Documents Regarding Portland Declaration Area And Southern Ocean Declaration Area.

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 10 Jul 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

The disclosure contains departmental advice on the proposed Southern Ocean Region Declaration Area for offshore renewable energy projects. The Migratory Species Section provided recommendations addressing 29 cetacean species within the area, including four threatened and migratory species: endangered pygmy blue whales and southern right whales, plus vulnerable sei and fin whales. The advice emphasizes Australia's obligations under the EPBC Act's Australian Whale Sanctuary and the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species. Key environmental considerations include Biologically Important Areas (BIAs) used by protected marine species and Indigenous cultural connections to cetaceans. The documents show internal departmental review of draft advice submitted to the National Zoological and Indigenous Director and Northern Pacific Regional Development team, with revisions incorporating earlier feedback before finalisation on 31 August 2023. Redactions prevent full assessment of specific recommendations and sensitivities.