This database summarises available information on techniques in use, or being developed, to reduce bycatch of non-target marine wildlife in Australia and New Zealand.

More specifically, the database focuses on: bycatch of marine mammals; seabirds, sharks, turtles and sea snakes; the modification of fishing gear; and the modification of fishing practices. This information will assist policy makers, fisheries and conservation managers (Australian, State and Territory governments), researchers and industry in the development of regulatory frameworks for managing and administering commercial fisheries.

Key features of this database include:

• General and advanced search engines that enable users to search 'all fields for a particular term', eg, fishery, jurisdiction, gear type, wildlife group and mitigation measure
• Abstracts or summaries of published/unpublished literature
• PDFs of published/unpublished literature
• Maps of all Australian Government managed fisheries in Australia
• Glossaries

This database will be updated on a regular basis. Currently 495 references, focusing on Australian wildlife bycatch, have been uploaded into this database of which 460 have either abstracts or summaries. The New Zealand references will be uploaded shortly.

The next stage in the development of this database includes incorporating other marine wildlife groups, and the establishment of additional sections relevant to wildlife bycatch in marine fisheries of Australia:

• Wildlife bycatch in general (key findings and PDFs of published and unpublished literature)
• Legal instruments (PDFs of relevant legal documents and policy documents)
• Australian and State government observer programmes (overview of relevant programmes)
• Actions to improve post-interaction survival once a non-target species has been trapped in fishing gear

This project is being run by the Bureau of Rural Sciences, and administered by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, in consultation with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and the Department of the Environment and Water Resources.

Natural Heritage Trust funded project (NHT44144)