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Changes to commercial fishing rules
New commercial fishing rules are being introduced
The government has approved a number of changes to recreational and commercial fishing rules. These changes cover the recreational inshore fishery, and the commercial net, line, crab, trawl, tropical rock lobster and coral reef fin fish fisheries.
The most significant driver behind the changes was a review of the East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery. The first phase of the review has been completed and dealt with statewide issues. The second phase will commence in 2009 and will address regional fisheries issues.
Queensland´s population has doubled in the last 30 years to 4.3 million. Most of that growth has occurred along the coast - placing greater pressure on our fishing resources. Our outdoor lifestyle has led to an increase in boat ownership among Queenslanders. This factor, as well as improvements in fishing technology, gives greater capacity for catching fish.
First and foremost, these critical changes will ensure the sustainability of our fish stocks. We also want to ensure that commercial fishing remains viable and recreational anglers can continue to enjoy the Queensland fishing experience. It is about striking the right balance.
The new rules have been developed over the past two years through over 150 public meetings, over 3500 written submissions and the release of two Regulatory Impact Statements that put forward the proposed new regulations for public comment.
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) has worked closely with a number of management advisory committees and representatives from the recreational, charter and commercial sectors; conservation groups; research bodies; seafood marketers; and government.
Thank you to those people who provided comment through written submissions and the public meetings held throughout the state.
New rules:
- Size limits
- East coast net and line fishery
- Gulf of Carpentaria fisheries
- Crab fishery
- Trawl fishery
- Tropical rock lobster fishery
- Coral reef fin fish fishery
- Other issues scheduled to be progressed
- Restriction on fishing within Moreton Bay Marine Park
Note: A number of fish names are being changed to reflect the Australian standard names. To assist in the transition to the new names, the old names are shown in brackets.
Effective 1 March 2009
| Species | Current size limit | New size limit |
|---|---|---|
| Amberjack and samsonfish | No limit | 75 cm |
| Barred javelin (spotted grunter) | 30 cm | 40 cm |
| Black jewfish | 45 cm | 75 cm |
| Blackspotted rockcod (estuary cod) | 35-120 cm | 38-120 cm |
| Camouflage cod | 50-100 cm | 50-70 cm |
| Diamondscale mullet | No limit | 30 cm |
| Dusky flathead (mud flathead) | 40-70 cm | 40-75 cm |
| Flowery cod | 50-100 cm | 50-70 cm |
| Giant queenfish | No limit | 50 cm |
| Goldspotted rockcod (estuary cod) | 35-120 cm | 38-120 cm |
| Grey mackerel | 50 cm | 60 cm |
| Luderick | 23 cm | 30 cm |
| Mahi mahi (dolphin fish) | 45 cm | 60 cm |
| Mulloway | 45 cm | 75 cm |
| Swallowtail dart | No limit | 30 cm |
| Yellowtail kingfish | 50 cm | 60 cm |
Effective 1 July 2009
| Species | Current size limit | New size limit |
|---|---|---|
| Sharks and rays | No limit | 1.5 m max |
Effective 1 March 2010
| Species | Current size limit | New size limit |
|---|---|---|
| Bream (yellowfin and pikey) | 23 cm | 25 cm |
| Tailor | 30 cm | 35 cm |
| Tarwhine | 23 cm | 25 cm |
East coast net and line fishery
New fishery symbols
Effective 1 July 2009
- New fishery symbols will be required for the commercial take of sharks & rays (above an incidental limit); use of nets of up to 1200m in offshore waters; use of tunnel nets and use of small mesh (bait) nets to take bait for commercial sale.
- The Policy for the allocation of N4, N10, N11 and S fishery symbols, implemented on 2 April 2009, sets criteria and an application and assessment process for the allocation of the new symbols. Applications under the policy are due by COB Friday 8 May 2009.
New fishery symbols policy (PDF, 56 kB)
Shark
Effective 1 March 2009
- All sawfish, speartooth sharks and whale sharks will be no-take species.
- No more than five white spotted guitarfish can be retained. No more than one grey reef shark or white tip reef shark can be retained.
Effective 1 July 2009
- Fishers will need to apply for and hold an S fishery symbol to retain more than the commercial possession limit of shark (10 for net fishers, 4 for line fishers).
- The fee for the S symbol will be $580 per year.
- Fishers who do not hold an S symbol will have to keep shark whole (with the fins attached, but the head and tail may be removed).
- Offshore net fishers will be restricted to 600 m of net, with a mesh size of 160-165 mm.
- An N4 fishery symbol will be introduced allowing only very limited access to the use of 1200 m nets with a mesh size of 160-165 mm in waters greater than 20 m. Fishers will have to surrender two net symbols in order to obtain an N4, and will be required to be equipped with a vessel monitoring system (VMS) unit. The new fee for the N4 symbol will be $2200 per year.
Note: In response to an independent expert review of the fishery by the Commonwealth Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Honourable Peter Garrett, MP, a 600 t commercial total allowable catch (TAC) of shark is proposed to be progressed by July 2009.
Other measures include:
- closing the Normanby, Bizant and Kennedy rivers that flow into Princess Charlotte Bay to all gill netting
- keeping fins on while at sea for white spotted guitarfish, grey reef shark and white tip reef shark
- introducing a TAC for grey mackerel.
The management arrangements for the fishery will now be submitted to Minister Garrett for export approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Tailor and spotted mackerel
Effective 1 March 2009
- The current 150 fish possession limit for line fishers will be removed for spotted mackerel.
- The 15 fish incidental limit for net fishers will be increased to 50 for spotted mackerel.
- Tailor catches over 30 kg will be reported against the quota (compared to 100 kg currently). This is a reporting change only. Tailor fishers should continue to record all catch in their logbooks.
General purpose netting
Effective 1 July 2009
- The concept of a general purpose net is being reintroduced.
- The permitted mesh size range will be 50-165 mm.
- A general purpose net will be permitted to be set for two hours in certain areas.
- A general purpose net cannot be let drift in a dugong protection area.
Offshore netting
Effective 1 July 2009
- Fishers will have to remain within 200 m of offshore set nets at all times.
- The permitted mesh size range for offshore nets north of Baffle Creek will be 160-165 mm.
- South of Baffle Creek, a mesh size range of 100-165 mm will be permitted.
Barramundi
Effective 1 July 2009
- N2 symbol holders will be allowed to use both N1 and N2 nets under the one symbol (N2 symbol). The N1 symbol will then be removed from the licence.
- The fee for the N2 symbol will be increased to $500 next financial year and $580 the following year, in recognition of the amalgamation of the N1 into the N2.
- The use of offshore set and drift nets under the N2 will be removed, as N2 holders will have access to N1 nets.
- N2 symbol holders will be allowed to use a single 125 mm mesh river set net to target threadfin in winter (1 May - 31 August each year).
- The requirement to have one-third of a net below low water will be replaced with a requirement to have one end of the net in water less than 2 m at all times.
Netting for bait
Effective 1 July 2009
- The N6 symbol is being removed from the legislation.
- A new N11 symbol will be established that allows for the commercial sale of bait.
- The fee for the N11 will be $150 per year.
- All fishers with a crab or line fishery symbol will be permitted to use a bait net to collect bait for their own purposes (not for sale).
Tunnel net
Effective 1 July 2009
- A new tunnel net symbol will be established (N10) to allow the use of tunnel nets in Moreton Bay and Hervey Bay.
- An N1 symbol will need to be surrendered to receive an N10.
- Tunnel netting will only be permitted under an N10 symbol.
- All permitted operations under an N1 symbol will also be permitted under an N10 symbol.
- The fee for the N10 will be $850 per year.
- Fishers must meet specific criteria to be issued the N10 symbol.
- N10 symbol holders will be required to have a turtle excluder device in the net.
Ocean beach fishery
Effective 1 July 2009
- K symbol holders will be allowed to use both N1 and K nets under the one symbol. The N1 symbol will then be removed from the licence.
- The fee for the K symbol will be increased to $500 next year and $580 the following year, in recognition of the amalgamation of the N1 into the K.
General changes to netting
Effective 1 July 2009
- Fishers will be allowed to ´bag on´ (i.e. have non-regulated fish in fishing nets out of the water) if they have a reasonable excuse why they need to.
- Marking requirements for nets will be minimum requirements, allowing fishers to add extra lights, floats etc. as necessary.
- Only one net can be used at a time (other than under an N2).
Gulf of Carpentaria fisheries
Effective 1 March 2009
- All sawfish, speartooth sharks and whale sharks will be no-take species.
- No more than five white spotted guitarfish can be retained. No more than one grey reef shark or white tip reef shark can be retained.
Crab fishery
Effective 1 March 2009
- The smallest part of a crab pot opening will not be allowed to exceed 45 cm in circumference.
- All apparatus will have to have a surface float attached, even if the apparatus is attached to something (e.g. a tree).
- Commercial fishers will be able to use trot lines to set apparatus, excluding fishers in Moreton Bay and the Great Sandy Strait. Up to 10 apparatus will be allowed to be set on a line and a surface float/flag must be attached to each end of the line.
- Commercial fishers will not be allowed to possess more than 50 crab pot apparatus on a boat.
Effective 2 April 2010
- Inverted dillies will be prohibited from 2 April 2010 to reduce the impact on turtles.
Trawl fishery
Effective 12 December 2008
If fishing effort in the southern trawl fishery area exceeds 160,000 effort units between 1 January and 31 March, further fishing effort in this area will be limited to 24 days per licence in May, June and July each year. All licence holders will be informed in writing by early April each year to advise if the restrictions will or will not apply.- The length of trawl nets that can be used in Etty Bay will be restricted to 39 m.
- Regulations for the Swains Reef and Hydrographers Passage area are as follows:
- 20 September - 1 November: closed to scalloping in saucer scallop waters
- 1 November - 15 December: closed to scalloping; open to prawning
- 15 December - 3 January: closed to all trawling
- 3 January - 1 March: open to scalloping; closed to prawning
- 1 March - 20 September: open to all fishing.
- Trawl operators outside Moreton Bay (except T4) are now allowed to retain the regulated amount for blue swimmer crabs and octopus every seven days or part thereof.
- The regulated volume for threadfin bream (pinkies) and cuttlefish has been removed for all trawl operators (except T4).
- Trawl operators working under a T1 and T2 licence outside of Moreton Bay can now retain up to 20 slipper lobsters for each continuous period of fishing of seven days, or part thereof, provided they are not egg bearing.
- The take of saucer scallop from scallop regulated waters will be permitted between Christmas and New Year.
- The preferred access periods that applied to the major northern and southern closures have been removed.
- The six scallop replenishment areas have been continued. Each year, three of the six closures will open on 3 January for approximately nine months.
Effective 16 December 2009
- A new turtle excluder device definition will be phased-in and commence 16 December 2009.
Effective 1 November 2010
- A new minimum mesh size for all T1 and T2 trawl nets of 43 mm will be phased-in and commence 1 November 2010.
Tropical rock lobster fishery
Effective 12 December 2008
- A commercial 195 t TAC will apply per calendar year.
- Individual quotas will be issued by licence condition by 1 February 2009.
- Fishers will be charged a fee per quota unit held (first invoice involving quota units will be issued in April 2009).
Coral reef fin fish fishery
Effective 1 March 2009
- Goldspotted and blackspotted rockcod (estuary cod) will become a coral reef fin fish. To commercially take estuary cod will require an RQ symbol and OS quota units.
Other issues scheduled to be progressed
It is intended that a number of additional changes will be implemented in early 2009. If and when these changes are brought in, all licence holders will be informed immediately in writing. These include:
- amending size limits for Moreton Bay bugs, Balmain bugs and barking crayfish
- introducing a single year-round minimum legal size of 90 mm for saucer scallop
- reducing the number of trawl effort units that can be used in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area by less than 1% each year
- prohibiting shell collection in Bramble Bay
- removing the current restriction of the L4 fishery to within 25 nm of the shore in the Gulf
- expanding exemptions for VMS
- introducing a two-year trial exclusion area for trawlers, preventing them entering the Hervey Bay scallop ranching areas
- amending the description of the Cook Bay daytime closure to trawling, to remove an area of overlap to the south with a permanent closure
- introducing a new T3 symbol to transition the Gulf developmental fin fish trawl fishery to a licensed basis
- amending fish names in the Fisheries Regulation 2008 to bring them into line with the Australian standard fish names
- allowing yabbie, blood worm and beach worm authority holders to nominate someone to use the licence on their behalf
- the Rocky Reef Fin Fish Fishery is still under review.
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