PUBLIC backlash over the threat to sea turtles through the use of two styles of crab netting in Port Stephens has propelled the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) into action.
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After lobbying from Eco Network and John "Stinker" Clarke, Port Stephens Council agreed at its last meeting to write to Minister for Primary Industry Katrina Hodgkinson and Environment Minister Rob Stokes seeking an immediate ban on the witches hat and wide-mouthed traps.
The DPI announced last Thursday it would undertake a trial in the Port to reduce the incidence of turtles drowning by having certain traps modified.
DPI acting director Cameron Westaway said monitoring data in Port Stephens since 2011 had shown a relatively high incidence of turtle drownings in recreational crab gear compared with other areas.
"Recent changes to recreational fishing rules - including reducing the number of witches hats from five to four and increasing the number of crab traps from one to two - is expected to have some impact in reducing interaction between turtles (and other non-target species) and set crab gear," Mr Westaway said.
"However, given the significantly higher reported drowning rate of turtles in Port Stephens, additional management action is necessary. We are proposing to implement a trial requiring witches hats to be modified to operate as lift nets. Rather than acting as inverted entanglement nets, the modified nets will be required to lie flat on the seabed, significantly reducing the interaction potential with non-target species," he said.
The trial would also require fishers to reduce the entrance size of collapsible rectangular crab traps, which will still enable crabs to enter the trap but restrict entry of non-target species such as turtles.
A consultation paper is available on the DPI website at dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/recreational.
