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The Greens today released a four-point plan to better protect Adelaide’s much-loved Port River Dolphins and pledged to take a Bill to implement the plan to the next Parliament. The Greens’ announcement comes as South Australia welcomes the arrival of newborn calf Neon to mum Mouse. Sadly, Mouse has lost her two previous calves (Hunter and Mimo (also known as Squeak)) to a mysterious disease that killed five dolphins last year. |
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The Green’s four-point plan to keep Port River Dolphins safe: 1. Ban heavy fishing lines, live bait and gang hooks in the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary 2. Ban trawling in the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary (including the Angas and Barker inlets, Port River, and inner Port) 3. Ensure that racing and other events do not take place in areas that would put dolphins in danger 4. Reduce the current red tape so that the Australian Marine Wildlife Research and Rescue Organisation can perform rescue operations in a more timely manner. |
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Quotes attributable to Tammy Franks MLC, Greens SA Parliamentary Leader: “It’s time Adelaide had a dolphin sanctuary that actually keeps our dolphins safe. We need to protect the pod, we can’t see any more dolphin calves die. Neon and Rocket (born February 10) deserve the safest sanctuary we can give them.” “The Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary should be a safe haven for our much-loved Port River Dolphins, but over many years now this has not been the case. We have seen many reports of dolphins becoming entangled in fishing equipment, fatally injured by boat propellers, and since June last year we have seen as many as five dolphins suffer from a mysterious illness.” “The Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Act was introduced in 2005 and has been constrained by red tape that effectively renders it a sanctuary in name only and not what the Parliament intended. “Having a dolphin population that lives so close to an urban and industrial area will always pose unique challenges to the dolphin population, but this Government and Minister Speirs have not been doing enough to protect these dolphins, the Greens will. |