Extending throughout Queensland’s East Coast, approximately 70 per cent of this fishery occurs in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the commercial fishery comprises several sectors.

The largest of these in the Marine Park is the tiger and endeavour prawn fishery conducted mainly between Cape York and Cape Conway (south of Airlie Beach) in the lagoonal areas of Marine Park.

The northern king prawn fishery occurs mainly in waters north of Shoalwater Bay and operates in near-reef areas and inter-reefal gutters. Banana prawns are caught in shallow inshore areas adjacent to major estuaries.

Apart from prawns, the fishery also targets saucer scallops (in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park) and bugs (for example: Moreton Bay Bugs).

Some 60 additional species of molluscs, crustaceans and finfish are retained as limited by-product.

Management

The fishery is managed by Fisheries Queensland and came under formal management arrangements in 1999 through the introduction of a Trawl Plan that was subsequently reviewed.

This plan was subsequently reviewed, and more stringent management arrangements were introduced in January 2001.

The effort was capped through the allocation of effort quota in the form of tradeable effort units, based on an operator’s fishing history in the fishery.

There were also major closures (some 96 000 km2) of previously untrawled grounds. A $20 million structural adjustment program was offered to buy-out 99 licences, in what was considered an overcapitalised fishery.

The number of vessels fishing this fishery has declined significantly from its peak in the early 1980s, when some 1400 operators were licensed to fish.

As a result of structural adjustment in the fishery, there are now only 450 operators in the fishery.  Of these, about 400 operate in the Marine Park, landing around 6000 tonnes of product annually estimated at about $80 million.

Trawling is permitted only in the General Use (Light Blue) Zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Fisheries Queensland applies restrictions on gear, areas and times of access and size and possession limits on the take of certain species.

All trawl vessels operating in the fishery are monitored via a satellite-based Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), which allows management agencies to locate a boat’s position at any time.

A major issue with demersal (seafloor) trawling is the large amount of unwanted by-catch and the physical impact on the seabed.

All vessels must carry turtle excluder devices and by-catch reduction devices to minimise the by-catch and benthic impact of trawling.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Fisheries Queensland and the Queensland Seafood Industry Association are working together to review the available ecological information on the fishery.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is managed as a multiple-use area. It is important that activities conducted are ecologically sustainable to ensure the Reef’s long-term protection.

To better understand the impacts of the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery, and identify any sustainability concerns, a comprehensive and robust risk assessment of this fishery in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has been completed.

The ecological risk assessment was a collaborative project between the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), Fisheries Queensland, and Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) with input from fishers, managers, scientists and others.

Positive steps have been, and are being, taken by trawl fishers to reduce the risks from trawling to the species, seabed communities and habitats of the Great Barrier Reef Region. For example, mandatory use of turtle excluder devices throughout the otter trawl fishery for the last decade has greatly reduced the incidental catch of loggerhead turtles and other large animals such as sharks.

The assessment has updated understanding of the risks from trawling in the Great Barrier Reef. This understanding allows focused efforts to reduce risks where necessary.

Key findings from the assessment include:

Risks from trawling have reduced in the Great Barrier Reef Region since the introduction of a fishery management plan in 1999 and subsequent management actions.
Marine Park zoning has been important in reducing risks from trawling.
Commercial fishers have been proactive in seeking and using better fishing practices to reduce trawling impacts.
Current risk levels from trawling activities in the Region are generally low. Under current practices and based on 2009 effort levels the overall ecological risks from trawling to harvested species and to the broader environmental values and integrity are low.
Some specific risks from trawling remain. High risks were identified for 11 species of skates and rays and two species of sea snakes and a poorly known upper continental slope habitat in the southern Great Barrier Reef Region.
Trawl fishing effort is a key driver of ecological risk. Risks may increase if fishing effort levels increase.

Where to from here?

Managers and fishers will continue to work together in partnership to prioritise and address the remaining risks. Many of the identified risks could potentially be further reduced through targeted improvements in areas such as effort management and bycatch reduction.

The Ecological Risk Assessment of the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park consists of:

Summary report: Provides a condensed overview and the key findings of the ecological risk assessment.
Technical report: Presents the key steps in undertaking the ecological risk assessment of the fishery and includes discussion and implications of the findings.
Data report: Supporting volume containing datasheets from the assessment.

Further information:

Review of the Queensland East Coast Trawl Fishery
By-catch from the Queensland otter trawl fishery and the effects of by-catch reduction devices
Reducing the impact of Queensland's trawl fisheries on protected sea snakes
Queensland East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
CRC Reef - Queensland's East Coast Trawl Fishery

More than 120 reef species are taken in this fishery that is concentrated between Cooktown and the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and made up of a commercial and recreational (including charter) sector.

The most common species include coral trout, red throat emperor, red emperor, tropical snappers, reef cods and some pelagic species (including Spanish mackerel).

The fishery targets whole dead, filleted and live fish. The latter is growing rapidly due to the high prices paid on Asian markets, with more than 50 per cent of the commercial reef line catch now destined for the overseas live fish market.

Management:

The Reef Line Fishery is managed by the Fisheries Queensland under a Management Plan. Until the introduction of a quota system in July 2004, the fishery was managed under a limited entry system.

With the introduction of a quota system, commercial catches were capped at a Total Allowable Catch of 3061 tonnes per year for coral reef fish and 619 tonnes per year for Spanish mackerel.

Commercial operators in the fishery eligible for a RQ or SM endorsement were allocated Individual Transferable Quotas based on their catch history.

The new system caps the level of harvest in the Reef Line Fishery, while providing greater flexibility for the operators in trading their quota.

Seven species are prohibited from commercial take for conservation concerns, iconic values or ciguatera concerns. Legal size limits also apply to many species.

Access and gear restrictions also apply under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning arrangements.

Information on the recreational take in the Reef Line Fishery is less available, with surveys of recreational fishers estimating the recreational catch of coral reef finfish species at 2494, and 406 tonnes for Spanish mackerel.

Further information:

Fisheries management
Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report

This is Queensland’s largest fishery in terms of number of operators and includes commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishers operating in tidal rivers, estuaries and along the foreshores and adjacent waters.

The commercial net fishery comprises some 300 fishing vessels operating in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and landing around 2800 tonnes per year, valued at $15 million.

The key target species is barramundi, but other commercially valuable species include threadfin salmon, small mackerels (grey and school mackerels) and tropical sharks.

Most of the species taken by the commercial net sector are for domestic consumption. A smaller commercial line fishery also operates for school and spotted mackerel.

Although highly variable from year to year, catches in the commercial East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery range from 6000 to 7500 tonnes per year.

The recreational take for some of the inshore finfish species is higher than the commercial catch.

Management:

The East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery, managed by Fisheries Queensland, has been a limited entry fishery since 1984.

Revised management arrangements were introduced on 1 July 2009. Principally they tightened up net attendance rules and gave formal direction to the shark component of the fishery.

Commercial operators are authorised to use specialised gear within prescribed areas. Gear limitations include restrictions on the number of nets, net design, length and mesh size. There are also rules about the deployment and attendance of nets.

Legal size limits, designed to protect the spawning capacity of stocks, apply to many species in both the commercial and recreational sectors. For barramundi, there is a closed season during summer that applies to all sectors.

Within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, net fishing is permitted only within the General Use (light blue) and Habitat Protection (dark blue) zones. Bait netting is permitted also in the Conservation Park (yellow) zone. Since 1997, 15 Dugong Protection Areas, in which netting is restricted or prohibited, have been established in the Marine Park.

Amendments to commercial netting rules in Bowling Green Bay Species Conservation (Dugong Protection) Special Management Area

Amendments to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983 were introduced in December 2011 to increase protection to dugong within the Bowling Green Bay Species Conservation (Dugong Protection) Special Management Area.

The rule changes further restrict commercial net fishing within the existing Species Conservation (Dugong Protection) Special Management Area.

Clarification of rules in Dugong Protection Area Bs for net fishing Amendments to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983 give greater protection to dugong in and around headland areas, by restricting the use of set mesh nets in certain parts of particular Dugong Protection Area Bs.

The changes are a technical amendment to clarify long-standing existing netting rules, by providing clear definitions of areas around headlands where the use of offshore set nets is prohibited to reduce the risk of incidental catch to dugong.

Amendments to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983 were introduced in December 2011 to increase protection to dugong within the Bowling Green Bay Species Conservation (Dugong Protection) Special Management Area.

The amendments to netting rules were implemented to address concerns about the level of unsustainable dugong mortalities in the area.

The changes were largely developed through the initiative of local fishers as part of the Burdekin Regional Management Project, to reduce the risk of incidental catch of dugong in commercial mesh nets. There are no changes to other fishing activities in the area.

These changes have been developed in consultation with, and supported by, Queensland Seafood Industry Association, Fisheries Queensland, and the Department of Environment and Resource Management.

What are the new netting arrangements?

The map shows the two defined areas where the changes to rules apply. The information sheet explains the details of the new netting arrangements.

The new restrictions on net fishing are:

In the 'No Netting Area', no netting activities (other than bait netting) are allowed.

In the 'Restricted Netting Area', larger dimension nets are prohibited, but limited lower-risk netting activities are allowed.

The precise boundary descriptions and provisions for netting in the area are described in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 1983. Existing Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning and other fishing rules still apply.

Why the changes?

The changes have been initiated and developed in consultation with local fishers who recognised the need to increase protection to dugong following recent unsustainable levels of dugong mortalities in the area.

What does this mean for net fisherman?

Commercial net fisherman need to make sure they are familiar with the rules, and ensure they aren't illegally fishing within Bowling Green Bay.

The information sheet and map are designed to help commercial net fisherman get to know what the rules are and where they apply.

• Also known as harvest or collection fisheries, these fisheries are valued around $15 million per year, and there are five major commercial fisheries in this category:
• Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery - valued at $6 million with 28 operators taking around 200 tonnes per year.
• Aquarium Fish Fishery - valued at $4 million with 41 full-time operators and 14 restricted operators in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
• Sea Cucumber (or Beche-de-Mer) Fishery - valued at $4 million with three operators permitted to take a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 380 tonnes per year.
• Coral Fishery - valued at $1 million with 36 operators permitted to take a TAC of 200 tonnes per year.
• Trochus Fishery - valued at $0.7 million with six operators permitted to take a TAC of 300 tonnes per year.
• Additionally, there are also two smaller collection fisheries for specimen shells and bait (worms and yabbies).

Management:

The dive-based fisheries are managed by the Fisheries Queensland, but a permit from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is also required for operations within the Marine Park.

There are no Management Plans in place for any of the dive-based fisheries but management arrangements include limited entry, quota, fishing gear restrictions and area restrictions.