Date: Sun, 15 Jun, 1997
Qld: Ban on mesh netting to protect endangered dugongs

CAIRNS, Qld, June 15 AAP - The joint state-federal Great Barrier Reef ministerial council has agree to ban mesh netting by fishermen in parts of north Queensland to protect the region's endangered dugong population.

A two-day council meeting in Cairns this weekend, chaired by federal Environment Minister Senator Robert Hill, accepted that mesh netting was a significant cause of the decline in dugong numbers in the southern Great Barrier Reef.

Federal Tourism Minister John Moore and Queensland's Environment Minister Brian Littleproud and Tourism Minister Bruce Davidson also attended the meeting. The council agreed to apply speed limits on vessels in dugong areas of the Hinchinbrook area, to ban indigenous hunting of the sea mammals, to review penalties for the illegal catching of dugongs and to replace shark nets with floating drum-lines unless human safety was at risk.

The ministers will meet again in two months to finalise the boundaries of areas where mesh neting -- also known as gill netting -- will be banned.

Agreement was also reached to pay compensation to individual fishermen affected by the mesh netting ban, and to warn the Great Barrier Reef fishing industry to scale down investment in netting equipment and operations.



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