From Fisheries Queensland
Commercial fishers are sharing their knowledge on safe handling of aquatic animals to reduce injury to animals and fishers through an educational YouTube video series.
The series is now available online for you to view and provide feedback. To access the videos, visit www.youtube.com/fisheriesqld. Feedback can be submitted by clicking on the link provided in the About section on each of the videos’ YouTube page, which will take you to a short survey.
Fisheries Queensland officer Elise McKinna said the videos were produced by Fisheries Queensland with the help of commercial fishers.
“Commercial fishers occasionally interact with non-target aquatic animals that are potentially dangerous, especially if mishandled,” Ms McKinna said.
“Our commercial fishing industry has long been proactive in implementing best handling techniques, and will now be able to share these skills with new fishers.
“The video series shows ways of releasing animals so that their chance of survival is increased, and also reduces risk of injury to fishers from a wayward tail or bite.
“The animals featured include sharks, rays, sea turtles, freshwater turtles and sea snakes, which are species of conservation interest, so we need to reduce possible impact on them from human interaction.
“The videos are a useful, practical resource for commercial and recreational fishers, having been put together through real-life experiences and suggestions from commercial fishers.”
Ms McKinna said commercial fishers in Queensland have implemented a number of practices that have seen their interaction with these species significantly reduced over the years.
“Trawlers are now fitted with turtle exclusion devices to allow turtles and large animals such as sharks and rays easily escape nets,” she said.
“However, given they operate in a wild environment, there’s always the chance a fisher will encounter these sorts of animals, so knowing how to safely release them is crucial.”
The videos were produced through funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program.
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