Shareholder Activism: Save the Skate!
Ethinvest is proud to join the shareholder activism efforts of new share trading platform company and campaigning organisation, the Sustainable Investment Exchange or SIX. Our first joint campaign is collaborating with a wide range of organisations calling on Woolworths and Coles, the two biggest supermarket chains in Australia, to stop buying farmed salmon from Tasmania's Macquarie Harbour where farming threatens the habitat of the ancient and endangered Maugean Stake. There is a clear link between salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour and potential Skate extinction, which is why the focus on supermarkets and their investors are important. Our efforts support ongoing campaigns to Save the Skate by NGOs including Environment Tasmania, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), Bob Brown Foundation, the Australia Institute, Tasmania Greens and Neighbours of Fish Farming (NoFF).
A little more about the Maugean Skate....
Recent research by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) has revealed the endangered Maugean skate, a species with one of the most limited distributions globally, now likely only exists in Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania. Previously recorded in both Macquarie and Bathurst Harbours, extensive DNA sampling in Bathurst Harbour found only minimal traces of the species, indicating it may no longer inhabit the area.
Environmental conditions in Macquarie Harbour, the skate's last known refuge, have worsened, affected by human activities such as hydroelectric production and salmonid aquaculture. These conditions, alongside threats like heavy metal pollution, interactions with fishing, and climate change, jeopardize the skate's survival. As Bathurst Harbour can no longer serve as a backup population, conservation efforts must focus solely on Macquarie Harbour to protect this unique species, which is listed as endangered under both Tasmania’s Threatened Species Protection Act and the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Join SIX Sustainable Investment Exchange to Save the Skate! Click here.
For more information about Shareholder Activism from Ethinvest, click here.
Interested in learning more and/or joining activism through your shareholdings with Ethinvest? Please feel free to reach out to your usual contact at Ethinvest, submit an enquiry here, or email us at shareholderengagement@ethinvest.com.au.
