4 August 2015

The 47th AFMA Commission meeting was held in Darwin in June 2015, below is a summary from the Chairman, Norman Moore.

  • The Commission met in Darwin on 24 to 25 June 2015, enabling a visit to the Australian Defence Force’s Northern Command (NORCOM) headquarters for briefings on compliance and enforcement operations in northern waters.
  • Commissioners also took the opportunity to meet with senior officers from Northern Territory (NT) Fisheries to discuss future fisheries’ management priorities both nationally and in the NT.
  • Main issues discussed and key decisions taken by the Commission included:
    • Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery (BSCZSF)
      • The Commission noted that surveys had been completed to estimate scallop biomass in the BSCZSF. Four beds had been located and drawing on this, the Scallop Resource Assessment Group (ScallopRAG) and the Scallop Management Advisory Committee (ScallopMAC), together with AFMA Management, had provided advice on areas of closure and proposed total allowable catch (TAC) to maintain sustainability whilst supporting economic commercial operations.
      • In accepting this advice, the Commission agreed to determine an initial TAC of 2001 tonnes for the 2015 fishing season, with potential to increase the TAC should trigger catch points be reached.
    • Scientific advice to the Commission regarding the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF)
      • The Commission requested further advice from AFMA Management on the possible use and effective operation of a scientific panel to provide scientific advice regarding the SPF for consideration at the August Commission meeting.
    • AFMA criteria for assessment of international standards and risks
      • In accepting the application of the proposed AFMA criteria, the Commission noted the Government’s approach to reducing regulatory burden included providing for the acceptance of trusted international standards without imposing any additional requirements for approval in Australia, unless there were demonstrably good reasons not to do so.
      • The Commission requested AFMA Management to continue to monitor the application of criteria in assessing international standards and consider more strategic approaches for the future including identification of objectives, their implications, and engagement with industry.
    • The Commission appointed members to the Northern Prawn Management Advisory Committee (NORMAC), Sub-Antarctic Management Advisory Committee (SouthMAC) and Tropical Tuna Management Advisory Committee (TTMAC), each for a period of three years from 1 July 2015.
    • The Commission discussed AFMA’s role in the future management of recreational fisheries noting that AFMA had limited resources for any initiatives to manage recreational fishing and that the Authority’s mandate was focused on commercial fishing. However, the Commission agreed that considerable work was still required to explore actions for the future if Australia was to be able to respond effectively to the 2018 deadline by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) for members to account for all forms of fishing mortality for SBT. To this end the Commission requested AFMA Management to develop a paper for consideration by the Commission on a road map to meet the CCSBT decision by 2018. The road map would detail strategic issues involved in implementing the CCSBT decision by 2018 including an engagement process (particularly with the States/NT) and AFMA’s role in this implementation.
    • The Commission discussed the outcomes of studies on the regulatory costs (Commonwealth and states) in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) and the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF). Given the variable but in some cases significant cost impacts on the fishing industry from government regulation (Commonwealth and state), the Commission agreed on the importance of AFMA continuing to pursue its efforts to reduce regulatory burden.
    • The Commission agreed it was important that opportunities be provided for its expertise to be drawn on in preparing material for comment by stakeholders during the development of future fisheries policies.
  • The Commission discussed a number of fisheries management developments including AFMA strategies for managing high risk and overfished species; major outcomes from recent meetings of RAGs and MACs; AFMA’s ongoing work in the Torres Strait including progress in the development of a management plan for the Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery; and the status of financial and human resources in AFMA.