Politicians should stop using endangered Maugean skate as a political football

 12 December 2024

The beleaguered Maugean skate is on the precipice of extinction but, instead of focusing on how to save it, it has become a political football when the future of an entire species hangs in the balance, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and Humane Society International (HSI) Australia said today.

AMCS shark expert Dr Leonardo Guida said: “The Maugean skate is on the brink of extinction in its only home, Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s West Coast, with an estimated 40-120 adult Maugean skates remaining. Intensive salmon farming, the primary threat to the skate, has driven oxygen levels to catastrophically low levels in the harbour, which is almost a giant bathtub due to the narrow opening to the sea.

“With the endangered Maugean skate struggling to survive in its only habitat, Tasmania is on the brink of having its highest profile extinction since the Tasmanian tiger, and both main parties are more intent on short-term political objectives rather than trying to save it.

“The Australian Government has promised $21 million of taxpayers money to foreign-owned salmon farms to continue to trial mechanically pumped oxygen into the harbour and keep the salmon industry operating there, but the oxygenation program is yet to prove effective. 

 

“Oxygen levels have lifted slightly in the harbour since the oxygenation trial started, but in the past four years there has also been a natural injection of fresh, oxygen-laden seawater into the harbour, including in early 2024, and yet this still isn’t at the rate needed to ensure the Maugean skate’s survival. The fastest way to improve oxygen levels in the harbour is to remove salmon biomass, as recommended in the Australian Government’s draft Conservation Advice for the critically endangered skate.

“It has been reported that the Prime Minister suggested the salmon farms in Macquarie Harbour be given a ‘National Interest’ exemption under Australia’s federal environment laws which is a rarely used clause intended for national emergencies. Propping up corporate interests is not and never should be considered a national emergency, especially not without other transition pathways having been considered for the industry. The salmon companies should be doing more to make sure they are operating sustainably to secure the long-term future of their workers.

“The Maugean skate is teetering on the brink of extinction. Smart politics means finding ways for nature and jobs to coexist, ensuring that our unique natural values are protected by our national environment laws, for nature and for the sake of a sustainable economy. 

“For a species that has been around since the time of Tyrannosaurus rex, it has seen its fair share of dinosaurs. We need our political leaders to set aside the war of words. More prehistoric politicking won’t save the skate.”

For further comment contact:
AMCS Senior Shark Campaigner Dr Leonardo Guida on 0400 896 567

For more information contact AMCS Media Advisor Alex Tibbitts on 0416 420 168