Environment Tasmania launched their new grassroots marine campaign today, Rise Up for Tasmania Oceans, today with the release of results of their Marine Community Survey. Photos and video are below. The Survey report is also attached and click here for the full results.

475 Tasmanians were surveyed and the results show that the overwhelming majority feel that healthy oceans are extremely important to them, and that they do not believe the Tasmanian government is doing enough to protect Tasmania’s oceans.

“The results of our community survey are crystal clear, the community care about keeping our oceans healthy and don’t believe the government is doing enough to keep them that way” says Rebecca Howarth, Marine Campaigner for Environment Tasmania.

“Our oceans are in crisis. Fish stocks are catastrophically low, the Maugean skate clings to existence, marine heatwaves are approaching and urchin barrens are expanding. And yet we’ve been waiting for almost a year now for the public consultation to begin on our main marine law, the Living Marine Resources Management Act. This is unacceptable.”

“How many more acres of giant kelp forests do we have to lose before the government steps up? How many threatened species need to go extinct? How do we know if our kids are going to be able to catch a flatty in the future. It’s time for the Rockliff government to stop sitting on their hands, listen to the people and the science, and to respond accordingly to the scale and pace of the ocean crisis we are facing.”

“Our campaign will activate the Tasmanian community to Rise Up for Tasmania’s Oceans. To stand together and all call for reform to our marine laws and better protection of our ocean. We desperately need to start caring for our oceans in a holistic way that keeps ecosystem health at the heart, that’s why we’re calling for marine law reform, and a Marine Plan for Tasmania, that uses marine spatial planning.”

“Our survey shows that Tasmanians enjoy the ocean in a variety of ways including fishing, snorkelling, surfing, swimming and coastal walking. Oceans are clearly really important to them. 97% of Tasmanians surveyed stated that they would support managing our human activities in line with ecosystem health and 97% would favour protection of marine areas that have environmental, cultural or scientific importance. 89% favoured a strong First Nation’s voice in marine planning.”

Key survey results:

• 95% Tasmanians say that healthy oceans and coasts are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to the Tasmanian way of life.

• 95% of participants did not believe the Tasmanian government is doing enough to keep our oceans healthy.

• 75% Tasmanians reported that they visit our coasts or marine environment at least once per week.

• 89% of participants enjoy coastal walking, 64% swimming and 28% fishing.

• 21% rely on the ocean for their income, including commercial fishers, advocates, aquaculture workers, tourism operators and scientists.

• 97% of Tasmanians surveyed favoured the government managing all human and industrial activities in our oceans in line with ecosystem health.

• 98% favoured the government addressing overfishing and illegal fishing.

• 94% favoured removing salmon farms from sensitive, sheltered and biodiverse inshore waters.

• 97% favoured the government protecting marine areas that have environmental, scientific or

• cultural importance.

• 97% favoured the government addressing the impacts of invasive species.

MEDIA CONTACT: REBECCA HOWARTH 0493 395868