Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Moderate

Summary extract from Outlook Report 2009

• Numbers of dugongs have declined drastically along the 'urban coast' but may now be stabilising. The remote coast population does not appear to have changed.
  
• Historically populations have declined as a result of commercial hunting and incidental bycatch in large mesh (gill) nets and more recently because of the cumulative pressures of habitat loss, incidental capture in large mesh (gill) nets, boat strikes, illegal hunting (poaching), unsustainable traditional hunting, disease, and ingestion of marine debris.
  
• 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 Dugongs.
• Traditional use, mainly hunting, fishing and collecting, involves a range of marine species (some of conservation concern), but levels of take are unknown.  Poaching by non-Traditional Owners is a concern for Traditional Owners and management agencies.
• Much of the research activity on the Great Barrier Reef is confined to areas surrounding the six island research stations. With ongoing management, any impacts of research are likely to be small and localised in the immediate area of study.
• Most of the routine defence training activities carried out in the Great Barrier Reef have negligible impacts. Individual high impact activities are carefully managed and confined to specific localised areas, and limited to a few weeks per year.
• Most routine shipping activities have negligible consequences. Dredging and construction of port facilities can have significant but localised impacts.
• Marine mammals are likely to be affected by climate change due to its impact on food resources.
• Increasing coastal development is resulting in the loss of both coastal habitats that support the Great Barrier Reef and connectivity between habitats.
  
• Some pollutants such as heavy metals can persist for decades in the marine environment. They are known to accumulate in dugongs.
  

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Impact of commercial net fisheries on dugong, dolphin and turtle populations
• Dugong history of commercial hunting and status
  
• The commercial dugong fishery in Queensland – 1847 to 1969
• Historical population estimates for dugongs in the Great Barrier Reef
• Dugong protection areas in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Impact of ghost nets derived from commercial fisheries
• Boat strikes and dugongs
• Understanding Boaters' non-compliance with speed guidelines introduced for dugong conservation in the Hinchinbrook area
• Efficacy of the voluntary vessel transit lanes in Missionary Bay, Hinchinbrook Island for dugong conservation
• Prioritising areas for dugong conservation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park using a spatially explicit population model
• Dugong mortality in Queensland
• Assessment of risks to dugongs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Spatial assessment of risk to dugongs from bycatch
• PBR modelling of dugong populations along the urban coast
• Life history, pattern of breeding and population dynamics of the dugong
• Aerial Surveys for dugongs in the Southern Great Barrier Reef
• Shark control records hindcast serious decline in dugong numbers off the urban coast of Queensland
• Aerial surveys for dugongs in the northern Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait
• PBR Modelling of dugong populations along the northern Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait
• Population Viability Analysis (PVA) of Traditional dugong harvest in Torres Strait and Cape York
• Movement heterogeneity of dugongs over large spatial scales 
• Dugong movement in the Townsville-Cardwell Region
• Frequency of reported strandings increases after big rain events
• Defence - Outlook Report 2009 supporting information
• Outlook Report 2009 Information Sheet - Defence [184KB]
• Impact of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals
• Vulnerability of marine mammals in the Great Barrier Reef to climate change
• Development intensification and water quality pressures on the Great Barrier Reef ecosystems
• Population and recreational vessel registration growth
• Scientific consensus statement on water quality in the Great Barrier Reef 
• Reef exposure to river contaminants ecosystem risk index 
• Catchment influence on the Great Barrier Reef 
• Global contamination by persistent organochlorines and their ecotoxicological impact on marine mammals 
• Heavy metal accumulation in marine mammals
• Organochlorine and heavy metal concentrations in dugongs 
• New polybrominated dimethoxybiphenyls (PBDMBs) in marine mammals 

Existing policies and management actions

• GBRMPA Position Statement on the Conservation of Dugongs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park [170KB]
• Code of Practice for the sustainable management of dugong and marine turtle tourism in Australia
  
• 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 
• Sustainable Traditional use of marine resources
  
• A Reef-wide framework for managing traditional use of marine resources in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park  [368KB]
• Cape York rangers  
• 'Traditional use', management and contemporary relationships
• Management of 'Traditional use'
• Management of 'Traditional use' 2
  
• Managing research in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Where does research happen?
  
• Major research and information programs
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012
• Policies and guidelines for managing tourism and recreational use
• Responsible Reef Practices
• State Coastal Management Plan 2002 
• GBRMPA involvement in coastal development planning and assessment
• Reef Guardian Councils
  
• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
  
• State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971
  
• Department of Infrastructure and Planning
  
• Regional coastal management plans
• Improving water quality
• Coastal ecosystem protection
• Water Quality Guidelines for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• Regional water quality improvement plans
• Memorandum of Understanding between GBRMPA and Queensland Ports [1.34MB]
  
• Cruise Shipping Policy for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park [113KB]
  
• Dredging and Spoil Disposal Policy [525KB] 
• Environmental impact assessment
  
• Environmental Impact Management Policy [900KB]

Future management requirements

• Planned review of Dugong Watching Policy
  
• Development of the Commonwealth Dugong Wildlife Conservation Plan
  
• Development of the Queensland Marine Mammal Conservation Plan
  
• Biodiversity strategy
• Planned review of the Dredging and Spoil Disposal policy
• Great Barrier Reef Recreation 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