Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Low

Summary extract from Outlook Report 2009

• There is limited information about most dolphin populations; but two inshore dolphin species are known to be at risk.
• The endemic Australian snubfin dolphin and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin are at risk, especially from interactions with large mesh nets and increasing human use of their inshore habitat. There is limited information for any other dolphin species in the Great Barrier Reef.
• Bycatch in the commercial inshore net fishery includes a number of species of conservation concern that may be killed or injured in the nets, including Dolphins.
  

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Spatial distribution of Australian snubfin and humpback dolphins
  
• Population sizes, site fidelity and residence patterns of Australian snubfin and humpback dolphins in the Cleveland Bay area, Townsville 
• Australian humpback dolphin genetics
• Australian snubfin dolphin genetics
  
• Impact of commercial net fisheries on dugong, dolphin and turtle populations 
• Impacts of boat strike on cetaceans
  
• Strandings of cetaceans in Queensland and interactions with the Queensland shark control program

Existing policies and management actions

• Position Statement on Protected Species in the East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery [330KB]
  
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Operational Policy on Whale and Dolphin Conservation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park [450KB]
• Protected Species in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  
• Policy on managing activities that include the direct take of a Protected Species from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
  
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
• Fisheries: other management tools
• Fisheries: information systems 
• Implementation of WTO conditions and recommendations from the latest EPBC assessment: progress by fishery
• East coast fin fish fishery independent review
• Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014 
• Queensland fisheries policies and legislation
  
• Queensland Fisheries monitoring
  
• Queensland Management of Commercial Fisheries
  
• Queensland Management of Recreational Fisheries
  

Future management requirements

• Review of the Operational Policy on whale and dolphin conservation
• 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