The Commission met in Lakes Entrance on 8-9 March 2016. While in Lakes Entrance, Commissioners and AFMA senior executives met with the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA) and also with industry to discuss current issues. Commissioners also visited the Lakes Entrance Fishermen’s Cooperative to inspect operations and discuss business conditions. Consultant, Brian Ramsay, gave a presentation on his work on developing a peak industry body for the seafood industry.
Key decisions taken by the Commission at its meeting included:
Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery: 2016-17 Total Allowable Catches
Total Allowable Catch (TAC) limits and amounts and percentages for overcatch and undercatch for the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) for 2016-17 fishing year were agreed.
Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery Total Allowable Catch for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 fishing seasons
Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for the Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery (MITF) for the 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons, which commence on 15 April 2016 and 15 April 2017 respectively, was agreed. Bycatch limits for other species taken in the MITF in each season were also agreed.
Appointment of three Management Advisory Committee Chairs
The Commission agreed to appoint three Management Advisory Committee Chairs to the Great Australian Bight Trawl Management Advisory Committee (GABMAC), the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Management Advisory Committee (SEMAC) and the Southern Bluefin Tuna Management Advisory Committee (SBTMAC) for the period 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2019.
Amendment of the SESSF Plan
The Commission determined the amendments to the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) Plan to bring a small number of species currently managed under Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs) outside the Statutory Fishing Rights (SFRs) arrangements under SFRs and thereby align and simplify key target species management in the SESSF. These will now be forwarded to the Assistant Minister for acceptance.
Fishery Management Plans Amendments 2016
The Commission determined to remove the mandatory requirement to carry a copy of the extract of the Statutory Fishing Rights (SFR) Register (the extract) on board a Commonwealth fishing boat from six management plans. Not only will this deliver a consistent approach across all Commonwealth fisheries on the carriage of Fishing Concessions, it will also reduce unnecessary administrative burden on industry. This amendment will now be forwarded to the Assistant Minister for acceptance.
The Commission deferred its decision on revisions to the Small Pelagic Harvest Strategy and the subsequent setting of TAC limits for the 2016-17 season for the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF) until it had received additional information in regard to a number of science and policy elements. The Commission will meet again in late April to ensure that arrangements are in place for the 2016-17 SPF season commencing 1 May 2016.
The Commission also discussed AFMA Management strategies to ensure sustainability of commercial and bycatch species potentially at risk; the results of the 2015 MAC and RAG self assessments; AFMA Management’s current review of Fisheries Management Policy No 5 – Exploration of Fish Resources; and the outcomes from the first meeting of the Economic Working Group.
A letter from SETFIA proposing a closer working relationship with AFMA was also considered by the Commission. The proposal suggested that this was best achieved by the establishment of a SETFIA/AFMA Co-Management Working Group (CMWG). This would complement work being undertaken by South East MAC. The Commission agreed to respond positively to SETFIA providing its comments on the proposal.
Norman Moore
Chairman
April 2016