Not playschool, it is the Northern Prawn Fishery!
The Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) banana prawn season opens today and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) is reminding all operators to ensure that their turtle excluder devices (TEDs) comply with regulations.
TEDs allow any turtles that may swim into fishing nets to safely escape without losing the target catch of prawns.
As part of the pre-season briefings held in Cairns, Karumba and Darwin, fisheries officers inspected 31 vessels nominated to fish within the NPF and were pleased with the high level of compliance with TED regulations.
AFMA would like to thank those who participated in the briefings. They were well attended and presented a great opportunity for industry members and fisheries officers to work together to ensure that regulations were understood.
AFMA officer inspecting a Turtle Excluder Device
Fishing operators need to ensure that:
- TEDs are fitted to each net when fishing in depths less than 200 metres
- TEDs are fitted in the nets at a suitable angle, between 30 to 55 degrees. A suitable angle between 30 and 55 degrees provides the optimum balance between turtle exclusion and prawn retention.
- The flaps covering the escape opening of a TED are able to open properly to allow turtles (and other large fish species, such as Sharks and Rays) to escape the net unharmed
- TEDs contain appropriate floatation on the outside of the net (for TEDs with an escape opening at the bottom aka “bottom shooters”). Floatation on the outside ensures that the escape opening is not blocked which would stop turtles from escaping quickly.
Specifications for TEDs and bycatch reduction devices are detailed in NPF Direction 150. Further information regarding TEDs and other regulations associated with the NPF are available in the Northern Prawn Fishery Directions and Closures 2016 booklet which can be found on the AFMA website.