Thursday 14 March, 2019
Marine areas in Rockhampton, Mackay and Cairns where large net fishing has been removed are proving to be a magnet for recreational fishers and for bigger fish, showing the Palaszczuk Government’s policy to remove the nets is working, the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) says.
The Queensland Government’s just-released report – “Performance of Queensland’s Net-Free Zones” – is showing positive early results for the net-free zones, introduced in late 2015 with the support of AMCS and supporters.
Dr. Leonardo Guida, Senior Shark Campaigner at AMCS, said while it was still early days for the policy, the results so far showed the clear positive knock-on effects for the community of keeping the ocean environment healthy.
Earlier this year the Queensland Government released a proposal to change the way fisheries operate, but Dr Guida said it was disappointing that removing gillnets from high conservation value areas within the Great Barrier Reef and the Great Sandy Strait were not included.
Dr Guida said gillnets were a clear risk to endangered and protected wildlife and the less there were in the Queensland’s waters, the better.
Dr Guida said: “The results from Rockhampton, Mackay and Cairns net-free zones are really promising. Recreational fishers know where to go to catch big fish – they look for healthy environments. The fact they are turning up in these places where nets have been removed shows the clear value in adding more zones that are net-free.
“Queensland has a great opportunity right now to vastly improve its unique marine environment. Removal of damaging gillnets in key areas will not only protect turtles, dolphins, and dugongs, but also help arrest the alarming decline in large shark species which are critical to the overall health of our oceans”
Gillnets can be more than a kilometre long and are hung in the water column – virtually invisible to most marine life.
“Gillnets are an indiscriminate method of fishing, ensnaring and drowning iconic species such as turtles, dolphins and dugongs,” said Dr Guida.
“It’s only been three years since the creation of the net-free zones and already we’re seeing how prioritising the environment has flow on effects for community well-being and local economies.”
AMCS supports Queensland’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy and continues to push progress towards achieving its goals. AMCS encourages the Queensland Government to remove damaging gill-nets from areas critical to the survival of many threatened and endangered species.
