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

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries administers the Act which is part of a complex network of Federal
and State laws regulating fisheries. The State Government regulates fisheries resources and any change to the
management arrangements will require the agreement and subsequent regulatory approval of the
Queensland Government. Some key fisheries management issues for the Net Fishery include;

          Investment Warning - The Queensland Government issued an Investment and Increased Effort
           Warning3 notification for Queensland commercial fishers on the 6th March 2014. The purpose of issuing
           the warning is to notify commercial fishers that a review of the management of Queensland’s fisheries
           is about to commence that will result in future changes to the management of fisheries in Queensland,
           and that existing and new operators in all Queensland commercial fisheries are warned that any
           expansion of fishing effort or increased investment in these fisheries after 6 March 2014, may not be
           recognised in assessing applications for new or continued access to these fisheries, following the
           implementation of any new management arrangements that may be put in place following, or during,
           the implementation of the outcomes of this review.
          Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) - As part of the government’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-
           2027 vessel tracking4 will be required on all commercial fishing boats by 2020 with a priority to install
           units on net, line and crab commercial fishing boats. This includes boats fishing in the Noosa
           waterways. This regulation took effect on 1st January 2019 meaning all fishing vessels are now recorded
           when fishing.
          Development of Harvest Strategy underway – The net fishery is likely to have a suite of new
           arrangements by the middle of 2020, including species-based whole-of-fishery catch limits aimed at
           recovering stocks to 60% of natural abundance, individual fisher catch quotas on the 5-6 main species
           which drive effort and behaviour in the fishery, and bycatch strategies and catch disposal records
           aimed at improved compliance and other measures.
There are two distinct net fisheries operating in the Noosa waterways and beaches. The K8 ocean
beach fishery and the N1 net fishers who predominately fish the river and lakes.




3
 https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/1396372/Investment-and-increased-effort-warning-
notification-for-all-Queensland.pdf

4 https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/sustainable/sustainable-fisheries-strategy/vessel-

tracking

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