The Happy Squid Blog

Humpback Whaling Could Threaten $300m Whale Watching Industry

An article from WA Today.  An ex-whaling captain says if the Japanese follow up on plans to kill humpback whales it would threaten Australia’s lucrative whale watching industry as whales will once again learn to flee from boats.

http://www.watoday.com.au/national/hunt-threatens-300m-whalewatching-industry-20111223-1p7rz.html

Lack of protection at home and abroad threatens Ningaloo Manta Rays

From Murdoch University - highlighting the poorly known peril facing one of our most loved marine creatures…

The popular manta rays that attract nearly 12,000 visitors to Ningaloo Marine Park each year are under serious threat of hitting the endangered list, a study co-authored by Murdoch University has found.

Full text at CCWA blog… http://ccwa.org.au/blogs/lack-protection-home-and-abroad-threatens-ningaloo-manta-rays

New blog aiming to save Helena Aurora Range from mining

Nearby, the equally beautiful and unique Windarling Range has already been mined

Came across this new blog aiming to stop mining at the beautiful Helena Aurora range. http://savehelenaaurorarange.blogspot.com/

Its a very important cause.  The Environmental Protection Agency has called for full protection of these ranges because many species of plants are only found on these ranges.

Some species of flowering plant tetratheca are only found on a single range, with a completely new species on the range next door.  These scenic islands in the flat outback landscape outback are like a Galapagos for the rare flora of WA’s southwest, known as a global plant hotspot for its incredible uniqueness.

These areas need to be protected in an A-Class reserve, not left open for miners to slowly degrade them through exploration, with the goal of one day removing them forever.

More on the BIF via Happy Squid at http://onehappysquid.wordpress.com/bif-background/

Hopefully more soon on some actions you can take to help save this special place.

Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park Draft Released

The Western Australian Government has released another draft plan for public comment in the series of planned marine parks for the Kimberley, and this effort was much better than the previous proposal for protection in Camden Sound.

Media statement and relevant links for proposal and how to make comment from the Government here.

Here’s hoping this is a new direction for the WA Government who appear to be increasingly realising the strong support in the science community, and the general community, for increased marine sanctuary protection for WA’s unique marine life.

The challenge is also on for the Federal Government.  Beyond the three nautical miles controlled by the State, the current Federal Government proposal for protection in the North West has very little marine sanctuary protection, and almost none in important coastal waters. I’ll post more on this issue in the next couple of weeks.

Media Statements from Conservation Groups below:

Conservation Council of WA, Environs Kimberley and Wilderness Society

Conservation groups welcome new Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park

Conservation groups today welcomed the release of a draft plan for the new Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park but warned that large scale industrialisation of the Pilbara and Kimberley regions still threatened marine life.

Marine Campaigner for The Wilderness Society WA Jenita Enevoldsen said, “With the inclusion of three large marine sanctuaries, the new Eighty Mile Beach Marine Park brings improved marine protection to important near-shore habitats in the Pilbara, including the breeding beaches of the threatened Flatback turtle and internationally significant Ramsar wetlands.  It is critical this level of protection be maintained or strengthened in the final plan.”

Marine Coordinator at Conservation Council of WA Tim Nicol said, “We commend the Barnett Government for listening to calls from marine scientists and the broader community for larger marine sanctuaries to protect our unique and precious marine life.

“Marine sanctuaries have been shown to protect threatened marine life and help fish stocks to recover.  However, less than 1% of WA’s State and Federal waters are currently protected in marine sanctuaries.”

The new marine park comes just days after the announcement of another major LNG development for the Pilbara and amid the continuing campaign against industrialisation of the Kimberley coast.

Conservation groups are also still waiting to hear if the proposed Camden Sound marine park will be improved to provide adequate marine sanctuary protection. In addition, concerns remain over the lack of protection offered to near-shore waters in the Commonwealth Government’s plans for new marine parks in the North West.

Acting Director of Environs Kimberley Emma Belfield said, ““This draft plan is a step forward for the future of marine parks in WA. However, with several large-scale industrial developments on the horizon – including recent oil and gas releases just off Eighty Mile Beach – much more needs to be done to protect our precious North Western marine environments.”

WWF and Toilet Paper

The growth of recycled toilet paper and the marketing response of the established brands has been an object of fascination for me at the super market (it’s a pretty boring place).  I’ve always felt that if we can’t use recycled products for that, then what will we use them for…

Recently, the increasing appearance of environmental marketing  for non-recycled products was the best sign that recycled brands must be taking an increasing market share, perhaps a sign of a win for commonsense and an increasing environmental ethic? (I note the ‘eco-ply’ with a ‘recycled middle layer’,  is probably the funniest attempt at green washing of toilet paper that I’ve so far seen).

But then one day walking past the section I saw a new brand on the shelf, and it wasn’t a new manufacturers brand. I did a double take to check, and realised it was indeed the WWF Panda.  I  had a closer look wondering if I’d been buying the wrong brand, only to note that it wasn’t made from recycled paper but FSC certified paper.

That got me thinking if I was wrong and that there was some strong argument why certified toilet paper would be more environmentally friendly than recycled toilet paper – so I went to the company website - but found  no explanation there about why certified paper is better than recycled.  The WWF website also had no such explanation.

So I went to Google to get a feel for what others were thinking.  And found the following:

TheEcologist.org - general discussion on the pro’s and cons, but overall recycled wins.

The Good Guide - rates toilet paper products on sustainability, all recycled products all at the top of the list, the WWF endorsed brand well down the list.

G Mag – bit of an ode to recycled toilet paper to prove I’m not alone.

WipeItOut campaign – to really prove I’m not alone – they want an end to non-recycled toilet paper in Australia by 2014.  270,000 trees cut down a day just for use in manufacturing non-recycled toilet paper!

Here – a 2006 Earth Day call to go recycled.

I tried to justify this, thinking it wouldn’t make much difference.  But then I spoke to a friend about it who said they had lost a long standing battle with their partner over buying recycled toilet paper after they saw the WWF logo on the non-recycled alternative.

As always, I maintain an open mind if new information comes to light.  But for now it seems to me that if an environment group brand is to appear in our supermarkets, someone should be making sure it only appears on the best choice on the shelf.

Australian Sustainable Seafood Guide released for iPhone

Eat seafood?  Want to make the best and most sustainable seafood choice?  The Australian Marine Conservation Society has just made it easier for iPhone users with their sustainable seafood guide being adapted to an iPhone App by WPS Environmental.

You can get it by searching ‘sustainable seafood’ on the App store.  If you’ve got an Android or other phone, guess you’ll have to watch this space or just visit www.marineconservation.org.au where you can order the guide or view the summary online.

You can see the App at the App store here.

See the ad for the release from famous Australian Chef Guy Grossi:

New Report Finds Marine Sanctuaries An Important Economic Investment

MEDIA RELEASE: 

Conservation groups today welcomed the release of a compelling new study of Australia’s ocean resources. The report finds that establishing a network of marine sanctuaries would help to secure and boost the economic, environmental and social benefits that Australians receive.

Released today by the Centre for Policy Development (CDP), the report: “Stocking Up: Securing Our Marine Economy” identified that Australia’s marine life, fish stocks and ecosystems are worth $69 billion per year to the national economy.

However, CPD’s analysis found that official accounts currently recognise only $44 billion in value and overlook $25 billion per year in critical ‘ecosystem services’, which include carbon storage, seafood, recreation and tourism.

CPD’s study also focused on Australia’s South West waters, revealing that the region’s ecosystem services currently contribute at least $2.9 billion per year and would increase if measures to safeguard the region improved. Later this year, the federal government is due to make a decision on establishing new marine sanctuaries in the South West.

The Save Our Marine Life alliance of 11 conservation groups is urging the federal government to act on the report’s findings and establish a network of large marine sanctuaries in Australia’s South West region.

“This important report found marine protection is vital in high risk areas where corals and sea grasses exist, such as at Geographe Bay, Cape Naturaliste and the Abrolhos Islands” said Michelle Grady of the Pew Environment Group.

“The findings also identified the opportunity Australia now has to invest in the long-term future of the South West by establishing sanctuaries. Regional jobs would benefit from the growth in tourism, and oceans resources, such as fish stocks and other marine life, would also improve, benefitting all Australians”.

The CPD report reinforces the findings of a March 2010 economic assessment by the independent Allen Consulting Group on the impact of marine sanctuaries in the South West. The Allen Consulting Group analysis found that the creation of marine sanctuaries would lead to a rapid growth in regional tourism, contributing to the injection of up to $55 million per year into the Western Australian economy.

Ms Grady called on Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to redouble his efforts to protect Australia’s marine life and act on the consensus of scientific evidence supporting the creation of a network of sanctuaries around the country.

“Healthy oceans support healthy regional communities and our economy. Any decline in their value

could impact thousands of regional jobs and limit the benefits we all receive as a result” said Ms Grady.

CPD’s report is available at: http://cpd.org.au/2011/09/stocking-up/ 

Initial Media Coverage: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8297206 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-09-12/report-reassesses-worth-of-our-oceans/2882002

Leading Scientist Hugh Possingham Speaks out on South West Marine Parks Plan

Leading Australia marine scientist and conservation planner Professor Hugh Possingham speaks out on the fatal flaws in the Government’s proposed marine parks plan for the South West region of Australia.

http://www.sbs.com.au/podcasts/Podcasts/radionews/episode/177323/Criticism-of-South-West-Marine-Park-plan

You can make a submission on the draft plan until August 8th at Save Our Marine Life

http://www.saveourmarinelife.org.au/map-out-our-marine-lifes-future

Radio National Australia Talks: Fishing

On Tuesday Radio National’s Australia Talks focused on the past time, sport or lifestyle, depending who you talk to, of Recreational Fishing.

In particular, it was looking at threats to recreational fishing in the future. Unfortunately, the fishing lobbyists interviewed in the show nominated marine sanctuaries as one of those threats. You can here the Squid debating the issue with ex-UK-fisheries spokesperson Martin Salter here. (Note the marine sanctuaries bit is from about 17minutes into the show).

As I’ve written about previously, the recfish lobbyists who oppose marine sanctuaries have been shown to be in the minority. Opinion research shows that most recfishers support large increases in marine sanctuary protection.  And, research from after Australia’s biggest marine sanctuaries at Nignaloo and the Great Barrier Reef shows that feared negative impacts on fishing were not realised.

Scientists say marine reserves not enough

Australia’s marine science community has strongly criticised the Federal Government’s draft marine parks plan for the South West region of Australia for not meeting basic scientific benchmarks for marine protection.

See article in The West Australian here.

The draft plan is open for comment until the 8th August, you can have your say at:

Save Our Marine Life

Conservation Council of WA

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