West Island (South Australia)

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This article is about the island in South Australia. For the conservation park, see West Island Conservation Park. For other uses, see West Island (disambiguation).
West
West Island (South Australia) is located in South Australia
West Island (South Australia)
Geography
Location Great Australian Bight
Area Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value).
Highest elevation 40 m (130 ft)
Country

West Island is a Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). granite island lying Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). off the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). south-west of the town of Victor Harbor. It rises to a maximum height of about Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). in the south-west. Its main conservation value lies its seabird colonies.[1]

History

File:West Island (South Australia).JPG
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West Island was named for its location Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). west of the promontory of Rosetta Head. During the 1880s it was quarried for granite to construct the foundations of Parliament House, Adelaide. From 1913 until the mid-1960s it was zoned as a Reserve for Government Purposes and, for a short period, was used by the Adelaide University Regiment as a target for gunnery practice during field exercises. In 1966 it became a fauna reserve. Until about 1970 fishers took little penguins and rabbits to use as crayfish bait, though the population of rabbits on the island was exterminated by 1971 and it was declared a Conservation Park in 1972. In 1973 and 1975 Pearson Island rock-wallabies were introduced to the island.[1]

Fauna

Breeding seabirds include little penguins, silver gulls, and crested, Caspian and fairy terns. Reptiles recorded from the island include Cunningham's, White's and Peron's earless skinks.[1]

Little penguin decline

In 1926, visitor Geoffrey Salter said of West Island that "there was a penguin's nest under every other rock."[2] Penguins were also observed on West Island in 1928[3] and 1950.[4]

The West Island little penguin population has suffered a dramatic decline since the 1990s. A general count occurring in early December 1991 found 700 penguins present.[5] In 1992, the population was estimated to be around 4000 penguins. In June 2011, the population was estimated to be less than 20 penguins.[6] The decline echoes the decline of the colony on nearby Granite Island. In January 2013, Victor Harbor mayor Graham Philp said that the penguin colonies on West Island and Wright Island were 'extinct' while the population on Granite Island was in 'the low 20s'.[7]

A census conducted by penguin ecologist Dr. Diane Colombelli-Négrel from Flinders University in 2013 found no penguins and no active burrows on West Island. The census' report concluded that the colony had not recovered from a prior colony collapse.[8]

Protected area status

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Further information: West Island Conservation Park

West Island has enjoyed protected area status since 10 November 1966 when it was declared a Fauna Reserve under the Fauna Conservation Act 1964-1965. It was re-declared a Fauna Conservation Reserve under the Crown Lands Act on 26 March 1970 and was again re-declared as a Conservation Park in 1972 following the enactment of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. The waters within Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). of West Island were declared as an Aquatic Reserve under the Fisheries Act 1971-1976 in 1971 in order to protect sites used for abalone research.[1] Since 2012, the waters surrounding its shores are located within the boundaries of the Encounter Marine Park.[9]

West Island Aquatic Reserve

West Island Aquatic Reserve was proclaimed in 1971 in order to protect sites used for abalone research in the waters within Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). of West Island. As of 2014, the aquatic reserve is larger in extent and has been divided into three zones. The original reserved area has been divided in two zones - ‘Area 2’ and ‘Area 3’. ‘Area 2’ which located on the north west side of the island is an prohibited area, i.e. both access and the taking of marine organisms is prohibited. ‘Area 3’ which is located on the south east side of the island, is a zone where the taking of marine organisms is prohibited. ‘Area 1’ which extends from the island to within Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). of the coastline of Fleurieu Peninsula is zoned for fishing using line and where the taking of marine organisms other than fish is by permit.[1][10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Salter, Geoffrey "Snook and schnapper - Day with the fisherman - Life for good sailors" The Mail, Adelaide, South Australia (1926-01-09). Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  3. ↑ "Possum's Letter - Mate sees penguins on Victor Harbor islands" The Mail, Adelaide, South Australia (1929-11-09). Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  4. ↑ Rumbelow, Phylis "Trip to West Island" The Mail, Adelaide, South Australia (1950-10-28). Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Wiebken, A. "Conservation Priorities for Little Penguin Populations in Gulf St Vincent" SARDI, South Australia (2011-06). Retrieved
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Colombelli-Négrel, D. & Kleindorfer, S. Penguin monitoring and conservation activities in the Gulf St Vincent July 2013 – June 2014. Report to the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Natural Resources Management Board, Flinders University, South Australia (2014-04). Retrieved 2014-07-27.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.


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