23 July 2024
Wildlife Queensland’s PlatypusWatch Community Officer, Neil Andison, continues to campaign for the ban of enclosed yabby traps (such as opera house nets) in Queensland.
Neil reported that ongoing dialogue with the Greens members of Parliament has been positive but noted a lack of communication from the major political parties.
A recent survey of bait and tackle shops, ranging from Gympie to Redcliffe and including online stores, found that many stock enclosed opera house traps with openings between 5 cm and 10 cm, mainly produced by Jarvis Walker. Additionally, round enclosed traps with similar dimensions and four funnel entries are also widespread. Efforts are now focused on addressing these concerns with the relevant retailers.
Engaging the next generation
Neil recently delivered an informative presentation to Year 4 and Year 9 students, receiving a warm reception. The Year 4 students, in particular, responded enthusiastically to pictures of the platypus and rakali.
Inspired by the presentation, Year 4 students have written letters to Ministers Leanne Linard and Mark Furner, advocating against enclosed yabby nets. Year 9 students are also preparing to send a similar number of letters.
Among the dedicated young advocates is ten-year-old Bowie Eastwood, one of 29 Year 4 students from Maleny State School. Bowie’s letter, praised for its thoughtful and articulate message, calls for a ban on opera house nets.
“…But sadly there is this one net called the Opera House Yabbi net which is catching yabbi’s, but at the moment it is catching more than just yabbi’s [sic]. It is catching platypus! The platypus swims up to the net and eats the yabbi’s [sic] but the platypus can only breathe underwater for 10 minutes at the most, so when they go into the nets they drown in the most horrible way….”
“…Did you know that we are the only state in Australia that hasn’t banned these awefull [sic] nets? Doesn’t that make you feel inbarressed [sic] that we are the reason that this species slowly disappearing?…”
Wildlife Queensland is thankful for the activism of these young students and views their efforts as a promising sign for the future of wildlife conservation.
What you can do
- Contact the Queensland Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Innovation, Hon Leanne Linard MP, and the Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities, Hon Mark Furner MP.
- Sign our NEW petition today to ban enclosed yabby traps (opera house nets) in Queensland.
- Report a platypus sighting
- Learn more about PlatypusWatch
- Subscribe to our eBulletin Talking Wildlife to learn more about your local wildlife, plus Wildlife Queensland’s latest news and offers.