The Burrunan Dolphin Last week we attended an information session on the Burrunan Dolphin presented by the Marine Mammals Foundation, in conjunction with Love Our Lakes. It was extremely informative. The Dolphins in our Lake are genetically similar and their genome suggests they have been around far longer than the other species of Dolphins in the Indo-Asia Pacific and other parts of the world. They differ genetically even from their Burrunan cousins in Port Phillip Bay but have a high similarity to the Burrunan in parts of Tasmania. The males from this group cross Bass Strait to mate with the Gippsland Lakes Pod and then return. The Burrunan not only look different but the research, conducted by Dr Kate Charlton-Robb, has proven that they are a different species of dolphin and she is conducting further genetic research on this. The Burrunan have been listed as a threatened species in Victoria under the Flora and Fauna Act. They are also listed in the Gippsland Lakes International Ramsar agreement to be protected and due to the small number of this dolphin species in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania they are considered endangered. I suppose what we are saying is they are special! The pod in the Gippsland Lakes is predominantly female with 65 individuals including calves. The calves usually stay with their mothers for 3 years or more and the females only breed once every 5 years. There have been deaths of this precious species from ingesting litter such as plastic bags and mercury poisoning. A few years ago a dolphin calf was caught in a mesh/gill net and died either from drowning or exhaustion. There is evidence that mother dolphins and others in the pod will try frantically for hours to free a calf from a net. Footage on the internet of similar occurrences is quite distressing. The animals are also at risk of stress or impact from water craft of all types. The MMF and Love our Lakes has released a booklet to inform users of the Lakes of the restrictions on interactions with the dolphins including adhering to speed limits. Research on the impact of this and other vehicle interactions is currently being undertaken. You can find more information on this beautiful, rare animal at https://marinemammal.org.au/about/ and the information booklet at https://marinemammal.org.au/burrunan-booklet/ Letter to Minister Pulford We have had a response from Minister Pulford to our letter. Unfortunately our question to Ms Pulford as to why it was labor policy prior to the election, " to commit to banning netting in the Gippsland Lakes river mouths" and not the whole Lake system, has not been answered. We have sent another letter requesting a response to this specific question. We have also re stated that the “ban” is in effect NOT A BAN as it has just increased the perimeter of where the nets can be set. We have also raised with Craig Ingram, at the VFA, as to whether in fact, 7 of the 14 legislated perimeters can still be completely netted by the up to 2.2km gill nets used by the commercial fishers. We have also queried Ms Pulford as to whether the increase in the perimeter (from 400m to 600m) has been risk assessed in regard to the dolphins passage throughout the lakes. Dolphins are unable to “see” mesh nets with their sonar. Nicholson Fishing Club results We promised we would share the results of the Nicholson angling club fishing competition on the 13th and 14th of January. There were 30 anglers and 7 caught 22 Black Bream, 28 cm or larger. The average weight of all fish weighed in on the Sunday was 0.6 kg. The heaviest fish was 1.01 kg and the lightest 0.33 kg. Of the 22 fish 18 were released back into the river in good condition. ABC local radio interview Last week, David was interviewed on local radio. He was asked why he started the petition, which was predominantly because his wife was sick of him and others sooking about the lack of fish in the lakes and rivers. We came to East Gippsland because of the beauty of the surrounds but were disappointed in the fishing and discussed heading further north. Instead of this we started this petition in the hope that what has or is about to occur in Port Phillip and Corio Bays can happen here. Our research identified that there has been a decline over time in both recreational and commercial catch of Black Bream and Dusky Flathead. While we are asking for a ban on netting of fish we still believe the bait fishery should continue. We also believe that recreational fishers need to adopt more sustainable fishing practices and importantly that the health of the Lakes needs urgent attention to sustain the indigenous fishery into the future. Petitions Current count of hard copy and online petitions is at 1350. We have written to all the angling clubs in the state and asked for their support. Please continue to share the petition with others. The dolphin in the attached photo was not caught in a mesh net but similar damage and death can occur with gill nets.