Queensland fishers seek MSC certification to overturn gillnet ban in Great Barrier Reef

Commercial fishers in North Queensland are hoping a new report will convince the state and federal governments to reverse a planned ban on gillnets within the Great Barrier Reef.

Operators in the fishing zone have commissioned a report they say shows their netting practices are likely to pass international sustainability standards.

Temporary licences were introduced in 2024 to allow commercial fishers to continue using gillnets ahead of the planned phase-out in 2027.

The Queensland Seafood Industry Association, working with the operators, would not release the full report to the ABC, saying it was "commercial in confidence".

It did, however, release a summary of findings, which the ABC verified as being accurate by the report's authors, sustainable seafood consultants FishListic.

Fisher Nathan Rynn said the association hoped to use the report to obtain a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) "blue tick" on their boats and products to show the fishery was sustainable.

"I'm sort of positive about the net fishery moving forward, albeit the legislation issues," Mr Rynn said.

"I think we can overcome that and have the best-managed fishery on the planet … but we'll actually have the accreditation behind it, possibly."

Reef impact under review

According to the released section of the report, FishListic said it found the fishery would meet half of the MSC's standards without any conditions imposed and could pass others after further consultation.

The company reviewed the ecological risk of four threatened species that had interactions with the large mesh nets.

Great hammerhead sharks, scalloped hammerhead sharks, green sawfish and hawksbill turtles all returned a medium risk of being impacted by the nets, down from high risk under the current Queensland government assessment.

Several dolphin, marine turtle, and shark species listed as high risk under the 2021 study were not analysed in the FishListic report.

The company did not conduct site inspections but used public data, along with camera footage and data logs provided by fishers, to assess the MSC criteria.

Blue tick for consumers

The Queensland Seafood Industry Association's David Bobberman said the east coast inshore fishery produced between 200 and 300 tonnes of seafood annually.

Mr Bobberman said consultation and further research projects would likely be required before the fishery could receive a blue tick and "certified sustainable seafood" labelling.

"To be clear, it's not MSC-certified at the moment, but it's been pre-assessed, and the pre-assessor has given them a pass mark," he said.

The MSC uses third-party auditors to conduct in-person reviews of fishing practices against international standards, following a pre-assessment.

Criteria include the sustainability of fish stocks, protection of marine species and habitat, and management strategy.

Mr Bobberman said the fishery impact had been greatly reduced since 2024 with fewer operators, and gillnetters now trained under a sustainable fishing program.

"We've gone from over 200 available licences to gillnet within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to 25," he said.

Mr Bobberman said he did not consider any alternative gear as viable replacements, with line fishing too limited, and tunnel nets "too selective" in when and where they could be used.

Minister investigating options

The office of Queensland Minister for Primary Industries Tony Perrett said in a statement it would "welcome" the opportunity to conduct a "robust review" of the report, but it was waiting to receive the full document.

It said Mr Perrett was investigating options available to Queensland that would comply with federal government bans.

However, the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said the phase-out of gillnets was being led by the Queensland government.

Fishers 'making a real effort'

Leslie Roberson, a researcher at the University of Queensland, said governments should be taking notice of MSC certifications.

"I think it does mean something to consumers. To the government, I think it should mean something," Dr Roberson said.

"[So,] they've taken steps to get that reviewed [by MSC auditors]. They are making a real effort."

Dr Roberson said gillnetting had a bad reputation partly stemming from a lack of data.

She said information about protected species interactions was previously filled out by fishers without a "third party" to check them.

East coast inshore fishery operators have been required to use onboard cameras and log interactions with threatened species since February 2024.

Queensland government data shows 188 fatal interactions with endangered scalloped hammerhead sharks and seven narrow sawfish deaths in that time.

No other threatened species deaths were reported.