The motion to disallow was moved by Tasmanian Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, who argued that the impact of reduced visibility at night meant the crew of factory freezer trawler the Geelong Star would be unable to see protected species in danger near the vessel.

The motion received 31 votes for and 31 against.

Senator Whish-Wilson said his party would continue to do everything in its power to protect dolphins and seals.

‘‘The Greens are going to continue to [hold] the government to account over factory-freezer vessels and will keep fighting for our marine life and local communities’’ he said.

The Stop the Trawler Alliance said 15,000 people across Australia had emailed Senators and members of Parliament since Tuesday to urge them to reinstate the ban.

‘‘It’s clear the community does not accept the deaths of dolphins and seals or depletion of local fisheries,’’ spokeswoman Rebecca Hubbard said.

Game Fish Tasmania fishing club representative Nobby Clark said night trawling had been used to keep the Geelong Star out of public view.

‘‘Recreational fishers around the country are already concerned about the secrecy that surrounds the operations of this super trawler,’’ he said.

The proposed ban on night fishing was also supported by the Australian Recreational Fishing Party.

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority placed a ban on night fishing on the Geelong Star after the vessel reported the deaths of eight common dolphins during fishing trips in May.

The ban was lifted during September.

A ‘‘trigger limit’’ has been imposed by the AFMA in the Small Pelagic Fisheries where the Geelong Star trawls.

A dolphin death in any of the Small Pelagic Fishery zones would result in the closure of the respective zone for six months.