Turning the Tide Newsletter – Summer 2024
Huge Win: Killer Gillnets banned on the GBR
Commercial gillnets are indiscriminate killers and one of the biggest threats to dugongs on the Great Barrier Reef. These large fishing nets can be over 1km long and can entangle dugongs and other threatened species, which quickly drown.
But late last year the Queensland government announced their plans to phase out gillnets from our Reef.
This incredible outcome has seen the majority of licences removed and new Net-Free Zones created in the most critical habitats for dugongs. These vital safe havens not only protect the highest densities of dugongs, but also provide a welcome sanctuary for other threatened species like turtles, dolphins and sawfish.
Most importantly, our Reef will be entirely gillnet free in June 2027.
We couldn’t have done this without the support of ocean lovers like you. Thank you.