Five dead turtles were found in a trap set in a freshwater Moranbah dam

The shocking discovery of dead turtles inside a collapsible trap in a regional freshwater dam has ignited fierce debate.

A concerned Moranbah resident found a netted trap containing five dead turtles at a Moranbah dam at the weekend.

A fierce debate has been sparked after a concerned community member removed a collapsible trap from a Central Queensland freshwater dam after spotting it contained five dead turtles.

The shocking discovery occurred on Saturday when the trap was spotted in clear waters at Finger Dam, near Moranbah.

It is understood six little turtles were easily seen inside the trap – five were dead, one turtle was still alive and able to be released.

A post on a Moranbah social media group has sparked questions over whether the removal or use of that particular trap was legal.

Some have hit out questioning why the community member had been touching another person’s pots, while others said there needed to be signs warning away from fishing and putting pots in a turtle habitat.

One commenter has even said “Kreffts river turtles … are a protected species”.

A concerned Moranbah resident found a netted trap containing five dead turtles at a Moranbah dam at the weekend.

While crab pots are not allowed to be used in non-tidal systems, there are appropriate freshwater apparatuses that included canister traps, collapsible traps, dilly nets, funnel traps and round traps.

A Fisheries Queensland spokesman said there were specific requirements related “to opening sizes for entrance funnels”.

All traps must have a tag attached with the surname and full address of the person using the trap – this information must be clearly visible, legible and in English.

If a trap is not fixed to something stationary above the surface of the water, it must had a solid light-coloured float attached that is at least 15cm in all its dimensions and marked with the user’s name.

The Fisheries Queensland spokesman said crab pots or freshwater traps should be checked regularly and removed from the water when not being used.

“If you see suspected unmarked, lost or abandoned crabbing apparatuses, record an accurate location (GPS coordinates) and report it to the Fishwatch Hotline on 1800 017 116 or the QLD Fishing 2.0 app,” the spokesman said.

“Always report stranded, entangled, injured, sick or dead marine turtles to 1300 130 372.”