Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00930:reg:5:p5
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2024L00930
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 5 (pt 5/11)
Character Range: 228926–238373

with better understanding the risk of entanglements and mitigating and responding at-sea to entanglements. Actions to achieve a reduction in marine debris, including lost or discarded fishing gear, entering the environment should be undertaken in accordance with the Threat Abatement Plan for the impacts of marine debris on the vertebrate wildlife of Australia's coasts and oceans (2018). Australia should maintain engagement with international organisations, such as the IWC Global Whale Entanglement Response Network, for fostering knowledge in the best practice of whale disentanglement.
Within the period of this plan
Measure of success
    1. Increased collaborative projects between the fishing industry, government, and research organisations that address reductions in entanglements with fishing gear.
    2. Codes of conduct developed by relevant state government agencies and relevant fishing industries to minimise the risk of entanglement.
    3. An improved reporting system for entanglements and data sharing of fisheries interactions between government and industry and ongoing support for the maintenance of data repositories, including publication of reports/data to provide baseline and trend data.

Risks: Reduced levels of communication, understanding and collaboration between the commercial fishing industry, government and research organisations that hinder the effective development and implementation of Codes of Practice.
Likelihood of success: Moderate.
Action Area A5                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Priority
Assess, manage, and mitigate impacts from anthropogenic underwater noise.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Very High
Action
   1. Improve baseline understanding of southern right whale acoustic communication to better inform potential impacts from anthropogenic underwater noise.
   2. Actions within and adjacent to southern right whale BIAs and HCTS should demonstrate that it does not prevent any southern right whale from utilising the area or cause auditory impairment.
   3. Actions within and adjacent to southern right whale BIAs and HCTS should demonstrate that the risk of behavioural disturbance is minimised.
   4. Ensure environmental assessments associated with underwater noise generating activities include consideration of national policy (e.g., EPBC Act Policy Statement 2.1) and guidelines related to managing anthropogenic underwater noise and implement appropriate mitigation measures to reduce risks to southern right whales to the lowest possible level.
   5. Quantify risks of anthropogenic underwater noise to southern right whales, including studies aimed to measure physiological effects, behavioural disturbance, and changes to acoustic communication (e.g., masking of vocalisations) to whales.
   6. Prioritise government/industry funding opportunities to support research to identify short and long-term responses of southern right whales to underwater noise.
   7. Improve understanding and characterisation of marine soundscapes, including the application of new technologies for data processing, within southern right whale BIAs to facilitate quantification of anthropogenic noise in the marine soundscape.
Interim objectives addressed                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Threats to be mitigated
1, 2, 3                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           3.3, 3.4, 3.5
Description
The potential for impacts from anthropogenic underwater noise is greatest where noise-generating activities occur within or close to