Researchers are advocating for changes to Australia’s environmental regulations, as endangered fish species are still being allowed to be exported legally.
Researchers from the University of Queensland are urging updates to Australia’s environmental regulations, pointing out that endangered fish species are still being legally exported.
Their research has highlighted four species that are classified under Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act but are still exported: the orange roughy, blue warehou, school shark, and southern bluefin tuna.
According to UQ PhD candidate Rosa Mar Dominguez-Martinez, these fish continue to be exported despite being classified as threatened by the EPBC Act, which is currently under review.
“Since the Act was established, 107 kilotons, which is 10 percent of all seafood exports from Australia, have come from these four threatened species,” Ms. Dominguez-Martinez stated.
“You may think there are plenty of fish in the sea, but these species are truly at risk.
“The Threatened Species Scientific Committee in Australia — a group of experts advising on species listings and recovery efforts — determined that all these species could be classified as facing higher threat levels: Critically Endangered for the blue warehou and southern bluefin tuna, or Endangered for the school shark and orange roughy.
The researchers indicate that this situation arises due to a loophole in the existing laws.
“At present, the EPBC Act features a category unique to Australia called ‘Conservation Dependent’, which applies solely to marine fish, since land species cannot be categorized this way,” said Ms. Dominguez-Martinez.
“There are eight fish species designated as ‘Conservation Dependent’, all of which are subject to commercial fishing. These species must have a management plan in place to curb their decline. Yet, apart from the southern bluefin tuna, their conservation status remains stagnant, with many being overfished or unassessed in Australia.
This classification provides these species with an exemption from the stricter regulations that would normally apply if they were designated under standard threat levels, like Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered.
“Meanwhile, while other native species categorized as threatened under the EPBC Act need a special permit for export, Conservation Dependent species do not.
“Therefore, as the EPBC Act is reviewed at the federal level, we are advocating for Australia’s new legislation to manage commercially caught threatened species similarly to other threatened species.”
Senior author Associate Professor Carissa Klein noted that the team is also suggesting two important changes to better safeguard Australia’s threatened marine life.
“New environmental protection laws in Australia must include a requirement for regular reviews of the conservation status for all threatened species,” Dr. Klein explained.
“If regular assessments were conducted, species like the southern bluefin tuna — which currently isn’t classified as overfished — might be removed from the EPBC Act more quickly.
“Additionally, species recognized as threatened by international standards, such as the IUCN Red List or other global agreements, should be included in Australia’s new threatened species legislation.
“Implementing these suggestions is crucial to avoid further extinctions in Australian waters.”
