The Australian Marine Conservation Society Species at Risk campaign strives to protect and recover Australia’s threatened marine species, populations and communities. This campaign currently has a special focus on sharks and rays but includes work on a wide range of marine species.
Sharks and Rays
Australia’s sharks and rays are increasingly under threat from overfishing and are particularly vulnerable to overfishing. Numerous species are already officially listed as “threatened” or “conservation dependent”. We are campaigning to see the killing of sharks and rays stopped in Australia.
Sharks and Rays Campaign
Whales
Prior to commercial whaling 25,000 individual whales migrated along the east coast of Australia. By the time commercial whaling was banned in 1978 just 500 individuals were left. Current estimates now place this number at 7000- still only one third of their original population. Every year approximately 7,000 humpback whales migrate along the east coast of Australia and approximately 16,000 along the west coast. During the past 10 years, humpback whales (Megaptera novaaeangliae), along with southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) are the only populations of whales in the South Pacific showing evidence of making a slow recovery , humpbacks at an estimated rate of 10.6% and southern right whales at 7%, yet both of which are still severely depleted. Although Australia is regarded as a world leader in the protection and conservation of whales, they are still threatened by human activities both today and in the future. Find out more by reading the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s- Whale Fact sheet
Saving our Seahorses
Contrary to popular belief, not all of Australia’s seahorses and their relatives (the seadragons, pipehorses and pipefish) are protected from harm. Australian Marine Conservation Society is campaigning to see the seahorse families (the “Syngnathidae” and “Solegnathidae”) fully protected in Australia wherever they occur.
Cods and Gropers
Cods and gropers are a diverse group of bottom-associated fish occurring in tropical and warm temperate waters in Australia and many other parts of the world. Many of these species are protected in NSW and QLD waters so know your cod and groper species well.
• Download your copy of the Cod Species of Eastern Australia poster
• Medium quality image (108 kb jpg)
• High quality image (480 kb jpg)
• pdf (437 kb)