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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

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Jurien Cervantes

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Lancelin Swan River

Geographe Bay

Mandurah

Perth’s Grand Canyon

Naturaliste Plateau

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Perth

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Bunbury

Esperance

Yallingup Margaret River Augusta Albany Walpole Denmark

7 Diamantina Fracture Zone

Albany Canyons

Abrolhos Islands – rock lobsters and gropers

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The Rottnest Shelf – a nursery of marine life

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Recherche Archipelago

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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

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Atlantis Found: underwater icons of Australia’s unique South West 10 hotspots for marine life from Geraldton to Kangaroo Island Eucla

9 The Great Australian Bight Kangaroo Island 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

Highly protected marine sanctuaries

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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.

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

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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

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30ºS 40 32ºS 30

34ºS 36ºS

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38ºS 10 40ºS

PERCENTAGE PROBABILITY OF OIL SPILL SPREAD

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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

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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.

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.

The area is foraging habitat for green turtles, which can grow to 1.5 metres long. Protecting the

Sanctuary protection can help reduce

habitats of green turtle populations is important as they have declined by 37-61 per cent.

measures and extended seasonal closures.

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.

fishing pressure without further harsh

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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Marine sanctuaries ensure biodiversity protection and can improve 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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Wu

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 6

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 D 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 Š Gary Bell / Oceanwideimages.com

A large sponge of the South West Š 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 Š Tim Nicol

Esperance plate corals Š 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)

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So far 798 species have been identified in the region.

Great white shark Š Mark Carwardine / Oceanwideimages.com

Corals of the South West Š Glen Cowans

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Kangaroo Island Canyons and Pool

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A restaurant for whales

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 Š Courtesy Greenpeace

Little penguins Š Nic Dunlop

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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

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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.

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Who we are Save Our Marine Life is an unprecedented collaboration of eleven Australian and international conservation organisations working to protect and

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

secure Australia’s unique marine life.

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.

Collectively they have acted on behalf of millions of supporters to protect huge areas of our marine environment around the globe.

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