Bruce Mckean Daily Mercury 29 Jul 10;
ANGLERS, conservationists and marine experts have been shocked by the deaths of five dugongs in fishing nets in north Queensland during the past two weeks.
The bodies of four dead dugong were found at Bowling Green Bay last Thursday by a recreational fisher.
It is believed the marine animals had died in a net and that an attempt was made to sink them, using ropes and makeshift anchors, in a bid to avoid discovery.
The incident has sparked increased patrols by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, who are concerned about illegal netting.
James Cook University Professor of Environmental Science Helene Marsh, an international authority on dugongs, called the deaths a “disaster”.
She said the importance of the reef as a dugong feeding ground was one of the reasons it was given a world heritage listing.
The fifth death occurred at Mission Beach and photographs shown to the Daily Mercury clearly identify netting marks on the dugong’s body.
Dugongs are a protected species.
