The 2020 Northern Prawn Fishery tiger prawn season has begun, according to the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).
The tiger prawn season started on 1 August, an important “step forward for the sustainability of the NPF,” AFMA said.
The AFMA said it is implementing four new industry-developed Bycatch Reduction Devices (BRDs): Kon’s Covered Fisheye, FishEX 70, Popeye Fishbox, and Tom’s Fisheye BRDs.
The BRDs are aimed to limit the accidental capture of marine animals other than the target species, helping to reduce the fishery’s environmental impacts.
The four new devices replaced the previous BRDs. At the same time, the AFMA made it compulsory for vessels to use one of these four BRDs in each fishing net for the duration of the tiger prawn season.
“This follows extensive industry-led trials carried out in recent years to improve the effectiveness of bycatch reduction in the fishery,” AFMA said in a release.
The four devices, it said, reduced bycatch by 37 to 44 percent compared to the most common BRD used in the fishery in the past. The new devices were instrumental to NPF’s status as one of only a few prawn fisheries around the world to be certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, according to AFMA.
AFMA said prawns are usually caught using bottom-trawl nets, which can catch unwanted species of fish and also damage seagrass beds.
“AFMA aims to minimize the effects that fishing for prawns has on the environment by assessing the risks and developing management responses. We work with the Department of the Environment to ensure that our fisheries meet strict environmental guidelines,” the organization said.
To reduce bycatch, AFMA puts in management responses such as gear restrictions and modifications, as well as area closures.
According to Australia ’s fisheries and aquaculture outlook for 2020, COVID-19 in China is expected to negatively affect international demand for prawns and result in global prices falling in 2019 and 2020.
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