Far north Queensland MP Jason O'Brien has rejected calls for jail time and fines for those caught hunting sea turtles and dugongs in cruel ways.

The Liberal National Party yesterday announced a policy to outlaw some hunting practices which are currently allowed under native title law. The proposed changes mainly apply to the hunting of dugongs and turtles.

Opposition Leader John-Paul Langbroek wants fines of up to $200,000 for traditional hunters who mistreat the animals.

Mr Langbroek says dugongs and turtles are being left to die in the sun after their fins are cut off.

However, Mr O'Brien, the Member for Cook, says the state has no power to override native title rights.

"They've been won in court by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They have a right to fish and hunt," he said.

"What we've got here is a problem of the Liberal National Party not understanding Indigenous people and not understanding Indigenous culture. It can be confronting for middle class white people in the city but in the Torres Strait islands and on Cape York, life is different.

"Native title rights allow for Indigenous people to hunt for dugong and turtle and nothing can interfere with that right unless it's done through the Commonwealth Parliament. Mr Langbroek simply does not understand the law."

'Holes drilled through shells'

Cairns-based dugong protection campaigner Colin Riddell says some Indigenous hunters are not using traditional methods.

"I've got people in nearly every community, because I've been running this campaign for 16 months now, and I have reports all of the time of turtles being brought back to shore, holes drilled through their shells, tied to the trees and left in the sun and then racing back out and getting more," he said.

"I've got reports of baby dugongs getting dragged to boats, made to scream and then when the mother comes in, the mother's speared or tied to a boat and dragged backwards and drowned."

Mr Riddell says Queensland is the only state without laws to prevent cruelty by traditional hunters.

"Queensland is the only state or territory in Australia that does not cover all of its citizens in relation to cruelty, so I would love to hear the line come from the Labor Party," he said.

"This is actually just a case of everybody in a state being responsible for cruelty and I think it's going to be a very brave or foolish person to rebuke this."

Management plan

Percy Neal, the Mayor of the Aboriginal community Yarrabah, near Cairns, says he would prefer the introduction of a sea hunting management plan than more laws to regulate the practice.

Councillor Neal says he wants his shire to be better resourced to police Indigenous hunting.

"Look, if we get a proper management plan we can actually manage the thing properly and we can police it and if any of our people stepped out of place or any white fellas come from over the hill started stealing dugong and turtle, we can police that, whether they're black, white or brindle," he said.

Queensland Sustainability Minister Kate Jones says a joint state-federal taskforce is examining whether tougher laws are needed.