Management Concern: Low    

Adequacy of Information: Low

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• The continental slope is little studied but believed to be essentially undisturbed and hence likely to be in good condition.
  
• Trawling has the potential to cause habitat damage if not appropriately managed. Since the rezoning of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in 2004, trawling is allowed in 34 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef Region; however, it takes places in only about 6 per cent of this area each year.
  
• Almost all Great Barrier Reef species will be affected by climate change.

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online:

• New evidence for drowned shelf edge reefs in the Great Barrier Reef
  
• Drowned shelf edge reefs
• Seabed invertebrate biodiversity
• Protection of seabed species and habitats
• Recovery of seabed biota after trawling
• Summary of the vulnerability of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change
• Climate change: trends on the Great Barrier Reef
• Vulnerability of benthic invertebrates of the Great Barrier Reef to climate change
• Australian Institute of Marine Science - surveys of sessile benthic communities
  
• Fishing catch from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park 
• East coast fin fish fishery independent review
  

Existing policies and management actions

• Marine Park legislation and regulations
  
• Permit conditions for specific activities
  
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
• Fisheries: other management tools
• Fisheries: information systems 
• Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014 
• Queensland Fisheries policies and legislation
  
• Queensland Fisheries monitoring 
• Queensland Management of Commercial Fisheries
  
• Queensland Management of Recreational Fisheries 
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012

Future management requirements

• Biodiversity strategy

Defined research questions

• There are currently no defined research questions for this topic. Research questions will be developed, giving priority to interactions/issues that are of most concern to management.

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring