Indigenous Hunt to Be Curbed
Island communities in Australia's tropical north are to be given quotas for hunting endangered sea cows, or dugong - pitting conservation against indigenous rights. Islanders in the Torres Strait, which separates Papua New Guinea from northern Queensland, are in danger of hunting the...
Island communities in Australia's tropical north are to be given quotas for hunting endangered sea cows, or dugong - pitting conservation against indigenous rights.
Islanders in the Torres Strait, which separates Papua New Guinea from northern Queensland, are in danger of hunting the animals to extinction, the Australian government has said.
Dugong can live for 70 years and weigh up to 420kg (66 stone). They are the only herbivorous marine mammals, and are thought to have given rise to the legend of mermaids. Surveys suggest about 10,000 remain in the region.
The fisheries minister, Ian MacDonald, said: "If we don't do something, there will be a catastrophe. I think many of the island leaders know that themselves."
Islanders in the Torres Strait, which separates Papua New Guinea from northern Queensland, are in danger of hunting the animals to extinction, the Australian government has said.
Dugong can live for 70 years and weigh up to 420kg (66 stone). They are the only herbivorous marine mammals, and are thought to have given rise to the legend of mermaids. Surveys suggest about 10,000 remain in the region.
The fisheries minister, Ian MacDonald, said: "If we don't do something, there will be a catastrophe. I think many of the island leaders know that themselves."
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