Save Rockingham's Little Penguins

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The Shoalwater Islands Marine Park Management Plan (SIMP) is out of date and we are witnessing the decimation of the Little Penguin colony on Penguin Island who are effectively the 'canary in the coalmine' for Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.

The Penguin Island colony has declined by approximately 95% between 2007 and 2024, due to factors including climate change, watercraft strike and tourism impacts.

According to research by Dr Belinda Cannell, of the deceased penguins collected since 2017, 32% penguin deaths were due to watercraft injury.

Back in 2014, the Marine Parks & Reserves Authority did an audit of the SIMP and ...

The Shoalwater Islands Marine Park Management Plan (SIMP) is out of date and we are witnessing the decimation of the Little Penguin colony on Penguin Island who are effectively the 'canary in the coalmine' for Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.

The Penguin Island colony has declined by approximately 95% between 2007 and 2024, due to factors including climate change, watercraft strike and tourism impacts.

According to research by Dr Belinda Cannell, of the deceased penguins collected since 2017, 32% penguin deaths were due to watercraft injury.

Back in 2014, the Marine Parks & Reserves Authority did an audit of the SIMP and raised concerns that there is no targeted government funding allocated to Department of Fisheries to enable regular patrols and enforce marine park rules and speed limits. There were 800 penguins in 2014. Now only 97 penguins remain.

Little penguins are on the brink of extinction from our waters in Rockingham and other habitats and species are threatened – our community will not stand by and watch this happen.

The state government is not doing enough to protect and conserve our incredible local environment.

We need:

Updating of expired management plans.
Funding to enforce marine park rules and stop the penguin-killing hooning.
A plan to bring penguins back from the brink of extinction that is actually executed.

Our Little Penguins need URGENT WA Government Action. We need to act immediately because our little penguins are depending on it.

Please take action at the link below

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Email Cook Government decision makers today

The Cook government has the power to fix this but is currently lacking the political will.

That's why they need to hear directly from voters.

Please take action today. Our little penguins are depending on it!

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The Little Penguin colony on Penguin Island are effectively the 'canary in the coalmine' for the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.

They are on the brink of extinction from our waters in Rockingham and other habitats and species are threatened – our community will not stand by and watch this happen.

The Penguin Island colony has declined by approximately 95% between 2007 and 2024, due to factors including climate change, watercraft strike and tourism impacts.

According to research by Dr Belinda Cannell, of the deceased penguins collected since 2017, 32% penguin deaths were due to watercraft injury.

In response to community pressure, the WA government recently set up Penguin Advisory Group. Their task is to work out what needs doing for the penguins and report back to the minister in 12 months.

Why is the minister waiting 12 months for advice when we already know what needs to be done?

The Marine Parks and Reserves Authority clearly spelt out in 2014 through their Periodic Assessment Report on the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park Management Plan 2007-2017 what the emerging risks and issues were at that time. 
The same pressures remain today in 2025 but have grown even larger. The penguin population numbers have continued to plummet under the existing arrangements.

Back in 2014 the report highlighted the fact that funding was needed to enable enforcement of marine park rules and speed limits, as well as the need to act when the temperature on the island gets to 30-32 degrees.

Just recently, the government committed to closure at 35 degrees, but that is not in keeping with the science, given that heat stress kicks in before 35 degrees for little penguins

This colony is now at crisis point; it’s at risk of extinction. The state government is not doing enough to protect and conserve our incredible local environment.
We need:
Updating of expired management plans.
Funding to enforce marine park rules and stop the penguin-killing hooning.
A government funded plan to bring penguins back from the brink of extinction that is actually executed.

Our Little Penguins need URGENT WA Government Action. We need to act immediately because our little penguins are depending on it.

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