to make sure
some of this
fragile ecosystem
is protected.
Leafy sea dragon
© Tim Nicol
Esperance plate
corals
© Tim Nicol
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Great Australian Bight
Home of the Great White
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The Great Australian Bight between Ceduna and
Eucla is a globally significant breeding nursery
for the endangered southern right whale and for
the Australian sea lion.
Sponges are just some of the 798 species of
plants and animals that have been identified in
the region, making it one of the world’s most
diverse soft sediment ecosystems.
This area is important habitat for the
endangered great white shark, which would feed
on seals and other marine life here.
This diversity of bottom dwelling plants
and animals can be devastated by a fishing
technique called bottom-trawling that continues
in this region.
The Great Australian Bight is one of the only
areas in the world where juvenile bluefin tuna
are known to surface consistently. It is important
feeding habitat for these critically endangered
fish with juveniles using the area between
December and April. The cool waters of the Bight have exceptional
diversity combining bottom-dwelling plants,
seaweeds and sea sponges. Sea sponges are
prized for their unique chemical compounds,
which hold great potential for new technologies
and medicine.
Bottom trawlers drop heavy weighted nets
to catch fish. These enormous and extremely
strong structures are dragged along the sea floor,
indiscriminately bulldozing and scraping up corals,
sponges and any other marine life in their path.
This part of the South West marine region is
considered to be highly prospective for oil
and gas. The waters of the Bight are deep,
rough and remote - a volatile cocktail for oil
and gas operations, as witnessed in the Gulf
of Mexico recently.
Bottom trawling
before (left) and
after (right)
26
So far 798 species
have been identified
in the region.
Great white shark
© Mark Carwardine /
Oceanwideimages.com
Corals of the
South West
© Glen Cowans
27
Kangaroo Island Canyons and Pool
A restaurant for whales
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The Kangaroo Island Canyons and the Kangaroo
The food produced here supports large
Island Pool are just off the coast of the Kangaroo
populations of Australian sea lions. Over 80 per
Island, an international tourism mecca for South
cent of Australian sea lions live off the South
Australia.
Australian coast.
This area is the only known feeding spot for
Overfishing by commercial fishing fleets poses a
the rare strap-toothed beaked whale and,
major threat to these gentle creatures because
along with the Perth Canyon, is one of three
it robs them of their food. Even today, many are
known feeding locations for the blue whale
still caught and killed in fishing nets every year.
in Australia.
The Kangaroo Island Canyons are a small group
of steep-sided, narrow canyons. The seasonal
undersea currents interact with the canyons to
bring food from the deep ocean to the surface,
creating the Kangaroo Island Pool. The pool
attracts masses of fish, sea lions, whales and
seabirds to feed.
The Kangaroo Island Canyons are now under
threat by the new Kangaroo Island oil lease.
The lease will bring noise and pollution to
the area, along with the risk of a deep water
oil spill. A spill could devastate the marine
life in the canyons and would be likely to bring
oil to the beaches of Kangaroo Island and the
Eyre Peninsula.
A sea lion caught
in a fishing net
© Courtesy Greenpeace
Little penguins
© Nic Dunlop
28
80 per cent of
Australian sea lions
are found off the
South Australian
coast
Australian sea lions
© Ron and Val Taylor,
courtesy of The
Wilderness Society
Blue whale
© Mike Johnson
29
Help us get marine sanctuaries
on the map for the South West...
Imagine a massive oil spill off the world-famous
beaches of Margaret River or the wildlife refuge of
Kangaroo Island. With 31 new oil leases approved
for Australian waters in 2010, the risk of an oil spill
in our own backyard is increasing.
Up to 90 per cent of marine life in
the South West is unique, but only
1 per cent of the region is protected.
Visit the Save Our Marine Life web site and take
action to make sure sanctuaries are put on the
map to protect these ten hot spots. By voicing your
concerns you can give our marine life a fighting
chance.
The case for marine sanctuaries
Both science and experience show that marine
sanctuaries provide the protection marine life
needs to survive into the future.
These ‘national parks in the sea’ are areas of
ocean where all marine life and their habitat are
protected, giving fish the space to feed, breed and
recover from overfishing.
Marine sanctuaries would protect these ten
hotspots from seismic testing and oil drilling,
reducing the potential risk of oil spills.
www.saveourmarinelife.org.au
30
Who we are
Save Our Marine Life is an unprecedented
collaboration of eleven Australian and international
conservation organisations working to protect and
secure Australia’s unique marine life.
Collectively they have acted on behalf of millions
of supporters to protect huge areas of our marine
environment around the globe.
Marine icons such as the Great Barrier Reef and
Ningaloo Reef; the world’s deepest waters in
the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench; the North
West Hawaiian Islands; Chagos Islands; and the
rich tropical waters of Indonesia and Papua New
Guinea all have a brighter future as a result of
their work.
CALL to action
www.saveourmarinelife.org.au
31