Researchers Defend Their Work on Supertrawler Fishery

Dr Patrick Hone, from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, says scientists are very proud of the work they've done on the small pelagic fishery, which would have been targeted by the supertrawler, reports ABCRural.

But he says decisions over what is acceptable to the general public are based on more than science alone.

"Managers and the community make decisions about what's acceptable, scientists provide the data. And that's what's happened here," he said.

"People have looked at the uncertainty, whether that's the uncertainty about the unwanted catch, the interactions with marine mammals, and they've said 'we're not convinced that there's enough certainty'.

"From a science perspective, we had quite good confidence in that."