HOW do you feel about the decision to phase out opera house nets?
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The state government announced on Monday that opera house nets would be banned in all public and private waters throughout Victoria from July 1, 2019.
People often use the nets to catch yabbies.
Opera house nets will be replaced with new open top lift nets.
The move aims to benefit native animals such as platypus and turtles, which, in the past, have been harmed when inadvertently caught in the opera house nets too.
Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford said the nets had been putting the platypus population at risk.
It’s time for us to embrace different fishing gear that will catch just as many yabbies without impacting our precious wildlife
- Jaala Pulford
The Victorian Fisheries Authority said trials had indicated wildlife-friendly gear such as open top lift nets and hoop nets could catch more yabbies than opera house nets when fished actively.
Despite this, not everyone is happy about the move.
The decision generated a lot of debate on the Bendigo Advertiser Facebook page:
Meanwhile, a poll in a bendigoadvertiser.com.au story shows that 60 per cent of those who voted were against the decision to phase out the opera house nets.
Just over 33.5 per cent of voters were in favour of the move.
Scroll down to have your own say on the matter!
For what it’s worth, Goulburn-Murray Water records estimate there are 1161 private dams in the Loddon catchment that hold either a standard licence or a registration licence.
Some property owners have multiple licences.
In addition to these dams, there are a large number of private domestic and stock dams within the catchment that do not meet the requirements for licencing.
A Dams in Victoria report from the then-Department of Environment and Primary Industries in 2014 estimated there were 450,000 dams in the state.
- Have an opinion on the opera house nets? Click here to read more and cast your vote.
Cassandra Dalgleish
Digital specialist at the Bendigo Advertiser, via Wimmera Mail-Times, Stawell Times-News and Ararat Advertiser. Formerly a news journalist and sub-editor. I do the behind-the-scenes work to help journalists bring their stories to life online.
Digital specialist at the Bendigo Advertiser, via Wimmera Mail-Times, Stawell Times-News and Ararat Advertiser. Formerly a news journalist and sub-editor. I do the behind-the-scenes work to help journalists bring their stories to life online.
