Western Australia’s commercial fisheries are constantly changing to improve their environmental sustainability, which includes the use of a range of reduction devices to minimise the capture of non-target species – otherwise known as by catch.
In fisheries where there is interaction with threatened, endangered or protected species, individual fishers are required to adhere to strict conditions imposed under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. Fishers failing to abide by the required conditions face hefty fines and potentially the loss of their fishing licences.
Turtle Exclusion Devices (TED’s), escape gaps, Sea Lion Exclusion Devices (SLED’s) and weighted nets are just some of the methods used by fishers to reduce bycatch.
WAFIC plays a role in assisting fisheries to reduce their bycatch reduction in areas such as seeking funding to support research and development that can led to technology improvements, supporting industry trials of new bycatch reduction methods and working with industry to develop codes of practice.