Stop hammering hammerheads with gillnets

Hammerhead sharks are crucial to the health of our Great Barrier Reef, the jewel in Australia’s crown. Without sharks, food webs can become unstable and collapse. Each year, endangered scalloped hammerhead sharks are killed in their thousands throughout the Great Barrier Reef because of industrial-sized gillnets stretched out for up to 1.2km. Sign the online petition and tell the Queensland Government to remove industrial-sized gillnets from operating in the world-heritage listed Great Barrier Reef so that hammerhead sharks, and the Reef, have a fighting chance at survival.

The Honourable

Annastacia

Palaszczuk

Queensland government

Dear Premier,

I am shocked to learn that over 5000 endangered hammerhead sharks are being killed per year throughout the Great Barrier Reef in the east coast net fishery. 

The world-heritage listed Great Barrier Reef is under enormous pressure and the operation of industrial-sized gillnets measuring up to 1.2km in the Great Barrier Reef is inconsistent with efforts to protect the Reef.1

I am even more alarmed to learn that the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is not the sanctuary I thought it was or should be. More than half (1,967) of the 3,359 endangered scalloped hammerheads caught here are dumped, most likely dead or dying.1

This is a grave problem, because the Great Barrier Reef is very much a part of our national identity and sharks are crucial to the Reef’s health and resilience.

The problem extends beyond just sharks, even our iconic turtles, dolphins and dugongs are drowning at the expense of damaging gillnets. Each year an estimated average of 60 dolphins, 60 dugongs and 2,100 turtles die as a result of damaging gillnets throughout the Great Barrier Reef.2

The Great Barrier Reef is an Australian icon and globally recognised for its natural wonder. On behalf of the world, it is your responsibility to conserve this wonder and the animals which call it home.

I therefore ask the Palaszczuk Government to immediately remove the large gillnets from the Reef.

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