Why Dugong Numbers in the Gulf of Carpentaria Have Halved in 20 Years

Researchers from James Cook University and Charles Darwin University, together with Indigenous ranger groups, carried out aerial surveys that revealed the Gulf of Carpentaria’s dugong numbers have fallen from roughly 10,000 in 2007 to 5,000 in 2025, a decline of half.

The scientists suggested several possible drivers: floods and storms that smother the seagrass meadows dugongs feed on, entanglement in gillnets, collisions with boats, and the accumulation of marine debris. All of these factors can reduce food availability or cause direct mortality.

Queensland fishing industry representatives pushed back against the gillnet explanation. They argued that other issues – such as widespread seagrass loss or illegal poaching – deserve more scrutiny before blaming commercial fishers for the decline.

Indigenous leaders and regional council officials, including Roper Gulf Regional Council mayor Tony Jack, called for an immediate ban on gillnetting in the Gulf and urged deeper investigations into poaching as a possible contributor to the dwindling numbers.

The federal government, together with Queensland and Northern Territory authorities, said they are collaborating with the university researchers. They have pledged additional funding, expanded habitat‑protection measures and support for further monitoring to try to halt the decline.

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