ASTACOPSIS GOULDI
Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster
Why We Need to Save the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster!
Why is The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster Worth Saving?
The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster (Astacopsis gouldi) has received international recognition for its uniqueness and size. The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster is the world’s largest freshwater invertebrate. Tasmania has been a separated island for 10,000 years and because of this many species are endemic to Tasmania, including the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster which is a unique and special creature because of its size and habitat. This creature is threatened by pollution of waterways, loss of stream vegetation, habitat destruction and recreational fishing. The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster is part of Tasmania’s natural heritage and is worth saving.
Most people only know lobsters as food on their plate; however, in order to prevent lobster species, such as the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster, from going extinct the ethos of lobsters must change from eating to preserving. The Lobster holds socioeconomic value because we fish and eat them. Of course, if we brought the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster to extinction it would remove them from the Tasmanian diet completely. Realistically, the best option would be to bring the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster population back up to healthy numbers and then set restrictions on the lobster size, season and number of lobsters caught. Lobsters are heavily fished worldwide but without them many ecosystems and ecological communities will suffer; along with the lobster market. There is no denying that the lobster industry is successful, but in order to continue being successful we must shift our perception of lobsters to preservation. Since the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster is endemic to Tasmania there will be none remaining in the wild if it is overfished to extinction! Save the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster Today!
Environmental Perspective
Socioeconomic Perspective
Benefits of Protecting Threatened Species
1. The Web of Life. Everything is connected! All species are fundamental parts of systems that provide the basics of life, including the oxygen we breathe, the water we drink, generation and maintenance of topsoil and pollination of crops (Threatened Species Strategy for Tasmania, 2003). The accelerated loss of species indicates fundamental problems with our life support systems, in order to slow down and prevent this process we need to maintain the ability of our life support systems and respond to change.
The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster was overfished for many years and is suffering from habitat destruction. Overfishing contributes heavily to the loss of the Tasmanian Lobster. Without them in their ecosystem there would be an excess of detritus and other decaying matter which would potentially impact the water quality and other water-going animals. Habitat destruction and climate change impact the wellbeing of the Tasmanian Lobster as well. To no surprise, there are a number of other threatened species that occur in Tasmanian Lobster habitats, including hydrobiid snails and four species of burrowing crayfish(Hobart, 2006). Riparian and in-stream ecosystems are linked and therefore the protection of riparian zones will benefit riparian and in-stream fauna. Freshwater ecosystems are home to more than 100,000 known species of plants and animals, and are now one of the most endangered habitats in the world as a result of human development, pollution, and climate change (World Wildlife Fund, 2015). It is extremely important to protect and conserve our freshwater ecosystems because they support many valuable species.
2. Intrinsic values. The intrinsic right of threatened species to exist and their aesthetic and symbolic values are respected by many Tasmanians who wish to preserve the unique plants, animals and ecosystems that inhabit Tasmania (Threatened Species Strategy for Tasmania, 2003).
Not only does the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster have the right to exist but it is endemic to Tasmania and because of this there should be a larger conservation concern for them.
3. Economy. The economic benefits of native species and threatened species are increasingly being recognized because of the risk of species loss due to extinction. Native species are an essential resource for developing biological control of pests and diseases and provide a tourist attraction.
Economically speaking, lobsters are a source of food and jobs. For the period 1996/97 to 1998/99 the total production of freshwater crayfish has averaged 421 tons with an average value of $4.968 million (Piper, 2000). These numbers represent proceeds from all of the freshwater lobster/crayfish fishing in Australia and Tasmania. Clearly, lobster and crayfish fishing provides a substantial amount of money. It can also be assumed that the industry provides a large amount of jobs. The lobsters and crayfish of Australia are important environmentally but also economically and should be protected and fished sustainably. Since the Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster remains on illegal to fish it is likely that the income they once provided has dropped substantially. The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster are an example of what happens when a species is overfished. Now, the Tasmanian Lobster can not be fished, consumed, or provide jobs, therefore it shows that when a species become endangered it doesn’t only impact the environment but the economy as well.
4. Genetic diversity. Advances in biotechnology depend heavily on genetic diversity, for example, the development of crop species resistant to disease. Any loss of genetic diversity in species may contribute to an inability to evolve in changing environmental conditions, for example caused by climate change or disease outbreaks (Threatened Species Strategy for Tasmania, 2003).
The Giant Freshwater Lobster has inherently low genetic diversity. Low genetic diversity can lead to reduced evolutionary potential, compromised reproductive fitness and elevated extinction risk (Sinclair, 2010). The Tasmanian Lobster is at severe risk because of its low levels of genetic diversity.
5. International and national reputation and cooperation. Tasmania benefits from meeting international and national responsibilities. The result is a respect of the environmental credentials, greater cooperation from other States and the ability to sell Tasmania as “clean and green” (Threatened Species Strategy for Tasmania, 2003).
The Tasmanian Wilderness is one of the largest conservation reserves in Australia; approximately 1.6 million hectares. This wilderness is one of the largest temperate wilderness areas remaining in the Southern Hemisphere (Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster (Astacopsis gouldi), 2015). Tasmania has a responsibility to conserve and protect this land along with all the species that inhabit it.
Why The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster Is So Important
Fishing for the Freshwater Lobster has caused its numbers to decrease greatly over the years. Why the lobster is critically endangered is because of humans creating habitat disturbance. Destroying the lobsters habitat starts a downward spiral of other parts of their ecosystem that then become out of place such as riparian vegetation, nitrification, and siltation (Department of the Environment, 2015). Having these constant disturbances has led to an increase in runoff of sedimentation, which then creates turbidity in the water. Turbidity increases the water’s temperature and becomes warmer because the water becomes cloudy with dirt. This is crucial for the life of the lobsters because the lobster specifically needs cool and clean water in order to survive (Tasmanian Temperate Rainforests, 2012).
Little things that humans do can disrupt the chances for the lobster’s survival. One example of disruption is pulling logs out of rivers which can result in being a huge threat because rotting logs is the Tasmanian lobsters main food source. Clearing rivers and river banks also negatively affects their habitat because clearing the water causes an increase of siltation and pollution in the water which then leads to an increase in the river's velocity. (Department of the Environment, 2015)
The Freshwater lobster is ecologically very important and will help with overall biodiversity conservation if it ever becomes restored!
The Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster is the largest freshwater lobster in the world and needs to be saved! The freshwater lobster is a detritivore, which means they keep nutrients moving in their food webs. They eat detritus, which consists of dead leaves, body parts and feces (Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster, 2015). They are basically nature’s recyclers and if these decomposers did not do their job and were not there then the producers would not be able to be able to get nutrients they need and would die. If they were not there then the food chain would become very unbalanced and the whole ecosystem would become deranged. We need the lobster in freshwater streams because it plays a very important role in its ecosystem.
What Would Happen If It Became Extinct
The extinction of the Tasmanian Lobster will cause a downward spiral in freshwater streams and will directly affect the health and survival of the species that also live in that ecosystem. Not having the lobster will disrupt the balance of the ecosystem for other animal species that need clear waters in these habitats to survive. The lobster benefits other native fauna in its ecosystem because it produces and recycles nutrients since it’s a detritivore. The overfishing, climate change and habitat disturbance that the lobster is experiencing is leading to the gradual decline in this species numbers. The habitats they live in are being destroyed and torn down by toxic chemical inputs and bank erosion (Department of the Environment, 2015). Too many of the lobsters are being fished out for them to have time to repopulate . These poor invertebrates take a long time to reproduce and we are just taking away all of their opportunities to maintain survival. (Parks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania, 2011)
Why We are the Ones to Blame
Being a detritivore means that they are very important consumers in their food chain. If the necessary numbers of lobsters are not present to perform their specific job anymore in their ecosystem then the dead leaves and decaying material will build up in their habitat. Decaying materials will cause stagnation, and toxins will build up in the water. The chemistry of the water could then change making it more acidic and cause turbidity. It can affect the amount of oxygen, the health of aquatic plant life and the balance of microorganisms in the water.
