2019-07-18 OM Agenda - Item 1 - Attachment 2 - Fisheries Regulation Discussion Paper

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and recreational fishers will gain from greater fishing
satisfaction and participation in management of our fisheries.
Queenslanders will benefit from continued supply of fresh, sustainable seafood products and greater
confidence that our fisheries are sustainably managed.
I encourage all stakeholders to have their say on the proposed amendments. Your feedback will be
considered when finalising the changes to the Fisheries Regulation 2008, which are expected to occur
by September 2019.


The Hon. Mark Furner MP
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries



Process to date
In January 2019, the Queensland Government released a directions paper on fisheries reforms. This
paper outlined the proposed direction for reforming some of the state’s most important fisheries—the
trawl, crab and east coast inshore fisheries.
Extensive consultation has occurred over the last 18 months on options and allocation approaches.
Detailed consultation reports are available online at fisheries.qld.gov.au.


                                               Discussion                              Discussion    Fisheries
                                 Sustainable                              Discussion                             Implement-
                  Green paper                  papers on     Directions                 paper on    Regulation
       MRAG                       Fisheries                               papers on                                ation of
                  on fisheries                   reform       paper on                 regulatory     remade
    review 2014                   Strategy                                allocation                               reforms
                  reform 2016                   options     reform 2019      2019       changes     September
                                    2017                                                                            2020
                                                  2018                                    2019         2019




All feedback has been considered by the relevant working groups and the Sustainable Fisheries Expert
Panel, and a number of changes have been made as a result of the feedback. This is now the final
round of public consultation on proposed changes to implement the fisheries reforms in
legislation. Harvest strategies will be released for public consultation, separate to the legislation
changes, later in 2019.

The need for reform
The proposed amendments to the Fisheries Regulation 2008 will contribute to a modern and
responsive system of fisheries management that is transparent, consultative and based on the best
available information. The result will be more sustainable fisheries, a better recreational fishing
experience, a profitable commercial fishing sector and improved stakeholder engagement.
The need for fisheries reform in Queensland was driven by a number of reviews, starting with the
MRAG review in 2014 followed by a green paper in 2016, which received more than 11 000
submissions. The overwhelming message was that all stakeholders wanted the management of
fisheries to be reformed. Most stakeholders agreed that doing nothing is not an option.
The current management arrangements are complex, inefficient and do not effectively control fishing
effort and/or catch in most of Queensland’s fisheries. They have resulted from many years of ad hoc
actions, rather than strategic management. The necessary tools—like sustainable catch limits and
indicators to inform performance through harvest strategies—are not in place to manage our fisheries

                                                                                                                              2