Save The Cuttlefish!


Cuttlefish Country” is my kind of country;
I’d love to go visit, some day.
So I’m asking your help; go and sign their petition,
There’s really no time for delay.
There’s a plan to pump brine, left from desalination
To Point Lowly, where the cuttlefish mate;
This year, just one tenth of the cuttlefish showed—
Could it be we’re already too late?

Via @danimations on Twitter, a cause we can all support, and a site worth visiting.

Protect the Cuttlefish!

The Point Lowly Peninsula is the only known place in the world where hundreds of thousands of Giant Australian Cuttlefish gather to breed. We need your help to urge the State Government of South Australia to protect this wildlife phenomenon from proposed industrial impacts.

Other fish species also spawn in the area including Snapper, Western King Prawns, Squid, Eagle Rays and Port Jackson Sharks. The Upper Spencer Gulf ecosystem also supports two local dolphin pods and visiting whales.

A desalination plant is currently proposed for the Point Lowly Peninsula. If approved, its operation will release salty brine into this sensitive ecosystem. Scientific studies have shown that increased salinity kills cuttlefish and squid eggs.

The Giant Australian Cuttlefish and Upper Spencer Gulf fish nurseries need your help. Sign and share our petition and urge our State Premier to insist on relocating the proposed desalination plant to a less vulnerable area.

The project is currently funded completely out of the filmmakers’ (Dan and Emma Monceaux) pockets; I did not even see a “donate” button on the site, although they do sell the bumper stickers. All they are asking for is your signature on a petition, and in exchange, you get wonderful cuttlefish videos, and the chance to nudge the South Australian government to do the right thing.

Please visit the site, and take a look around. They have supported their arguments well, and their requests of the government are reasonable. Currently they are looking for 5,000 signatures, and are just over 1,000 already. Go. Read. Sign.

Comments

  1. mandas says

    I live in Adelaide and am a keen scuba diver, and I visit Pt Lowly every year for the cuttlefish breeding season.

    This year the numbers were significantly lower than they have been in recent years, but the reasons for this are unclear. It may be just natural variation, or it could be in response to over-exploitation of resources. We just don’t know, and a lot more research needs to be done.

    Like just about everyone with any concept of what is happening to the marine life in the Spencer and St Vincent’s Gulfs of South Australia, I am appalled by thought of a desalination plant being built at Pt Lowly. The Government has a number of proposals to establish marine sanctuaries, but these are being fiercely resisted by vested interests such as recreational and commercial fishermen. I too like my fishing, but having seen the decline in stocks over the years, and having seen the underwater perspective, I know just how important they are.

    Unfortunately, this appears to be just another one of those issues where vested interests, corporate profits and ‘development’ are trumping the environment.

  2. says

    Thanks so much for supporting our cause (and your fellow cuttlefish), Poet! Your rhymes are whimsical, charming and informative… a shining example of the application of creativity to a good cause! We’ll be sure to keep you and your readers informed as our campaign progresses… the world is taking a growing interest in our wonderful, sensitive little patch of ocean..!

  3. says

    Thanks for sharing your pics, StephenK! Here are some of our images… you can support our cause by buying these images from Cuttlefish Country as postcards, giftcards or photoprints… even on canvas! We’ll also have a calendar available soon. As Cuttlefish says, we’re not seeking donations, but profits from products you purchase will help us persevere with this cause, while helping you spread the word in the same gesture! Cephalopod thanks…

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *