The Wire

Last week on the Wire we reported on a fish farm controversy on South Australia’s west coast. An abalone farm in the area had been hit by a storm and hundreds of wire baskets were littering the coast. Conservationists in the area, like local fisherman Jeff Grocke, had been against the abalone farm and two more planned for the area, and they claimed the storm damage showed that abalone farming posed a danger to local sea lion breeding colonies. This week five dead sea lions have been found – and many more baskets. Dr Peter Shaughnessy says the deaths are a cause for concern, but Ian Nightingale from Primary Industries and Resources South Australia says the abalone company have done everything possible to rectify the situation.