AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION 11 April 08 New fishing practices help conserve sea snakes
New research shows that so-called 'bycatch reduction devices' are reducing the number of sea snakes being accidentally caught by Queensland trawlers.
But a three year Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries study will still recommend some changes to trawling practices.
The highly venomous sea snakes are protected in Australian waters.
DPI principal biologist, Dr Tony Courtney, says more needs to be done to protect them from fishermen.
"Some of the devices are working really well, some of them not so well," he says.
"The best result we've got so far is from one particular bycatch reduction device called the Fisheye BRD, which reduces the catch rates of sea snakes by 65 per cent.
"What we found was that the fisheye bycatch reduction device had no affect on their prawn catch rates, so that was a very good result."
New fishing practices help conserve sea snakes