Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

The increase in reports of interactions with turtles in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery is mainly due to better reporting through the introduction of e-monitoring in 2015, including through onboard cameras, resulting in more accurate reporting of interactions. The government's policies aim to mitigate interactions with turtles, noting that most turtles caught in the ETBF are released alive. The government's policies impose strict management requirements in the ETBF that ensure increased survivability of hooked turtles. Under the previous trigger limits, if the trigger limit was reached the Australian Fisheries Management Authority was required to implement the measures that are now in force. The government therefore does not agree with the need to reintroduce trigger limits.