Illegal fishing vessels seized -Great Barrier Reef
Five commercial fishing vessels have been seized off Mackay and Gladstone as part a widespread investigation into illegal fishing in protected areas on the Great Barrier Reef.
'Great Barrier Reef -satellite image'
The investigations by compliance officers from Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) follow tip-offs from people in the industry about illegal poaching by some operators.
Mick Bishop from GBRMPA said five commercial fishing dories were detected operating in no-take Green Zones in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park around Mackay and Gladstone, and search warrants were issued and the vessels seized.
Mr Bishop said he believed most commercial operators were doing the right thing as they realised sustainable fishing was important to the future of their industry as well as the future of the marine resources.
"It's disappointing that some commercial operators are illegally fishing in Green Zones.
"It undermines the efforts of those commercial operators who are following the rules and it undermines the environmental benefits that these no-take zones will have for fishing in the future."
This type of illegal behaviour is at odds with where the commercial fishing industry is trying to head - the Queensland Seafood Industry recently launched its new Environmental Management System for their industry to provide an adaptive framework for continuous improvement of the seafood industry's environmental performance.
Research findings announced by scientists in Townsville last week showed a spectacular recovery in coral trout numbers in protected areas on the Great Barrier Reef.
Researchers found coral trout numbers rebounded by 31 to 75 per cent on a majority of reefs closed to fishing for as little as one and half to two years. There's been a 57 per cent improvement in closed reefs offshore of Mackay.
Research Director of the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Dr David Souter said the results were good news for both commercial and recreational fishers.
The research was conducted by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University and the Australian Institute of Marine Science and supported by the Australian Government's Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF).
Customs Coastwatch surveillance plays a major role in detecting commercial line fishers and the GBRMPA Day-to-Day Management team now have a team of staff totally dedicated to detecting and investigating these offences.
Illegal fishing can be reported to GBRMPA on (07) 4726 0510 (business hours) and (07) 3830 8246 (after hours).
by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 
Falcon, WA
