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SARAH & SEBASTIAN: Save Our Sea Lions


We need your help to protect Australian sea lions.

For many years, SARAH & SEBASTIAN have proudly supported AMCS in their mission to protect our fragile marine species and the ecosystems they call home.

Recently, S&S founder Sarah Munro went with Alice Wesley-Smith to film Australian sea lion colonies in South Australia.

In Western Australia (WA), Australian sea lion colonies are at greater risk of extinction than off the coast of SA. In WA there’s no independent monitoring of fishing vessels and therefore less protection from lethal fishing practices for these magnificent animals.

The death of even a single breeding female can have negative consequences for the long-term survival of a colony. With only an estimated 6,500 adults left, they are now considered endangered.

A recent study revealed that changes to how fishing operates off SA waters to increase protection for sea lions has resulted in the stabilsation of those colonies.¹

This World Oceans Day, SARAH & SEBASTIAN have pledged $25,000 to the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s Australian Sea Lion campaign as well as donating all proceeds from a limited edition SAVE OUR SEA LIONS hat.

SARAH & SEBASTIAN hope this film has inspired you to support AMCS and their vital work to amplify the message to the WA government that now, more than ever, we need to fight to save Australian sea lions, and to implement the kind of measures that have proven so effective in a fishery managed by the Commonwealth Government off SA.

Please donate. Let’s stop marine life like the Australian Sea Lion from being driven to extinction.

With only an estimated 2,739 pups remaining¹, we are now facing an urgent extinction crisis.

There is still so much hope for this iconic Aussie species, as their biggest threat is preventable.

Swimming sea lions can be unintentionally captured in gillnets used by commercial fisheries. Sea lions are mammals like us – they can only hold their breath for so long. Gillnets are virtually invisible and can trap sea lions underwater, drowning them.

A recent study shows how various fishery monitoring measures in waters off SA have resulted in the stabilisation of Australian sea lion colonies there.² We want to ensure this happens off Western Australia as well, where Australian sea lions continue to be killed at a rate which threatens their very existence.

At SARAH & SEBASTIAN, we know our customers care. We hope our film inspires you to support AMCS in their fight for environmentally sound, truly sustainable fisheries, and their tireless work to advocate for the enforcement of rigorous monitoring of the use of gillnets.

Your donation will help AMCS keep State governments accountable, making sure they deliver on:

1.

Putting cameras on boats so we know how many seals are being killed each year.

2.

Counting the number of sea lions so we know if they are recovering or how fast they're declining.

3.

Ensuring no fishing can occur (exclusion zones) within 25km (at a minimum) of any given rookery.

4.

Triggering limits to close the fishery when too many sea lions are killed.

Australian Sea Lion Ranges

Why back AMCS?

Thanks to passionate supporters like you, we have already had some huge wins for Australian sea lions. During our campaign we have celebrated the introduction of crucial new fishing exclusion zones in some areas, and mandatory electronic monitoring on fishing boats in others.

Australian sea lions are unique to our shores. Australians alone are responsible for this precious species.

AMCS is Australia’s only national charity dedicated solely to protecting our precious ocean wildlife. We have a long history of fighting for our oceans, and we won’t let these marine animals become extinct on our watch.

 

All donations over $2 are 100% tax-deductible. Our important campaigns are not funded by Government grants, we are totally reliant on generous people like you to protect Australia’s oceans and the animals that call them home.

The project featured represents a proposed action of AMCS’ work. We respond to the fast-paced and ever-changing needs of our campaign work. As a result, there may be some cases in which the project you have selected may be fully funded, postponed or need to be substituted with another action or item, where the need is greater or more urgent at the given time. Please be assured your gift will go to work to be the voice for Australia’s oceans, working on the big issues that risk our ocean wildlife, and help to ensure Australia’s coasts and oceans remain healthy and free for tomorrow’s generations.

REFERENCES

  1. Goldsworthy, SD et al. (2022) “Assessment of Australian Sea Lion Bycatch Mortality in a Gillnet Fishery, and Implementation and Evaluation of an Effective Mitigation Strategy.” Frontiers in Marine Science 9. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2022.799102.
  2. Goldsworthy, S.D. (2020). Australian sea lion listing assessment. Report to the Department for Environment and Water, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2020/000131-1. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1056.