TRAWLING - Otter Trawl
Otter trawling is where vessels drag nets behind using outrigger type poles to separate the nets. Generally on Queensland's east coast, otter trawlers pull two nets, but larger boats have the capacity to trawl more than two nets. Species targeted by east coast otter trawlers include prawns and scallops in the main, but other species including squid and bugs are also taken. Fish are not supposed to be trawled on the east coast of Queensland, but unfortunately are being legally trawled in the Gulf of Carpentaria under Commonwealth licenses.
The east coast trawl fishery has undergone significant reform over the past couple of decades, with the fleet being reduced progressively over that time. This has seen remaining operators enjoying a more financially viable industry.
However there are still unresolved issues with the east coast otter trawl fishery that are of great concern to recreational fishers and conservationists alike.
Trawling in shallow inshore waters in close proximity to the beach continues to occur along the coast and is a constant source of concern and frustration for local communities. Large volumes of dead bycatch regularly wash up on the beaches resulting in choruses of complaints, but no action to restrict the practice has been forthcoming. This inshore area is where large populations of juvenile fish live and often has vital habitat structure critical for many important fish and invertibrate species. A simple solution would seem to be to declare otter trawling off limits within a nominated distance of the coastline. Calls have been to make this distance 3 nautical miles, but even 1 nautical mile would make a huge positive difference to inshore fishing and habitat.
The other major source of concern with the east coast otter trawl fishery is the practice of trawling sensitive soft coral habitat. There are (or were) vast areas of soft coral habitat along the tropical east coast that create habitat key to many popular fish species, including fingermark, nannygai, grunter and Black jew in particular.
This type of habitat is often referred to by recreational fishers as "red fern country" because of the proliferation of large soft red-coloured fan type corals that typify this habitat. Powerful otter trawlers drag very heavy chains (called tickler chains) in front of the nets to stir up the bottom and frighten any prawns hiding there, into the following nets.
It should come as no surprise that these chains destroy everything in their path, and are akin to clear-felling a field for grazing by towing a chain between two large bulldozers. It's just that you can't see the resulting damage being done below the sea surface, so little has been done to restrict this practice unfortunately. Modern sonar sounders commonly used by recreational fishers are now revealing the extent of the devastation from indiscriminate otter trawling in sensitive soft coral reef areas along our coast.
A solution would be to review the Marine Park zoning to protect more of these types of habitat than is currently the case. But time is fast running out, because this type of habitat is thought to take many decades to regenerate after having been repeatedly trawled.
One of many otter trawlers working almost on 9 Mile Beach north of Yeppoon over the Easter break 2014