Gillnets are set to be completely banned from the Great Barrier Reef by mid-2027, the federal and Queensland governments have jointly announced.
The fishing practice has been identified as a significant danger to multiple threatened and protected marine species, including dugongs, dolphins, turtles and some sharks.
The state and federal governments announced more than $160 million in funding to reduce high-risk fishing activities around the Great Barrier Reef, including net fishing.
There are about 240 gillnet licenses on the east coast, with about half of those in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
"The removal of gillnets in net-free zones on the reef has already helped boost local fish populations," federal environment minister Tanya Plibersek said in a statement.
"We want to see this happen right across the reef."
'Really significant'
WWF Australia and the Australian Marine Conservation Society were among the organisations calling for the fishing practice to be banned, alleging the number of endangered species killed after becoming entangled in gillnets was under-reported.
WWF Australia's Head of Oceans Richard Leck said the announcement is cause for celebration.
"This is a really significant outcome," he said.
"If all goes to plan, by June 2027 we'll have a net-free reef where dugongs, dolphins, turtles and other threatened species can swim without the threat of being entangled and drowning in a gillnet."
Mr Leck said the government's commitment to further electronic monitoring could help paint a clearer picture of what's happening in Queensland waters, with gillnet deaths often not recorded.
"It's really important that the Queensland and Australian governments look to immediately protect areas that have high concentrations of threatened marine wildlife and prioritise their protection from commercial gillnets well prior to June 2027," he said.
"The overall time frame is reasonable to allow a fair and equitable transition, but we really need to prioritise those areas … gillnetting is still occurring in some protected areas."
The government also planned to create a "net-free-north" from Cape Bedford to the tip of Cape York and establish further gillnet-free zones in the Gulf of Carpentaria and "other locations of high ecological value".
Fishermen got 'no warning'
Queensland Seafood Industry Association chief executive David Bobberman says fishermen have been blindsided by the decision.
"We did not get any warning and in fact we're quite dismayed at the lack of due process and the lack of engagement by governments in relation to this whole matter."
He says more than 200 commercial fishermen in Queensland will be affected and is concerned by the lack of detail in the compensation package.
"There's no discussion yet as to how the compensation will be calculated," he said.
"We hope the government is going to be true to their statements and give commercial fishermen due compensation for their livelihoods and also anyone else in the supply chain whose businesses now will suffer as a result of this."
Mr Bobberman says the move will likely lead to severe economic hardship for a number of coastal communities in Queensland.
"Ingham is a classic example and Halifax and Lucinda nearby, you've got Cardwell for example, you've got a whole pile of small coastal communities that have their roots in commercial fishing.
"It's going to be devastating for a lot of those small communities."
He says the state and federal governments have failed to consider the broader implications of the decision.
"It's going to be one thing that tourists will come and enjoy the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef, it's a wonderful spot, but when they come into Cairns or Townsville or whatever, Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island and they want seafood on their dinner plate, what are they going to eat?"
New restrictions on hammerhead sharks for commercial fishers
The government has also announced plans to make all hammerhead sharks a no-take species for commercial fishers in all Queensland waters.
Part of the $160 million in funding will be used to mandate the use of independent data validation on commercial fishing vessels.
Threatened hammerheads are already a no-take species for recreational fishers.
Australian Marine Conservation Society chief executive Darren Kindleysides called the announcement a "welcome and necessary package of fishery reforms".
"The ongoing capture of endangered hammerheads for meat and fins has long been out of step with protecting and recovering threatened species in the reef," Mr Kindleysides said.
"Their fins and meat can no longer be sold for consumption, which is major progress.
"Along with the removal of gillnets, this will give these species the protection they so desperately need."
Queensland's agriculture minister Mark Furner said the investment will help the commercial fishing industry's sustainability.
"Protecting good jobs in the fishing industry is crucial for the livelihoods of thousands of Queenslanders who depend on the state's seafood supply chain," he said.
"By transitioning to more sustainable fishing practices and taking measures to maintain fish stocks, we can ensure the long-term viability of good jobs in the fishing industry for our children and our grandchildren."
