“We've replaced spirit with economy, and now, for the sake of economy, it might be easier to lose another species. And I believe wholeheartedly… that we could do something about that….This next generation will do some magical things, but we’ve got to allow them to do it and let them lead us. “ 

        — Lyndon O’Neil Tasmanian Aboriginal Cultural Leader and Knowledge Keeper

My name is Spencer Hitchen.  I’m a 15-year-old youth conservationist and live in Australia, a country with one of the highest human-caused extinction rates in the world. 

I love nature, and I can’t understand why anyone would knowingly let a species go extinct.

Follow my journey to discover the plight of the critically endangered Maugean skate in the inspiring documentary, LOVE LETTER TO THE UNSEEN.

The Maugean Skate is a 60 million year old living Gondwana relic that is knowingly being pushed to extinction by the farming of non-native salmon in its last remaining habitat–the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Macquarie Harbour on the remote West Coast of Tasmania/Lutruwita - Australia’s only island state. 

When I first saw them, I couldn't believe how cute they were. They were so clever and curious. According to the IUCN Red List, there may be as few as 1,120 mature individuals left, and it’s found nowhere else on earth.

Please, I need your help to stop salmon farming from causing the Maugean skate’s extinction and destroying their only home in the world.

My generation is relying on decision makers around the world to listen to our voices and work with the youth for a better future for nature and humans. The Australian Government made a promise of no new extinctions, and we need to hold them accountable. Salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour is an unacceptable risk.

We need a healthy harbour to maintain healthy skates, and the majority of Tasmanian’s want industrial salmon farms out of inshore waters. When we stand up for the Maugean Skate, we are standing up for every unseen species on the brink of extinction across the world, and for a healthy future for every kid like me. 

My journey to SAVE THE SKATE and advocate for the protection of nature and biodiversity is chronicled in the global documentary film LOVE LETTER TO THE UNSEEN, where, alongside Tasmanian Aboriginal Cultural Leader and Knowledge Keeper, Lyndon O'Neil, and a host of others from Tasmania, I gain a deeper understanding of this pressing issue and the beauty of the Maugean Skate. 

To the Australian government, you have a responsibility to act on behalf of my generation & beyond when making decisions that will impact our future. Please don’t let the Maugean Skate become the Tasmanian Tiger of the sea.

Sign our petition and join me and our partners Land And Sea For All and Environment Tasmania in telling the Australian Minister for the Environment and Water to follow the government's own conservation advice and immediately remove salmon farms from Macquarie Harbour to SAVE THE SKATE and protect their critical habitat.

I know what kind of world I want for future generations.

WATCH THE FILM and SIGN THE PETITION.

To learn more about the issue, go to lovelettertotheunseenfilm.com.