The coalition government’s management of the super-trawler Geelong Star and the small pelagic (deep ocean) fishery is failing to protect the environment and important recreational fisheries. The latest management arrangements may conceal future dolphin and seal deaths and there is no mechanism to prevent localised depletion of fish stocks that is based on scientific evidence. Just when the government needs all the good advice it can get, its fisheries manager, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), has axed the Small Pelagic Resource Assessment Group (SPFRAG), the primary scientific advisory committee for this fishery.
Cat Hoarding
When domestic cats are not adequately regulated, the keeping or accumulation (through uncontrolled breeding) of a large number of cats at a premise) is more likely to occur. This can create health and welfare problems for the occupants of the house, the cats and the local community. It can also have a significant detrimental impact on local wildlife (through predation and the spread of disease).