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Atlantis Found:Underwater Icons of Australia’s Unique South West10 Hotspots for marine life from Geraldton to Kangaroo Island

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Abrolhos Islands – rock lobsters and gropers

The Rottnest Shelf – a nursery of marine life

Perth’s Grand Canyon – where giants feed

Geographe Bay – pit stop for humpbacks on the marine superhighway

Naturaliste Plateau – WA’s lost cape

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Kalbarri

Geraldton

Dongara

Jurien

Cervantes

Lancelin

Perth

Mandurah

SwanRiver

Bunbury

Margaret RiverYallingup

Augusta

Walpole DenmarkAlbany

Esperance

Eucla

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10Kangaroo IslandCanyons and Pool

The Great Australian Bight

NaturalistePlateau

Diamantina Fracture Zone

AlbanyCanyons

RechercheArchipelago

GeographeBay

The AbrolhosIslands

The RottnestShelf

Perth’s Grand Canyon

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Diamantina Fracture Zone – the bottomless ranges

The Albany Canyons – deep diving whales and endangered orange roughy

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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Kalbarri

Geraldton

Dongara

Jurien

Cervantes

Lancelin

Perth

Mandurah

SwanRiver

Bunbury

Margaret RiverYallingup

Augusta

Walpole DenmarkAlbany

Esperance

Eucla

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10Kangaroo IslandCanyons and Pool

The Great Australian Bight

NaturalistePlateau

Diamantina Fracture Zone

AlbanyCanyons

RechercheArchipelago

GeographeBay

The AbrolhosIslands

The RottnestShelf

Perth’s Grand Canyon

10 hotspots for marine life from Geraldton to Kangaroo Island

Atlantis Found: underwater icons of Australia’s unique South West

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The map of current Australian marine sanctuaries reveals that just 1 per cent of Australia’s south west marine region is protected.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Did you know that the South West is home to a third of the world’s whale and dolphin species?

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.

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.

Australia’s South West rivals The Great Barrier Reef

Highly protected marine sanctuaries

Only 1%protected...

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Endangered blue whale © Doc White www.naturepl.com

Coral detail© Glen Cowans

South West coral © Glen Cowans

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.

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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 twenty-first 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

A message from Tim Winton

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Overfishing 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.

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.

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.

Oil spills 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.

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.

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

Our South West: unique but unprotectedOur 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.

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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.

Our South West: unique but unprotectedWhere are the new leases for oil drilling?

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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 tooEstablishing 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.

The science is in: marine sanctuaries work

Our South West: unique but unprotected

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Yellow basket star© CSIRO Wealth from

the Oceans Flagship.

Australian sea lions at Abrolhos© Shannon Conway

Rock lobsters and gropersThe Abrolhos Islands

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Seventy kilometres west of Geraldton, the

Abrolhos Islands are one of the most important

reefs in Western Australia.

The islands are the traditional home of the

western rock lobster fishery and are their main

breeding grounds. Until recently this was

Australia’s most lucrative fishery - but western

rock lobster numbers are down; a worrying

factor for the economy, local communities and

WA’s marine environment.

The islands are the southernmost coral reefs in

the Indian Ocean.

The Abrolhos Islands are a home to 1500

species of plants and animals, including

400 species of fish and 184 species of coral.

The undersea canyons and currents to the

west of the islands bring food to the surface,

supporting seabird populations and feeding

grounds for migratory whales and fish.

The shallow waters around the islands are also

the main breeding area for the baldchin groper,

one of the ‘vulnerable five’ reef fish favoured

by recreational fishers. The baldchin groper

is only found in Western Australia and is now

threatened by overfishing.

The potential for the Abrolhos as a tourism

destination for diving and snorkeling is starting

to be recognized, and it’s an increasingly

popular destination for recreational fishing.

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Batavia Wreck© Shannon Conway

Western rock lobster © Glen Cowans

Abrolhos Islands coral reef© Glen Cowans

Baldchin groper© Shannon Conway

This hotspot is home to 1500 species of plants and animals.

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Western blue groper© Craig Lebens

Blue-ringed octopus © Shannon Conway

A marine playgroundThe Rottnest Shelf 2

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.

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Green turtle© WWF, Jürgen Freund

Bight redfish© Sue Morrison

Seagrass © Glen Cowans

Fish cavern © Glen Cowans

Marine sanctuaries ensure biodiversity protection and can improve fishing.

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Blue whale © Donna Chapman

Rare blue whale feeding groundPerth’s Grand Canyon 3

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.

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.

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.

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Grey nurse shark © Shannon Conway

The Grand Canyon © Andrew Wong

Up to 90 per cent of the marine life in the southwest is unique.

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Playground and pit stop for humpback whales

Geographe Bay 4

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 over-

loved 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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Juvenile leafy seadragon© Shannon Conway

Humpback whales© Doug Perrine www.naturepl.com

Dhufish © Glen Cowans

Fishing trawler© Courtesy Greenpeace

The bay is a nursery for snapper, dhufish, samson fish, tailor and sharks.

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The lost cape

Naturaliste P lateau 5

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.

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

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.

Sperm Whale© marinethemes.com/ Tony Wu

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Cape Naturaliste Turban Corals © Glen Cowans

Dumpling squid© CSIRO Wealth from


Dumbo octopus © 2003 Monterey Bay

Aquarium Research

Institute (MBARI)

Greeneye Fish© Edie Widder

Sperm Whale© marinethemes.com/ Tony Wu

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The bottomless range

Diamantina Fracture Zone 6

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.

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.

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.

Diamantina Fracture Zone – Australia’s deepest sub-sea mountain range. Google Maps

Diverse seamount community of filter feeding corals, sponges and brittle stars 1106m © CSIRO Wealth from


Feather star amongst deepwater corals at 1115m © CSIRO Wealth from


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New species of Trichopeltarion deepsea crab© CSIRO Wealth from


Pom pom anemone, found in deep sea waters© Ed Bowlby,

NOAA/Olympic

Coast NMS; NOAA/OAR/

Office of Ocean Exploration

Deep diving submersibles could one day explore the Diamantina mountains© OAR/National Undersea

Research Program (NURP);

Univ. of Hawaii

The ocean here is so deep that the bottom has never been seen.

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Deep diving whales and endangered orange roughy

The Albany Canyons 7

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.

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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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.

The collapse of whaling in Albany triggered the end of this trade across the world.

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Pristine beaches and leafy seadragons

Recherche Archipelago8

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.

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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Leafy sea dragon© Tim Nicol

Esperance plate corals © Tim Nicol

It is even more important now to make sure some of this fragile ecosystem is protected.

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Home of the Great White

Great Australian Bight 9

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.

This area is important habitat for the

endangered great white shark, which would feed

on seals and other marine life here.

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.

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 diversity of bottom dwelling plants

and animals can be devastated by a fishing

technique called bottom-trawling that continues

in this region.

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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Great white shark © Mark Carwardine /

Oceanwideimages.com

Corals of the South West© Glen Cowans

So far 798 species have been identified in the region.

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A restaurant for whales

Kangaroo Island Canyons and Pool10

The Kangaroo Island Canyons and the Kangaroo

Island Pool are just off the coast of the Kangaroo

Island, an international tourism mecca for South

Australia.

This area is the only known feeding spot for

the rare strap-toothed beaked whale and,

along with the Perth Canyon, is one of three

known feeding locations for the blue whale

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 food produced here supports large

populations of Australian sea lions. Over 80 per

cent of Australian sea lions live off the South

Australian coast.

Overfishing by commercial fishing fleets poses a

major threat to these gentle creatures because

it robs them of their food. Even today, many are

still caught and killed in fishing nets every year.

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

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Australian sea lions © Ron and Val Taylor, courtesy of The Wilderness Society

Blue whale© Mike Johnson

80 per cent of Australian sea lions are found off the South Australian coast

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www.saveourmarinelife.org.au

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 sanctuariesBoth 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.

Help us get marine sanctuaries on the map for the South West...

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www.saveourmarinelife.org.au

Who we areSave 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.

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atlantis found print

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