Senator the Hon Murray Watt, Minister for the Environment and Water
The Hon Tony Perrett, Queensland Minister for Department of Primary Industries
- 786 non-compliant crab pots and illegal fishing gear removed from priority areas across the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
- The targeted operation took place from Port Douglas to Central Queensland
- Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol worked with Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers and partner agencies
- $250,000 Australian Government Reef Trust funding supported the clean-up
The Albanese and Crisafulli Governments are continuing to protect and conserve the Great Barrier Reef with on ground action to clean-up Queensland waters. Led by the Queensland Government, a recent clean-up targeted non-compliant, abandoned and derelict crab pots across priority areas of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area with funding support from the Australian Government's Reef Trust.
Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol officers worked with Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers and partner agencies to identify and remove crab pots that pose a risk to marine species, including turtles, dugongs, whales and dolphins (cetaceans) and target species.
The operation targeted high-risk locations from Port Douglas to Central Queensland, using patrol vessels and remotely piloted aircraft to identify non-compliant crab apparatus.
Between 2023 and 2026 Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP) has seized 2,892 crab apparatus from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
The 2026 clean-up was delivered under a collaborative agreement between the Australian Government's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries.
Quotes attributable to the Federal Minister for Environment and Water, Murray Watt:
"The Albanese Government is proud to partner with the Queensland Government and Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers on this initiative to protect and conserve our precious Reef.
"When fishing gear like crab pots are lost or abandoned, they can have a devastating impact on marine ecosystems.
"That's why we are funding important work like this is through our $3.9 billion investment to protect and support a resilient Great Barrier Reef."
Quotes attributable to the Queensland Minister for Primary Industries, Tony Perrett:
"Our Fisheries officers have worked alongside Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers and other partners to target areas where the risk of non-compliant crab pots is highest.
"It is important that all fishers understand their responsibilities, follow the rules and ensure their crab pots are properly marked, because ghost crab pots can have serious impacts on our marine life and the broader marine ecosystem.
"We all have a role to play in protecting our marine environment and making sure future generations can continue to enjoy fishing in Queensland."
