Sharks “more aggressive around boats” – YP fisher
Michelle Daw. A southern Yorke Peninsula fisher is worried sharks are becoming more aggressive around boats — and believes shark tourism is partly to blame ... Mr Bishop fishes in Gulf St Vincent and Spencer Gulf and said he’s seen more sharks come close to his boat recently than at any other time in his 21-year career.
How to be part of ‘best ever’ turtle event
One simple idea and a whole lot of passion has created a legacy that’s removed more than 250,000 pieces of litter from Sunshine Coast beaches at a critical time during turtle nesting season ... The community is invited to come together to tidy up their local beach as part of the 10th anniversary of the annual Clean Up For The Hatchlings event...
Triple measure to cut shark attacks
Michelle Daw. A shark behaviour specialist believes a three-pronged approach is needed to reduce the likelihood and impact of shark attacks. Professor Charlie Huveneers is a marine ecologist at Flinders University and a keen surfer.
White sharks “vulnerable”
Michelle Daw. Reports of increased numbers of white sharks are not scientifically supported, according to the state government, and it has rejected culling as a response to recent attacks. Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Clare Scriven said many South Australians were understandably concerned about recent shark attacks across the state.
The jury’s in: Fresh lakes a death sentence for Murray-Darling Basin
Goolwa South Australian resident, Ken Jury, sees a better way forward for the basin and believes that governments are risking the viability of the whole basin. Ken, an investigative journalist with a passion for marine and aquatic ecology ... is an expert on the South Australian Lower Lakes and Coorong ...
Inlet forum told of record water flow
Alison Bennett Taylor. Wilson Inlet recorded its sharpest increase in water flow ever in one of the wettest starts to winter on record, according to a local research scientist ... Dr Elke Reichwaldt told the Wilson Inlet Catchment Forum that climate change was already impacting water flows into the inlet. June was the ï¬fth wettest month ever recorded in Denmark, with April also much wetter than average followed by an exceptionally dry May – unpredictable weather patterns that could be attributed to climate change.
Research begins to reduce shed of microplastics during laundering: Deakin University
A new collaboration between Deakin University researchers and Australia’s largest commercial linen supplier Simba Global is tackling a critical global issue, the spread of harmful microplastics through our laundry.
Biologist claims western openings hampering inlet oyster growth
A trial oyster hatchery in Wilson Inlet will need steady marine exchange to maintain salinity for the spats to continue their promising growth ... Marine biologist Zak Launay, who previously harvested mussels commercially in the inlet, said the oysters could grow to commercial size in about half the time of the standard growth cycle.
CarbonNet pipeline stakeholder consultation
The landmark federal-state CarbonNet project, which aims to take carbon dioxide emissions from the Latrobe Valley and sequester them under Bass Strait, has got the go ahead for a vital part of the project – the plan to build a pipeline that will carry liquefied CO2 to the coast. The 100 kilometre-pipeline – 80km buried onshore and a further 20km offshore – will take liquefied CO2 to a carbon capture and storage hub at Golden Beach, creating a connection for multiple carbon capture projects.
Catch and release
Michelle Daw. The state opposition has called for the release of an independent review into the cost recovery model for commercial fishing, following the announcement of new fees ... Opposition spokesperson Nicola Centofanti said Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven had left the industry in the dark over reforms which could have huge impacts on fishers’ livelihoods.
Report provides insights into fish stocks: ABARES
The annual assessment of Commonwealth fish stocks from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) has found that the majority of stocks assessed were both not overfished and not subject to overfishing. The ABARES Fishery status reports 2023 provides an annual, independent assessment of the biological and economic status of Commonwealth managed fisheries.
Raffle ticket was the unexpected start to a new calling
Who would have thought that buying a ticket in a raffle would turn a woman’s life around? Eight years ago, Kerry Turpin bought that ticket from Kirra Hartland, a volunteer with Evans Head Marine Rescue. Kirra is “very persuasive”, Kerry said. And that’s how Kerry became a volunteer.
Great heat over great wall
Patrick Goldsmith. Opposition to a proposed seawall at Coobowie is growing louder, with more than 60 people gathering at a town hall meeting on Sunday, October 1. The event was organised by the newly formed Friends of Coobowie Foreshore and attendees heard from ecologist and marine biologist John Douglas and aired their own grievances with the Yorke Peninsula Council proposal.
More ‘Back-of-Boat’ lobsters to lift local supply: Punch
Western Australia's prized western rock lobsters will be even more readily available to WA seafood lovers, with a major boost approved for direct Back-of-Boat lobster sales this 2023-24 fishing season. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has increased the landing limit for back-of-boat sales from 200 to 999 lobsters per fishing trip.
Innovative ocean platform grows seaweed and sinks carbon: Agrifutures
With a goal of achieving “the three Rs” of reducing emissions, removing greenhouse gases and repairing the climate, the Climate Foundation has developed an innovative technique for cultivating seaweed to regenerate lost kelp forests and sequester carbon in the ocean’s depths for hundreds of years.
Floating sea farms – an ingenious solution to feed the world and ensure freshwater by 2050: UniSA
The sun and the sea – both abundant and free – are being harnessed in a unique project to create vertical sea farms floating on the ocean that can produce fresh water for drinking and agriculture. In what is believed to be a world first, UniSA researchers have designed a self-sustaining solar-driven system that evaporates seawater and recycles it into freshwater, growing crops without any human involvement.
Abandoned wind farms going cheap
What would it cost? And what is the carbon footprint of the physical effort to remove the footing of one of the many 200m tall wind turbine towers soon to be seen scattered across the Wheatbelt? ... I wonder how many of the Greenpeace activist types have watched the doco Thrown to the Wind about the whale deaths off the East Coast of the United States?
Successful conclusion of Cuttlefest 2023! Whyalla City Council
Cuttlefest has proven a success again this year, with more than 10,000 people from across the globe enjoying the natural spectacle and associated events! Themed around the return of the Cuttlefish to Spencer Gulf waters, Cuttlefest provided an abundance of opportunities and experiences from May to August.
Project Kingfish
With help from recreational anglers, long term tag-and-release programs ... have revealed a level of connectivity of kingfish between states across mainland Australia, as well as offshore sites such as LHI and NZ. However, the frequency of such long-distance movements and the whereabouts of spawning-sized kingfish ... between release and recapture remain a mystery ... Project Kingfish aims to fill these knowledge gaps.
South Australian Government opposes southern ocean offshore windfarm zone: Close, Scriven
The State Government has recommended South Australia not be included in the Commonwealth’s proposed offshore wind farm zone that runs from Warrnambool in Victoria to Port MacDonnell … State Government has expressed concerns about the potential impact construction of an offshore windfarm in that area could have on South Australia’s southern fisheries and marine environment.
Standing up against wall
Patrick Goldsmith. Coobowie residents have raised concerns over Yorke Peninsula Council’s preliminary discussions to install a coastal protection structure along the town’s beach ... Community members questioned the need for a wall which they believe will stretch 12 metres from the front of foreshore properties onto the beach ... "We don’t agree with the one wall fits all policy which they seem to be applying": Peter Hooper.
Guidelines allow for coastal land uses until risk becomes unacceptable
Planning for possible future erosion and flooding risks is a hot topic in the Shire of Gingin following public information sessions in Lancelin and Seabird. The shire’s coastal hazard risk management and adaptation plan (CHRMAP) and coastal management strategy (CMS) and the WA state government’s coastal hazard risk management and adaptation planning guidelines...
