Documentary film on Australian Sea Lions

[Michele]

The Ocean's Supermum.......7:30pm - Sunday, October 3 on ABC1....

This new documentary on Australian Sea Lions is a "must see"!

To stream this from the web, go to:
http://www.throng.com.au/documentary/oceans-supermum
There is a link to download or stream on this page at the top.


The Ocean's Supermum is a one-hour natural history documentary featuring previously unknown underwater behaviour, and a passionate and engaging scientist whose mission it is to unlock the secrets of the most devoted of all marine mothers - the Australian sea lion.

Filmed on Dangerous Reef and the surrounding waters of South Australia, The Ocean's Supermum reveals the Australian sea lion's devotion to her young and the continuation of her lineage against historical foes and the forces of environmental change.

Australian sea lions are among the most playful and engaging of all sea creatures. They are also one of the most endangered pinnipeds in the world. Their fragile existence owes much to their peculiar feeding and nurturing habits, which, until now, have remained a mystery to science.

Like Aboriginal songlines, the sea lion 'songlines' are the information on feeding grounds passed down through the maternal line over generations. Not only is this information particular to every individual mother but it differs from colony to colony. And it is secret - even scientists don't know where the sea lions feed or what they feed on. But one man is trying to find out.

Marine biologist Associate Professor Simon Goldsworthy is on a quest. His goal is to discover where the sea lions feed, what they eat and how important these sea lion 'songlines' are to their survival. In this documentary he explores how individuals in neighbouring colonies differ and how their staggered breeding cycles may be the sea lions' unique way of sharing scarce food sources.

The Ocean's Supermum follows Simon on this journey. Although it's a difficult task in challenging environments, he uses the latest technology in his pursuit for answers. Simon and his team use helicopters, satellite tracking, depth loggers, a 'crittercam', and DNA sampling to find answers to one of wildlife's last great secrets

[Michele]

HUMANE  SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL
Media  Release   
 4th October  2010
 
Australia's Supermum may yet die at  sea
  [/b]
  The Australian  Sea Lion, highlighted in a recent ABC  documentary for the extraordinary devotion shown  to their young, remain under threat in  Australia?s  waters. Despite being listed as a threatened  species, these amazing animals are being caught  and drowned in the nets of a shark fishery off  South  Australia, with a recent  report revealing an estimated 374 Australian Sea  Lions are killed each breeding season.  Supermum, shown on ABC TV last night, could  die in fishing nets this season. The sharks  caught in this fishery are marketed as flake and  sold in fish and chip shops around  Australia. As part of this  fishery?s right to export its products, the  Federal Environment Minister gave fishery  managers and industry until 30 June 2010 to  implement measures, including closures, to  enable the recovery of all Australian Sea Lion  sub-populations. In June a management strategy  was put in place, which Humane Society  International (HSI) believes to be wholly  insufficient to reduce the risk to the sea  lions, with the strategy sanctioning the killing  of at least 15 animals a year, a figure in  reality likely to be far higher. As a result,  HSI has called for the export approval for the  fishery to be revoked. Months on, the final  Government assessment as to whether the  management strategy put in place by fishery  managers sufficiently reduces the risk to the  sea lions is yet to be completed. ...Australian  Sea  Lions are Australia?s  only endemic seal species, yet we continue to  treat the death of these amazing animals as  acceptable so that we can continue to eat our  fish and chips... said Alexia Wellbelove of  Humane Society International. As an iconic  animal for our tourism industry, the Australian  Sea Lion  brings in enormous tourism revenue to the South  Australian region, revenue that is at risk if  these deaths continue to be  tolerated. Only large  closures of the sea lion?s feeding areas can  provide the Australian  Sea Lion  with the protection that the species deserves  and needs to avoid further decline in numbers. 

As this will also involve large-scale closures  of fishing grounds, it is now time for the  Government to intervene and put these in place.  Until then, fisheries managers will continue to  put their heads in the sand over the impact they  are having on these -supermums- hoping that the  Government will pass their inadequate plans... concluded Alexia Wellbelove. HSI has  previously launched legal action against the  Federal Environment Minister for approving this  fishery?s right to export because of its impact  on threatened species and negotiated the 30 June  2010 deadline to protect Australian Sea Lions  with the Minister. Contact: Alexia  Wellbelove, Senior Program Manager: HSI

About  Us:
Humane Society International concentrates on the preservation of endangered animals  and ecosystems and works to ensure quality of life for  all animals, both domestic and wild. HSI is the largest  animal protection not-for-profit organisation in the  world, with over 10 million supporters globally and has  been established in Australia since 1994.

   
 

[SEARCY]

I thought this was an excellent documentary, with some great footage! It was good to see an open approach with the methods used to monitor the Australian Sea Lion populations. While these may appear intrusive, I am encouraged that the information will be used to secure a better future for this species. It was good that Simon took the swim with the Baird Bay sealions. I thought this was a nice way to end the doco.