Today’s news that two of the four adult Maugean skates in the species’ new captive breeding program have died is devastating. This tragedy reinforces the scientific evidence – industrial fish farming in Macquarie Harbour must end for the skate to have the best chance of survival.
Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said:
“Hats off to the recovery team for all their efforts to save the skate, but we can’t rely on such an uncertain, high risk program as our only effort to save this species from extinction.
“We have to do so much better to protect the skate in its only natural home: Macquarie Harbour.
“The federal government’s own updated scientific advice clearly states the key threat to the skate’s survival is poor water quality in the Harbour, and that the primary cause of this is Atlantic salmon farming. The fastest and simplest way to give the Maugean skate a fighting chance of survival is to remove toxic industrial salmon farming from the skate’s natural environment – it’s that simple.
“We can’t allow the farming of an introduced species – Atlantic salmon – to cause the extinction of an iconic native species. The skate belongs in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s west coast, and Atlantic salmon belong in the Atlantic.
“Resorting to a captive breeding program will clearly be a case of too little too late unless Tanya Plibersek upholds her own ‘Zero Extinction’ pledge and protects the Maugean skate’s last remaining natural habitat.”