The Great Barrier Reef
58
regional distribution of vulnerable biota in relation to
the distribution of trawl effort. The Seabed Project has
now completed this risk assessment, which will contribute to legislative requirements that all fishing in the
Marine Park be sustainable. Trawlers now use devices
to reduce the incidental catch in their nets of nontarget
marine life (bycatch). These devices are effective for
elasmobranchs and some fishes, which is beneficial as
the distributions of these groups have the greatest overlap with trawl effort. The risk assessments have indicated that the majority of vulnerable fauna have
distributions that overlap little with trawl effort. Combined with recent management that has reduced trawl
effort substantially, this means that these fauna are unlikely to be at significant ongoing risk. The marine park
zoning plan (Chapter 12) contributes to conserving
benthic biodiversity by protecting 20%–100% of the
populations of all species assessed, and the 2004 rezoning increased levels of protection by approximately
30%. These management actions provide greater assurance for the future of the diversity of habitats and biota
on the seabed in the GBR.
ADDITIONAL READING
Pitcher, C. R., Doherty, P., Arnold, P., Hooper, J., Gribble,
N., Bartlett, C., Browne, M., Campbell, N., Cannard,
T., Cappo, M., Carini, G., Chalmers, S., Cheers,
S., Chetwynd, D., Colefax, A., Coles, R., Cook,
S., Davie, P., De’ath, G., Devereux, D., Done, B.,
Donovan, T., Ehrke, B., Ellis, N., Ericson, G.,
Fellegara, I., Forcey, K., Furey, M., Gledhill, D.,
Good, N., Gordon, S., Haywood, M., Hendriks, P.,
Jacobsen, I., Johnson, J., Jones, M., Kinninmoth, S.,
Kistle, S., Last, P., Leite, A., Marks, S., McLeod, I.,
Oczkowicz, S., Rose, C., Seabright, D., Sheils, J.,
Sherlock, M., Skelton, P., Smith, D., Smith, G.,
Speare, P., Stowar, M., Strickland, C., Van der Geest,
C., Venables, W., Walsh, C., Wassenberg, T., Welna,
A., and Yearsley, G. (2007). Seabed Biodiversity
on the Continental Shelf of the Great Barrier Reef
World Heritage Area. CRC Reef Research Final
Report, AIMS/CSIRO/QM/QDPI, Brisbane.
Poiner, I. R., Glaister, J., Pitcher C. R., Burridge, C.,
Wassenberg, T., Gribble N., Hill, B., Blaber, S. J. M.,
Milton, D. A., Brewer D., and Ellis, N. (1998). The
environmental effects of prawn trawling in the far
northern section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park: 1991–1996. Final Report to GBRMPA and
FRDC, CSIRO Division of Marine Research, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane.
58
regional distribution of vulnerable biota in relation to
the distribution of trawl effort. The Seabed Project has
now completed this risk assessment, which will contribute to legislative requirements that all fishing in the
Marine Park be sustainable. Trawlers now use devices
to reduce the incidental catch in their nets of nontarget
marine life (bycatch). These devices are effective for
elasmobranchs and some fishes, which is beneficial as
the distributions of these groups have the greatest overlap with trawl effort. The risk assessments have indicated that the majority of vulnerable fauna have
distributions that overlap little with trawl effort. Combined with recent management that has reduced trawl
effort substantially, this means that these fauna are unlikely to be at significant ongoing risk. The marine park
zoning plan (Chapter 12) contributes to conserving
benthic biodiversity by protecting 20%–100% of the
populations of all species assessed, and the 2004 rezoning increased levels of protection by approximately
30%. These management actions provide greater assurance for the future of the diversity of habitats and biota
on the seabed in the GBR.
ADDITIONAL READING
Pitcher, C. R., Doherty, P., Arnold, P., Hooper, J., Gribble,
N., Bartlett, C., Browne, M., Campbell, N., Cannard,
T., Cappo, M., Carini, G., Chalmers, S., Cheers,
S., Chetwynd, D., Colefax, A., Coles, R., Cook,
S., Davie, P., De’ath, G., Devereux, D., Done, B.,
Donovan, T., Ehrke, B., Ellis, N., Ericson, G.,
Fellegara, I., Forcey, K., Furey, M., Gledhill, D.,
Good, N., Gordon, S., Haywood, M., Hendriks, P.,
Jacobsen, I., Johnson, J., Jones, M., Kinninmoth, S.,
Kistle, S., Last, P., Leite, A., Marks, S., McLeod, I.,
Oczkowicz, S., Rose, C., Seabright, D., Sheils, J.,
Sherlock, M., Skelton, P., Smith, D., Smith, G.,
Speare, P., Stowar, M., Strickland, C., Van der Geest,
C., Venables, W., Walsh, C., Wassenberg, T., Welna,
A., and Yearsley, G. (2007). Seabed Biodiversity
on the Continental Shelf of the Great Barrier Reef
World Heritage Area. CRC Reef Research Final
Report, AIMS/CSIRO/QM/QDPI, Brisbane.
Poiner, I. R., Glaister, J., Pitcher C. R., Burridge, C.,
Wassenberg, T., Gribble N., Hill, B., Blaber, S. J. M.,
Milton, D. A., Brewer D., and Ellis, N. (1998). The
environmental effects of prawn trawling in the far
northern section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine
Park: 1991–1996. Final Report to GBRMPA and
FRDC, CSIRO Division of Marine Research, Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Brisbane.