Dugong calf rides upon mothers back

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is crucial for the survival of dugong. About 14 000 individuals live in the Great Barrier Reef which is one of the largest regional populations in the world.

There are 16 Dugong Protection Area along the Queensland coast in places where large populations of dugong are known to live. In the Hinchinbrook Dugong Protection Areas there are voluntary speed limits over shallow seagrass beds and transit lanes.

Usually dugongs do not spend much time near the surface of the water and so are not easy to see. However, speeding boats can injure or kill them, displace them from preferred feeding areas or disrupt social bonds such as between mothers and calves.

Dugong Protection Areas ‘A’	Dugong Protection Areas ‘B’
Hinchinbrook	Taylors Beach
Cleveland Bay	Bowling Green Bay
Upstart Bay	Edgecumbe Bay
Newry Region	Repulse Bay
Ince Bay	Sand Bay
Shoalwater Bay	Llewellyn Bay
Port Clinton	Clairview Bay
Hervey Bay —Great	Rodds Bay
Sandy Strait

Dugong Protection Areas 'A' are high priority habitats with significant provisions or prohibitions on various commercial netting activities.

Dugong Protection Areas 'B' have lesser restrictions on commercial netting activities.

Legal Requirements

• You must not chase, harass, take, catch or kill dugongs in the Cairns, Hinchinbrook and Whitsunday Planning Areas.
  

Best Environmental Practices

• In shallow seagrass areas keep a lookout for dugong and go slow e.g. less than 10 knots
• Do not approach a dugong closer than 50 metres.
• If you happen to be within 50 metres of a dugong, avoid where possible engaging the propeller and move off slowly at less than planing speed.
• Do not swim, dive or enter the water near a dugong.
• Do not feed, touch or interfere with a dugong, for instance by loud noise or sudden movements.
• Avoid separating a female dugong from her calf.
• In the Hinchinbrook Planning Area, use the transit lanes and follow the recommended maximum vessel speeds.
  • - 25 knots within transit lanes; and
  • - 10 knots over seagrass beds outside transit lanes
• Immediately report any injured or dead dugong to the EPA Hotline on 1300 130 372 (24 hr).