Giant Australian Cuttlefish

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister update the house on the economic importance of the giant cuttlefish population in Spencer Gulf?

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:45): I thank the member for Flinders for his very, very important question. We know in this house that the giant Australian cuttlefish numbers have been under pressure for a number of years. The giant Australian cuttlefish is one of the largest cuttlefish species in the world. Particularly at Port Lowly near Whyalla, it is known as one of the very few sites on the planet where they have dense spawning aggregations.

Our giant cuttlefish are known as the rock star of the sea: they live fast but they die young. Since 1998, PIRSA's scientific arm has been monitoring cuttlefish numbers. As I said, it has been a concern to SARDI scientists conducting those annual population surveys in the Whyalla area that population numbers have been in decline. But, good news: the population numbers have increased. Numbers are up by about 20 per cent, and that is great news. From population of individuals of over about 125,000—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. D.C. van Holst Pellekaan: The Marshall Liberal government.

The SPEAKER: Minister for Energy, order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: What I can say is that the counts are up around the 150,000 in 2018. It's great to see what a new government can do. Research is showing that the populations are remaining strong and growing. That research is also showing us that yes, naturally population numbers do fluctuate—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —and while they're fluctuating, this government is looking after the numbers, but we're also growing the tourism industry around it. The Minister for Environment and Water—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hurtle Vale, order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —is doing a great job, too, growing the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Giles is called to order.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —nature-based tourism industry. He is doing an outstanding job. What—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left and right!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —I can say is that visitors are drawn between May and August when tens of thousands of cuttlefish are brightly coloured. They come to spawn, and so people are given the opportunity to nature dive. They are—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Reynell is warned.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —able to go out there and view these spectacular sites while the cuttlefish are spawning. I'm also advised that large numbers of visitors are attracted to the region during the CuttleFest event in June. What it's doing is—it's important not only to completely understand why the giant cuttlefish aggregate in those small areas in the northern Spencer Gulf but to understand that this is an industry based around nature. It is a nature-based tourism industry. It's also likely that they are attracted to the shallow, rocky areas along the coast as it provides optimal habitat for their egg laying. I can attest to that myself; having dives along the coast of the west coast, I have seen cuttlefish in action, and it is—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —a great sight to behold. So maybe those opposite, while they don't care for cuttlefish, might need to don a mask and snorkel—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Reynell is warned for a second time!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —and get over to the west coast and have a look at the cuttlefish. But what—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —I would say is that—

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: I tried—

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is on two warnings.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: —and they kept pushing me back in the water!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: What I am saying is that while there is a permanent fishing closure for cuttlefish, squid and octopus, it has been in place in the waters of False Bay at Whyalla since 1998. I commend both the recreation and commercial fishers for the great stewardship that they are showing. They are missing opportunities for commercial catch while those waters are closed. They respect the cuttlefish and the vulnerability that they show with declining numbers.

What it's also telling us is that during the temporary closure, recreation and commercial fishers have taken heed and they are not fishing. Any giant cuttlefish inadvertently caught must be returned immediately, gently. I guess these results are great news for the giant Australian cuttlefish population, now part of the nature-based—

Mr Picton: Time!

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —tourism industry here in South Australia. So I thank the Minister for Environment, I thank my—

The SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired.

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE: —PIRSA and SARDI staff, and hashtag #RegionsMatter.