Seagrass-Watch Magazine Issue 47 - March 2013 | Page 35

tankers, and general cargo ships. The
Torres Strait region has a high rate of
shipping incidents compared to other
shipping passages. There are at least 20
separate accidents recorded back to 1970,
18 of which were ship groundings on
reefs(2). Of these 20 accidents, four caused
large quantities of oil and fuel to be spilt
into the sea(4). The most recent incident
occurred in February 2009, where a
products tanker grounded on a small reef.
There was no damage to the ship and no
spill of pollutants, however, there was
damage to the reef flat and associated
habitats(4).
Shipping accidents in Torres Strait also
pose a serious risk to commercial and
indigenous fishing. Commercial fishing is
one of the most economically important
activities in the Torres Strait and provides a
significant opportunity for financial
independence for community fishers. As
traditional inhabitants of the Torres Strait,
the people are able to fish for both
commercial and non-commercial fish
species. There are a large number of
commercial fisheries operating in the
region including the Torres Strait prawn,
tropical rock lobster, trochus, finfish and
beche-de-mer fisheries. The Torres Strait
prawn fishery is the most valuable
commercial fishery with 6,722 tonnes of
product taken in the 2008-2009 fishing
season valued in excess of AUS$73
million(6). The extensive seagrass habitats
located around the GNE and PoW
channels provide vital nursery habitats for
juvenile prawns associated with the
fishery.
For the indigenous people of Torres
Strait, dugong and turtle are the most
significant and highest ranked marine

food source in the traditional subsistence
economy(7,8). The Torres Strait contains the
largest population of dugongs in the
world(9) and seagrasses are the primary
food source for dugong and turtle.
Therefore, the constant threat of shipping
accidents and oil spills is of great concern
to the local communities.
Despite the GNE and PoW Shipping
Channels being high risk channels to
marine habitats, the vast area of the region
(48,000km2) coupled with the low local
population (and resources) me