Priorities Action Statement - Actions for Marine Slug (Smeagol hilaris)

Recovery Actions

Ensure that all relevant stakeholders, including local councils and government agencies take Smeagol hilaris into consideration during development impact assessment procedures required by the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and the Fisheries Management Act 1994 (High priority).

Compile existing information on Smeagol hilaris and identify knowledge gaps for the purpose of targeting future research activities (Medium priority).

Prepare and distribute advisory materials to improve awareness of the status of the Smeagol hilaris and ways to minimise impacts on the species (High priority).
Encourage community reporting of Smeagol hilaris through the NSW DPI Threatened and Pest Species Sightings Program online form (Medium priority).
Install signs and/or interpretive displays at appropriate locations to assist with identification and awareness of Smeagol hilaris (Low priority).

Maximise compliance activities at identified important sites (Low priority).

Consider existing knowledge of Smeagol hilaris in the development of marine parks and marine estate planning decisions (Medium priority).

Protect the few remaining sites that contain or with the potential to support the species (High priority).

Conduct research on the biology and ecology of Smeagol hilaris, particularly the species' ecological role, environmental tolerances, factors influencing population dynamics, age and growth, life cycle and diet (High priority).
Monitor Smeagol hilaris population over time to assess trends in abundance and distribution and to identify emerging threatening processes (High priority).
Undertake research to identify, prioritise and improve understanding of the threatening processes and causes of decline of Smeagol hilaris (Medium priority).
Actively seek grants or investor partnerships to fund research and monitoring programs for Smeagol hilaris (Low priority).

Develop an emergency response plan to guide the collection and captive husbandry of Smeagol hilaris. The plan should address the circumstances in which wild individuals may be collected, held and re-released, and identify holding facilities, potential funding sources and legal requirements (Medium priority).
Undertake emergency rescues of Smeagol hilaris in response to droughts, oil spills/ pollution, detection of biosecurity threats (e.g. disease or pests), or to avoid imminent impacts in accordance with the emergency response policy (Medium priority).
Identify potential candidate sites for possible future translocation of Smeagol hilaris (Low priority).

Conduct targeted surveys to determine the current distribution and abundance of Smeagol hilaris (Medium priority).
Survey similar habitats in close proximity to known geographical range (Medium priority).
Collect data on the presence/absence of Smeagol hilaris during incidental surveys (Low priority).