Dolphins and dugongs get boost from net ban
Plans to phase out the use of gillnets around Australia's Great Barrier Reef by 2027 is providing better protection for threatened species like dugongs, turtles, dolphins and sawfish.
Gillnets are large fishing nets that can trap unintended species, and their removal will help create safe havens for the declining dugong population, also known as sea cows, and help preserve their vital habitats. The Government of Queensland says it will compensate fishers and offer retraining packages for alternative employment. It will also purchase fishers' gillnets to prevent illegal use or dumping, and mandate independent monitoring of remaining fishers.
"With destructive gillnets removed from these key areas, our precious marine life will no longer have to run a gauntlet of gillnets, and in June 2027 they will be given a full reprieve when gillnets are completely removed from Reef waters."
Researchers from James Cook University's TropWater centre recently found the southern dugong population, from Hinchinbrook to Bundaberg, has been declining at 2.3% a year for nearly 20 years, with estimates of just 2,100 individuals left and very few calves being sighted.
Simon Miller, Great Barrier Reef fisheries campaign manager for the Australian Marine Conservation Society, said, “This move will give dugongs vital safe havens from gillnets, especially for the declining dugong population on the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef. Dugong protection areas are located in the most important habitats for dugongs, but they also provide protection to iconic threatened species like turtles, dolphins and sawfish.
Dugongs are related to manatees and are similar in appearance and behaviour. Both are related to the elephant. Dugongs are now legally protected, but their populations are still in a tenuous state.
“The gillnet fishery has had a devastating impact on our Reef’s iconic species; the Queensland Government should be commended for this world-leading reform," added Miller.
“We also welcome the Queensland Government mandating independent monitoring of the remaining fishers, before the nets are phased out in 2027. Cameras on boats will give us an accurate picture of what is being caught, to ensure that action can be taken if the fishery continues to have an unacceptable impact on the Great Barrier Reef and its protected species.”
Recreational fishers and local communities support the phase-out, as it will enhance tourism and improve fish stocks.