Just around the corner we have a situation in Spencer Gulf with the Giant Cuttlefish, a huge campaign to stop BHP mining and creating a desalination plant that will deposit slat brine in the area, they have created a no fishing area to protect the Giant Cuttlefish although they all agree that it’s a precautionary approach and they don’t consider commercial or recreational fishing as a threat, recent studies have shown that the Giant Cuttlefish annual breeding aggregation has dropped by almost 80% over the last 10 years, but what is more concerning is that the very NZ Fur Seals they didn’t want to cull on Kangaroo Island have been seen by divers and anglers in the Spencer Gulf Giant Cuttlefish breeding areas.
Some of the things this BHP site will be mining will be rear earth minerals, for those that don’t know rare earth minerals are used for a wide range of things and are becoming very valuable, some of the products that rely on rare earth minerals are, batteries for electric powered cars, new light weight alloys to make cars more efficient, new generation solar panels, wind turbines, energy-efficient lights, as well as more common things like mobile phone and LCD screens.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/fate-of-island-penguins-appears-sealed-as-hunted-become-hunters/story-e6frg6nf-1226028346271
http://www.news.com.au/national/calls-to-cull-fur-seals-off-kangaroo-island/story-e6frfkvr-1226110649542
http://www.theislanderonline.com.au/news/local/news/general/whyalla-moves-to-tackle-seal-issue/2576099.aspx
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-11/fur-seals-cuttlefish-penguins-breeding/4004998
NZ fur seal numbers are exploding on Eyre Peninsula and along with that has come increased fishing forays by the seals into tuna farm rings.
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