- Maugean skate received renewed listing as Endangered by federal environment minister
- Intensive salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour has been identified as the single biggest 'catastrophic' threat that can be remedied immediately
- The Australian Government must not keep its head in the sand and act appropriately to protect the species
Today's decision by Environment Minister Murray Watt to renew the Endangered listing of the Maugean skate confirms the species remains at very high risk of extinction. Failure to strengthen protections, including the removal of farmed Atlantic salmon, could push the species closer to collapse.
In 2023, AMCS and Humane World for Animals nominated the uplisting of the skate to Critically Endangered. While the decision falls short of Critically Endangered, the science is clear: the threats driving the species' to extinction remain unresolved.
Dr Leonardo Guida, AMCS shark scientist said: "Minister Watt's decision couldn't make it any clearer. Over the last three years the 'very high risk' of extinction hasn't changed, the catastrophic problem of salmon farming hasn't changed, and the solution of removing salmon hasn't changed."
"What has changed is public pressure, the need to do more to save the skate and the natural heritage of Tasmania on which so many primary producers and tourism industries rely."
The Maugean skate is found nowhere else on Earth except Tasmania's Macquarie Harbour. Prolonged levels of low oxygenation, linked to the cumulative impacts of industrial salmon farming, remain the most significant threat to the skate's survival, compounded by manipulation of river flows and warming oceans
The renewed Endangered status reflects that the species continues to face a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Without decisive intervention to address water quality and habitat degradation, the skate's trajectory will not improve.
"The efforts scientists have and continue to put towards better understanding the skate, its home and how to save both have been nothing short of immense," said Dr Leonardo Guida. "That knowledge is crystallised in the Conservation Advice and must now be actioned by governments and industries alike – a second chance only comes once."
AMCS are calling on the Federal and Tasmanian Governments to:
- Implement a clear, time-bound transition plan to remove industrial salmon farming from Macquarie Harbour;
- Restore and maintain dissolved oxygen levels in line with scientific recommendations;
- Implement and resource the Conservation Advice for the Maugean skate in full;
- Ensure transparent, independent monitoring of harbour health.
Today's decision must not be seen as a reprieve for industry, but as a final warning.
"The skate must not disappear on our watch and become the next Tassie Tiger. This renewed listing must be the catalyst for real, measurable action to secure its future."
