2019-07-18 OM Agenda - Item 1 - Attachment 1 - Noosa Fishing Futures

         DEVELOP A CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE MULLET FISHERY & ADDRESSING THE AUTHORISATION
                        FISHING PRIORITY ISSUES PREVALENT IN THE OCEAN BEACH MULLET FISHERY
                                                         Chapter 5, Division 2, Subdivision 1, 2, and 3
                                                                          235, Meaning of ready to fish;
                                                          236, Fishing Priority, Ocean Beach Fisheries;
                                                       237, Fishing Priority, Other Commercial Fishers;
                                                                       238, Duration of Fishing Priority;
                                                                 239, Joint Fishers Taken to be 1 Fisher;


The development of a Code of Practice for the mullet fishery in Region 616 (between the NSW QLD border and
just north of Bundaberg) once the fisheries allocation process has been completed that seeks to address
longer-term management issues for this key species would benefit the participants of the fishery. This would
include regular stock assessment and scientific research to determine the long-term ecosystem impacts of
removing large quantities of spawning fish from the biomass every year. As species populations decline due
to a combination of harvesting, recovery of affected species populations becomes increasingly less possible. A
Code of Practice would also ideally be the platform to address any remaining conflict issues that are not
addressed by the outcome of the harvest strategy, including a proposal for a weekend closure and possibly
even moving the fishery off the beaches on the NNS to a location inside the Noosa River mouth as suggested
by a local recreational fishing group representative. A Code of Practice would be a living breathing document
and establish a process to validate any future changes to mullet netting practises during the autumn/winter
spawning migration and beyond with local net fishers driving the process.




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     https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/1438865/inshore-allocation-discussion-paper.pdf

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