1 March
2008 - One the eve of Seaweek, Federal Environment
Minister Peter Garrett announced today that
the green sawfish (Pristis zijsron) has
been listed as vulnerable under the Environment
Protection andBiodiversity Conservation
Act 1999 (the EPBC Act).
“This listing will make
it illegal to kill, harm or take green sawfish
in Commonwealth waters,’’ Mr. Garrett said.
“This year’s Seaweek
is focussed on conserving the sawfish, and
this listing will mean that the green sawfish
receives added protection in habitats between
three nautical miles from shore out to the
200 nautical mile limit.
“The green sawfish faces
ongoing threats from accidental catch in
fishing nets, from illegal fishing for fins
and rostrums – the distinctive saw-toothed
snouts – and from habitat degredation through
coastal development.
“Catch records tell
us that this species may now be virtually
extinct in south-east Asia and that northern
Australia may be the last region where significant
populations remain.
“Even in Australian
waters, the green sawfish has contracted
to the north. It was once recorded on the
east coast as far south as Jervis Bay on
the New South Wales coast, but is now rarely
found south of Cairns.”
The green sawfish is
listed as endangered in New South Wales
waters, vulnerable in the Northern Territory
and totally protected in Western Australia.
The green sawfish is
a species of large ray from the family Pristidae.
It has a large shark-like body, a flattened
head and an elongated snout, which is studded
with 24 to 28 pairs of rostral teeth, commonly
described as a saw. Mature adult green sawfish
can grow to five metres in Australian waters.
In Australian waters,
green sawfish have historically been recorded
in coastal waters off Broome, Western Australia,
around northern Australia and down the east
coast, where their range has now contracted.
They are most commonly found on the floors
of estuaries, river mouths and along sandy
and muddy beaches. Their toothed rostrums,
combined with their active hunting behaviour,
make them highly susceptible to capture
in all fisheries that use nets. They are
also threatened by illegal poaching by foreign
vessels for their fins and rostrums.
Seaweek is an initiative of the Marine Education
Society of Australasia. It runs from 2-8
March 2008. For more details, go to: http://www.mesa.edu.au/seaweek2008/default.asp
Margot Marshall
+ More
Special funding recognises
the value of Indigenous arts organisations
March 2008 - The Minister
for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts,
Peter Garrett today announced funding of
$1.3 million from the Indigenous Visual
Arts Special Initiative to provide 24 Indigenous
art centres with infrastructure, training
and marketing support.
“This investment recognises
the importance of the Indigenous art industry
to Australia and the real benefits the arts
centres deliver to many Indigenous artists
and communities,” Mr Garrett said.
“Indigenous art centres
and organisations are the backbone of Australia’s
Indigenous arts industry. The art centres
themselves are financial partners in many
of the projects being supported by this
funding.
“The funding will assist
these centres with priority projects. It
will also support the important work they
do to ensure that Indigenous artists are
being treated fairly and that they are receiving
appropriate remuneration for their work.”
In 2007–08 special initiative
funding will support 28 one-off projects
to build the sustainability
of Indigenous arts organisations across
a range of areas. Projects funded through
this initiative include:
• A development program
for Central Australian art centre managers
(NT, SA and WA) to be delivered by Desart,
the peak body for art centres in the region
• The construction of staff accommodation
for Warakurna Artists in remote WA to allow
this successful art centre to expand services
to its artists
• A survey and marketing project to be conducted
by Arts Northern Rivers in northern NSW
to boost the profile of Indigenous artists
from this region.
The special initiative
funding complements the National Arts and
Crafts Industry Support program and is in
line with the findings of a recent Senate
Committee Report into the Indigenous visual
art sector, Indigenous Art—Securing the
Future. This report acknowledged the significance
of Australia’s Indigenous visual arts and
craft as one of the world’s great contemporary
movements in art.
Visit www.arts.gov.au/indig
for more information on the National Arts
and Crafts Industry Support program.
Funds provided through
the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, a joint
initiative of the Australian, State and
Territory governments, contribute to this
special initiative funding.
Media contact: Margot Marshall
