With bird flu well and truly affecting Tasmanian species, the Greens are calling on the government to prevent further bird deaths from other threats by bringing forward the planned ban on recreational gillnetting.
Gillnetting is a fishing technique which has been criticised for its indiscriminate mortalities, especially on seabirds and marine mammals. It’s why most other states and territories have restricted recreational gillnetting.
The Tasmanian Government has acknowledged the impacts of gillnetting on seabirds and committed to phasing out the practise by 2030. The phase out will see recreational gillnetting restricted to a notifiable escape event of salmon from 1 November 2027.
With deaths from bird flu continuing across Tasmania, we need to do everything we can to protect bird habitat and increase species’ chances of survival. Bringing forward the recreational gillnetting ban is an easy step the government can take.
The government is consulting on restricting gillnetting in the vicinity of Little Penguin colonies that meet certain criteria, such as contributing to tourism, but this doesn’t go far enough. It doesn’t protect all penguin colonies, other seabirds or marine mammals that are at risk.
With Tasmanian’s iconic and precious species at risk from bird flu, bringing forward their own policy commitment to phase out gillnetting is a simple step the government can take to prevent further bird deaths and give species the best chance of survival.
