Call to safeguard dugongs in Australia

Greg Roberts, The Australian 26 Apr 08;

ABORIGINAL leaders are calling for controls on indigenous hunting in response to mounting scientific evidence that the targeting of dugongs and turtles is not sustainable.

A new study suggests that dugongs in the Torres Strait and northern Great Barrier Reef are under threat because of hunting. Previous reports indicated that populations of green turtles in the same region had also been been sharply reduced.

The debate over indigenous hunting has been ignited by a move by Japan to accuse Canberra of hypocrisy for leading the charge against its whaling while condoning the harvesting of dugongs.

Modelling for a new study commissioned by the federal Environment Department's Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility was based on surveys of dugong populations over the past 20 years. The modelling concludes that the killing of more than 100 to 200 dugongs a year in the Torres Strait is not sustainable.

Previous surveys indicated between 1000 and 1200 dugongs were killed in the Torres Strait every year.

The new study estimates the dugong population in the Torres Strait and the northern Great Barrier Reef at 23,500 - about a quarter of the world population of the endangered sea mammal.

James Cook University dugong expert Helene Marsh, one of the study's authors, said scientific evidence suggested too many dugongs were being taken. "I consider that there is time to work with indigenous communities throughout northern Australia to develop community-based management of their dugong and turtle harvests," she said.