Wildlife Queensland is running a campaign to ban opera house traps in all Queensland public waters.
Opera house traps and other enclosed yabby traps kill platypuses, turtles, Australian water rats and water birds. While legal in Queensland, these traps are banned in all public waters in Tasmania, Victoria, ACT and east of the Newell Highway in New South Wales.
The Queensland recreational fishing regulations state that opera house traps and other enclosed yabby traps such as funnel traps and round traps must have no more than 4 entrances, with each entrance hole measuring no more than 10cm in any dimension. Scientific and anecdotal evidence shows that a number of wildlife species including turtles, platypuses and water rats can pass through an entrance hole of these dimensions.
Wildlife Queensland suggests that if the Government decides against banning these fishing devices; as a minimum amend the regulations to reduce the dimensions of entrance holes from 10cm to 5cm. While such actions will not guarantee protection of all wildlife it would certainly restrict the impacts on platypuses and breeding turtles.
How you can help
- Click here to send an email to the Premier asking her to ban opera house traps
- When yabbying, use wildlife friendlier alternatives such as dilly nets or baited lines with no hooks
- Report dead wildlife found in yabby traps to Wildlife Queensland.
For more information
For more information on Wildlife Queensland's activities, call us on +61 7 3221 0194 or send us an email. |
