Remove Gill Net to Save Dugongs in Princess Charlotte Bay
Princess Charlotte Bay's marine life faces a significant threat from gill nets, which can entangle and drown animals like dugongs. A 600-metre-long net stretches across crucial dugong feeding grounds. Removing this net could create an immediate 385-square-kilometre protected zone.
Gill nets pose a severe risk to marine animals, especially dugongs. These gentle giants, already endangered, can get entangled and drown in the nets while feeding. A 600-metre-long net currently spans vital dugong feeding grounds in Princess Charlotte Bay.
Removing this net would provide an instant safe haven of 385 square kilometres for dugongs, dolphins, and sawfish. It would also strengthen calls for a ban on commercial gill net fishing from north of Cooktown to Torres Strait. This would result in an 85,000-square-kilometre net-free refuge. However, the current license holder for commercial gill-net fishing in the area remains unidentified, and no specific details about acquiring or removing this license are available.
The removal of the last commercial gill net in Princess Charlotte Bay could swiftly establish a substantial protected zone for marine life. It would also bolster efforts to create an 85,000-square-kilometre net-free refuge from north of Cooktown to Torres Strait. Despite the unidentified license holder, advocating for the net's removal remains crucial for the survival of dugongs and other marine animals in the region.
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