Opera house yabby net ban will begin this Friday

Fishers will still be able to catch yabbies along the River Murray, but only in pyramid nets, to protect other wildlife.

If you want to catch yabbies, you’ll have to use a pyramid net from now on. Photo: PJ Hickox/Getty Images.

Anyone who fishes for yabbies along the River Murray will need to check their gear before they head out this weekend.

A ban on the use of “opera house” yabby nets will come into effect this Friday, July 1.

Primary Industries and Regions SA announced the ban in April.

PIRSA spokesman Gavin Begg said the nets posed a danger to air-breathing animals including turtles, rakali and platypus, who could get caught in them and drown.

More than 40 per cent of platypus deaths in Victoria over a 30-year period came after they got stuck in yabby or crayfish nets, according a study cited by the RSPCA.

Opera house-style yabby nets can be dangerous to other wildlife. Photo: RSPCA.

Professor Begg said the ban had been supported by recreational fishing organisations.

“There was a common desire to ensure people could still enjoy the time-honored tradition of yabbying in a way that didn’t impact on the non-targeted species,” he said.

Opera house nets, or pots, had already been banned in every other Australian state, with the exception of parts of Queensland.

PIRSA has not proposed any kind of buy-back scheme for fishers.

• More information: pir.sa.gov.au.

---

Locals support locals. Your support helps Murray Bridge News tell important local stories.