The federal government will also request the Queensland government declare threatened hammerhead sharks a no-take species for commercial fishers within state waters.

Queensland Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries, Mark Furner, said the investment in the reef would help future-proof it, as well as the commercial fishing industry.

‘The removal of gillnets in net-free zones on the reef has already helped boost local fish populations. We want to see this happen right across the reef.’

Tanya Plibersek, Federal Environment and Water Minister

WWF chief executive officer Dermot O’Gorman said the announcement was a globally significant moment for ocean conservation.

“If all goes to plan, by June 2027 we’ll have a Net-Free Reef where dugongs, turtles, dolphins and other threatened species can swim without the threat of becoming entangled and drowning in a gillnet, and that’s a cause for global celebration,” he said.

The wildlife preservation group’s head of oceans in Australia, Richard Leck, said the other changes, such as independent data validation on fishing vessels, were also overdue.

“It means we’ll have a much better understanding of what’s happening out on the water, including how many threatened species are being accidentally caught,” he said.

The federal government has invested more than $1.2 billion into protecting the Great Barrier Reef, but the site’s outlook remains grim. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) listed the outlook for the reef’s health as “very poor” in last year’s annual report.

Another key concern is coral bleaching as ocean temperatures continue to warm. With another El Nino looming this summer, bleaching could occur on the reef again. Last year, AIMS’ chief executive, Paul Hardisty, said the increased frequency of mass coral bleaching events was “uncharted territory” for the reef following the fourth mass bleaching in seven years.

Bleaching is forecast to reduce global coral cover by 95 per cent under 2 degrees of warming, and 70 per cent under 1.5 degrees. If all countries deliver on their climate commitments, the world would still be on track for 2 degrees or more of warming. If the rest of the world followed Australia’s current commitments and policies, global warming would exceed 3 degrees, according to Climate Action Tracker.

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