Newsletter

The first meeting of the New Year will be held at the Conservation Centre, 120 Wakefield Street on Wednesday 20^th February commencing at 7.30pm.

Our speaker will be David Muirhead who will be showing some more of his underwater slides. Many will be from his recent trip to Kangaroo Island.

As usual this will be an excellent opportunity to select slides for the Photo Index and we may find some to add to those chosen last month, taken by Chris Hall, to go in the 2003 Calendar.

Report on MLSSA

Diving At The Port Hughes Jetty

Nicolas Baudin Display - Maritime Museum

Second Seahorse Sighting At Swanage In Six Days

Excerpt from "The Two Towers"

Marine Life News 2002 (NE Atlantic)

MLSSA has a few copies of these wonderful posters left for sale. They cost $15 per set of two full colour posters and as an additional extra there is a companion set of A4 sheets with Common Names. Please see the Librarian Steve Reynolds if you require a set. I can recommend an excellent laminating firm if you want them laminated.

We would like to welcome 4 new members who have joined over the last couple of months.

The Granite Island Nature Park represented by Steve Edwards, Timothy Lubcke (Jnr), Alex Dobrovolskis and Veronica Harper. We hope to see them at meetings and extend them all a warm welcome to the Society.

ABSTRACT: The paper contains a critical analysis of an Australian environmental organization, the Marine Life Society of South Australia. The group was found to be small in size yet highly professional with an extensive sphere of influence focused on education.

South Australia is at the center of the longest stretch of south-facing coastline in the Southern Hemisphere. Extending to Western Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania, southern Australian temperate waters host some of the world’s unique habitats and biologically diverse marine life, with more than 85% of known species found only here. Due to this I chose to critically analyse a South Australian marine environmental organization. The best example of which is the Adelaide based Marine Life Society of South Australia, or MLSSA as they are commonly known. I looked at the Societies infrastructure, previous and present campaigns, and the general success of the organization.

Established in 1976 the Society was originally known as the Marina Aquarium Research Institute of Australia, or MARIA, until this national body demised allowing MLSSA to form on the1st of October 1982. Tony Isaacson was MARIA’s founding "interim Chairman and inaugural President"¹ in 1976 and is still associated with MLSSA. At the 25^th anniversary meeting, in June of 2001 Mr. Isaacson was presented with a Silver Anniversary wineglass in recognition of his activities with the Society. The present President, Philip Hall, was presented with the MLSSA Anniversary Trophy in recognition of his services to the Society. The Anniversary Trophy is to be presented by the holder to a worthy member at each forthcoming June meeting in order to establish a greater sense of tradition within the Society. However the Society isn’t lacking in distinguished achievements, having a history full of them. The Society gained second prize for the Adelaide Skin-diving Center exhibit at the Royal Adelaide Show in their first year of operation and were awarded the KESAB Action Award in 1997 for being a finalist in the "Small Community Environmental Action" category. Originally MLSSA was based at the Brighton Community Center until the establishment closed down. The Society is a member of the Conservation Council of South Australia and they were then allowed to use the Council’s Wakefield Street facilities. The Conservation Council, formed in 1971, is South Australia’s peak environmental movement and represents over fifty groups. The Council is based on credibility, interdependence, and integrity, acting as a "steady rock"² offering advice and resources. MLSSA became a part of the Conservation Council soon after the Society was formed. The views of MLSSA and the Conservation Council regarding the conservation and protection environments are strikingly similar as both place a heavy emphasis on education being a significant component for successful change.

The infrastructure of the Society is simple but it is one that when used correctly and professionally works successfully. MLSSA’s President Philip Hall, who is also the Editor, presides over the Societies Secretary, Steve Reynolds who also doubles as the Librarian and Historian, and the Treasurer, Phill McPeake. MLSSA also has Committee members Chris Hall and David Muirhead who, together with other Members, are also representatives on the committees of closely affiliated organizations such as the Conservation Council and the Scuba Divers Federation of South Australia, with whom MLSSA have been a member since 1980. Due to the fact that a part of MLSSA’s focus lies with diving and associated activities the Society also has a diving officer, Geoff Prince, and an assistant diving officer, Steve Reynolds. The previously mentioned members form a body that is successfully leading MLSSA towards many more positive achievements in the marine conservation movement. MLSSA has 20 to 25 financial members and many more supporters. Six of these members have achieved over twenty years of membership or close continuous association with the Society; they are Geoff Mower, Peter Gilbert, Steve Reynolds, Phill McPeake, Philip Hall and David Muirhead. Members include people from various occupations such as diving instructors, marine aquarists, accountants, science teachers, doctors and naturalists. Membership fees are paid yearly in April at a cost of $20 for students, $25 for singles and $30 for families or corporations and members automatically receive the Societies Journal and monthly Newsletter. MLSSA is a non-profit, volunteer organization that funds itself through variou means. The money gained from memberships is a constant and steady source of income. Another source is allowing individuals and organizations to buy, at a reasonable price, the rights to use photographs from the Societies Photo Index which is also published on their Web Page, although at a much reduced resolution. These photos are produced by members who are hobby photographers, yet all the images available are of exceptional quality resulting in several being used in calendars, magazines and newspapers. The final means by which funds are raised is through selling an annual calendar that the Society produces using their own photos of marine life taken exclusively in South Australian waters. MLSSA began selling calendars in 1999 and they presently retail for $10 to non-members and $8 to members. Each member is allocated a number of calendars that they are asked sell. However due to the increasing cost and difficulty of this project its continuance is in question. MLSSA is a relatively small organization in fiancial terms"³. MLSSA members gather regularly for a General Meeting that is held on the third Wednesday of every month at the Conservation Council headquarters. The public is encouraged by the Society to attend their meetings as a method of generating more interest in marine conservation. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend their meeting on Wednesday 17^th October⁴. I found the Society to be highly professional in their conduct and thorough in their discussions. The subject material discussed proved to be highly informative and interesting. Although the meeting was predominately male orientated in numbers and authority, the age range of those in attendance was large, from a toddler brought by his parents to the elderly. The issues brought up for discussion at the meeting included the progress of calendar sales, interactions with the maritime museum, and the progress of a small equipment grant from the state government for a filing cabinet. Information was also given about seminars Society members had conducted at the Ladies Aldinga Reef Group, the particulars of the Societies Christmas party, notice of the next KESAB clean up on the 3^rd March 2002, and an upcoming lecture on sustainable development to be given by Tim Flannery. MLSSA’s motto is "understanding, enjoying and caring for our oceans"⁵ which summarizes the motives of members "who seek to understand our oceans, derive enjoyment from observations of marine life and are committed to its protection"⁶. The aim of MLSSA is to "promote a better understanding of our marine environment"⁷ through fostering the study of marine life, promoting education and public awareness of marine conservation issues, and generally encouraging the conservation and protection of South Australia’s unique and beautiful marine environments. MLSSA is capable of fulfilling these objective as the members engage in various activities including comprehensive studies of local marine environments, field trips, scuba diving, snorkeling, underwater photography, the maintenance of marine aquariums, and conducting seminars for schools and community groups. MLSSA proudly boasts that their "knowledge and educational resource materials are available to all"⁸. MLSSA actively encourage new memberships not only for financial gain but to expand the movement and thus its sphere of influence. Individuals are encouraged to join if they dive or snorkel, are concerned about the marine environment, want to learn more about the subject, run or wish to set up temperate marine tanks, want to have a say in any proposed marine legislation, or if they simply want to meet people with similar interests. MLSSA has a clearly defined code of ethics which members are obliged to adhere too. The code’s 17 points are concerned with the appropriate collection, storage and disposal of marine specimens and the behavior of members stating that "members shall conduct themselves in a manner that will enhance the character and interests of the Society"⁹. The code strictly stipulates that "the emphasis of the Society should be on observation, education and research"¹⁰ not financial gain from the sales of marine specimens. The Leafy Seadragon is the logo of MLSSA which appeared officially for the first time on the cover of newsletter number 65 in October 1982. The Leafy Seadragon was chosen because it is unique to South Australian waters and the Society believes it represents not only some of the most abundant and diverse marine life in the world but also themselves, "we believe that the Leafy seadragon symbolizes our Societies involvement in the marine environment"¹¹. It is South Australia’s only totally protected fish whose "beauty surpasses any tropical water creature and once seen by a diver remains one of their most remembered experiences"¹².

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