The $9 million, 6-year Fish-LIGHT research program is exploring if low-impact fishing gears can provide alternative methods to supply seafood when gillnets are phased out in Queensland’s east coast inshore fishery.
Solving a decades-old problem
Gillnets are a gear type that have been used by commercial fishers throughout Queensland’s inshore waters, including the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, to catch popular table fish, such as barramundi.
Gillnets work by targeting species based on where and how the gear is set, and the net specifications (i.e. size of the mesh).
In 2023, a UNESCO mission evaluating the list of endangered species in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area recommended that gillnets be removed from the area to protect the region’s iconic marine life.
Gillnets are being phased out by the Australian and Queensland governments to better protect threatened, endangered and protected (TEP) species, including turtles, dolphins, dugongs and sawfish.
Sustainable inshore fisheries
The Australian and Queensland governments are committing more than $160 million to phase out gillnet fishing in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area by mid-2027 and transition to more sustainable fishing practices.
Moving to more sustainable fishing practices is one of a range of actions to protect the Reef.
The phase-out is part of commercial fishing reforms led by the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to support sustainable fishing in Queensland and protect the universal value of the Great Barrier Reef.
Low-impact gears, technologies
Low-impact fishing gears enable fishers to return bycatch (unwanted fish and TEP species) to the water unharmed.
The low-impact gears being trialled by Fish-LIGHT include line fishing, fish traps, trap nets and tunnel nets.
They were chosen after a review of studies of gear performance and feedback from:
- commercial and recreational fishers
- seafood marketing experts
- federal and state government agencies
- universities
- conservationists
- economists
- Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol.
While the fishing gear types being trialled are used elsewhere in the world, scientific data is needed to determine if these gears will work effectively in Queensland’s eastern inshore fishery.
More information
Fish-LIGHT is led by the Department of Primary Industries, and co-funded by the:
- Queensland Government
- Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.
Contact
Last updated: 03 Feb 2026