Promoting the Protection and Conservation of Queensland’s Inshore Flats and Coastal Fisheries
The Inshore Flats Project is a collective of industry professionals, fishing guides, lodge owners, filmmakers, scientists, fish biologists, writers, and passionate fly-fishing advocates united by a shared commitment to protecting Queensland’s inshore flats. We stand firmly opposed to the proposed new tunnel net fishery being trialled by Fisheries Queensland and the Department of Primary Industries along the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef coastline. Our mission is to defend these fragile coastal ecosystems and world-class fisheries. The initial focus is advocating against tunnel netting—now and into the future—so that our flats remain healthy, vibrant, and accessible for generations to come.
The Tunnel Net Threat
97% of the tunnel net trial catch was “by-product” and “by-catch” with lower value, or no value, as seafood. Starting a new tunnel net fishery for low value species like Permit (Snub nose Dart) & Trevally using 1.6 km long nets along our sensitive inshore flats makes no sense. No modern fishery should be managed this way, especially within a World Heritage Property.
Tunnel nets are huge (1.6 km long) inshore nets that are fixed in shallow, sensitive environments and indiscriminately trap everything moving across the flats — including iconic flats fishing species like golden trevally, giant trevally & permit, juvenile fish, non-target species, and key predators essential to healthy ecosystems. The only fish they don’t trap are any little fish that manage to pass through the small mesh gaps without injury. Among many problems, tunnel nets can disrupt natural food webs, remove breeding size fish, injure or kill juvenile fish, and damage the very habitat that supports Queensland’s world-class recreational fishery.
Allowing a new commercial tunnel net fishery in Central & North Queensland will seriously threaten our flats fish stocks in the areas where they are used. It will also seriously threaten the long-term ecological health of our inshore flats and coastal areas, tourism, and the high economic value of sustainable recreational fishing.
The time has come to draw a line in the sand and state the obvious: 1.6 km long nets have no place on QLD’s inshore flats, especially within the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, QLD’s sensitive Dugong Protection Areas and along the beaches and foreshores of local QLD communities. That’s why we are calling on the Queensland Government and the Federal Government to halt all current tunnel net trials and prevent any future approvals immediately — before irreversible damage is done to our inshore flats and coastal fisheries.
How You Can Support the Project
There are several meaningful ways visitors and supporters can get involved:
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Stay informed by following our updates and research releases
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Sign petitions or submit feedback during public consultation periods
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Share our message across your own social platforms
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Participate in citizen science programs that help monitor the flats
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Join the community through volunteering, events, or partnerships
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Support sustainable fishing practices and encourage others to do the same
Together, we can protect these remarkable ecosystems and ensure Queensland’s inshore flats remain a treasure for generations to come.