2019-07-18 Ordinary Meeting Agenda

ORDINARY MEETING AGENDA                                                               18 JULY 2019


The report provided an overview of the MRAG review and the recommendations within their ‘Taking
Stock … modernising fisheries management in Queensland’ report; and seeking Council’s preferred
way forward regarding the level of future involvement in fisheries management locally.
Key recommendations of the ‘Taking Stock …’ report include:
    Separating the Qld fisheries decision making process;
    Establishment of Fishery Councils;
    Categorisation of fish stocks into three ‘tiers’;
    Harvest strategies for all fisheries; and
    Monitoring information collection & assessment.
Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 23 October 2014, Item 5, Page 9
That Council note the report by the Director Planning & Infrastructure to the General Committee
Meeting dated 20 October 2014 with regard to the Queensland Fisheries Management Review and
resolve to:
A.   Make a submission to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in accordance
     with Attachment 1 to the report; and
B.   Request the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to close the Noosa North Shore
     to commercial fisheries operations to allow the fishery resources to renew.
Council’s submission highlighted concerns about commercial and recreational fishery on the Noosa
North Shore and requested the State to:
    Review the compatibility of commercial fishing uses and other recreational uses on the Noosa
     North Shore;
    Close the Noosa North Shore to commercial fishing by establishing a ‘Recreational Fishing
     Haven’ to exclude commercial fishing but allow recreational fishing;
    Consider introducing Recreational Fishing Permits;
    Consider buying back those Commercial Fishery Licenses operating from the Noosa North
     Shore and not re-issuing any existing licences due for expiry; and
    Consider how Council could partner with the State to ensure smooth implementation of these
     recommendations.
Finance
There are no immediate financial implications for Council in the development of the Noosa Fishing
Futures paper and the submission to the State’s Discussion Paper: Proposed amendments to the
Fisheries Regulation 2008.
Some of the opportunities in the submission could have financial implications. If adopted, the State
may decide to trigger the Fisheries Reallocation Policy, to estimate if there are any potential
commercial losses as a result of any of these changes. If this occurs, Council will need to consider
the costs and benefits of these actions, however it is not possible to estimate costs at this time.
Advocating for these changes at this time does not commit Council to future expenditure.
Opportunities being incorporated into the draft Noosa River Plan for community feedback, such as
the potential removal of beam trawling from the Noosa River, the exploration of net-free zones, and
local/regional management models, could have future cost implications for Council if implemented.

Risks & Opportunities
Council has long had concerns over the decline of biodiversity in the Noosa River and has highlighted
these in previous responses to the Queensland Government as part of the fisheries reform process.
The current reforms being undertaken by the State provide a great opportunity to provide those


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