Woolworths and Coles can Save the Skate!
WHY THIS CAMPAIGN
PROBLEM
Woolworths and Coles: Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX:WOW) and Coles Group Ltd (ASX:COL) are the two biggest supermarket retailers in Australia.1 What they buy-and-sell shapes Australia, including the fate of the endangered Maugean Skate.
Macquarie Harbour: Macquarie Harbour is located on the west coast of Tasmania. These waters are the last home to the rare and unique Maugean Skate.2
Maugean Skate: The Maugean Skate is an animal as old as the dinosaurs. Only scientifically discovered in 1988, the skate has been pushed to the brink of extinction by industrial salmon farming in the harbour3. New research indicates that there are only 40-120 adult Maugean skate left in the wild7.
Salmon Farms: The salmon farming industry has been rapidly expanding over the last decade. Salmon farms are a "catastrophic" threat to the Skate as they make the Skate's home unlivable by driving down oxygen levels in the harbour.4
OPPORTUNITY
Stop Buying from Macquarie Harbour: Woolworths and Coles are the Tasmanian salmon industry’s most important customers. To save the skate, they must stop procuring farmed salmon and ocean trout from Macquarie Harbour farms.5
Beyond Certifications: The “responsibly sourced” certifications for salmon from Macquarie Harbour are subject to multiple complaints.6 Woolworths and Coles can look beyond these certifications to ensure their products don’t contribute to extinction.
Save the Skate: The campaign to Save the Skate has been a long term collaborative campaign. SIX is excited to join the push. See who we’re collaborating with below.
Activist Investing: SIX is Australia’s first share trading platform, bringing activist investors together to change companies for the better.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Don’t Own Shares in Woolworths and Coles?
You can create a SIX trading account and use the SIX platform to purchase shares in Woolworths and/or Coles.
You can also use your existing share trading platform to buy these shares and sign SIX's agency agreement.
Already Own Shares in Woolworths and Coles?
Sign SIX's agency agreement ensuring you will be on the list of shareholders supporting SIX's resolutions with Woolworths and Coles.
Join the campaign!
Open a SIX account to buy and pledge shares to this campaign.
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References
[1] Statista, Market share of grocery retailers in Australia in financial year 2023, December 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/994601/grocery-retailer-market-share-australia/
[2] Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Macquarie Harbour last refuge for Maugean Skate, DNA survey finds, September 2022, https://www.imas.utas.edu.au/news/news-items/macquarie-harbour-last-refuge-for-maugean-skate,-dna-survey-finds
[3] Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment, and Water, Conservation Advice for Zearaja maugeana (Maugean skate), September 2023, http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/83504-conservation-advice-06092023.pdf
[4] Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Interim report - Macquarie Harbour Maugean skate population status and monitoring, May 2023, https://imas.utas.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1655611/Maugean-skate-2021-interim-report-FINAL.pdf
[5] Save the Skate, Tasmanian salmon has an extinction problem, https://savetheskate.com/
[6] The Gaurdian, Coles, Woolworths and Aldi ‘responsibly sourced’ salmon labels may be misleading, watchdog told, December 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/05/coles-woolworths-aldi-responsibly-sourced-salmon-labels-misleading-watchdog-told
[7] The Guardian, Salmon industry in key Tasmanian location should be cut to save Maugean skate, scientists advise government, August 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/aug/15/tasmania-salmon-industry-macquarie-harbour-maugean-skate
