30 April 2016
At its meeting of 27-28 April, the independent AFMA Commission set the catch limits for commercial species in the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF) for the 2016-17 season, commencing 1 May 2016.
The total allowable catch (TAC) for each of the seven Commonwealth commercial species is listed below.
|
Species |
2016-17 TAC (t) |
|
| Jack mackerel | East | 18670 |
| West | 3600 | |
| Blue mackerel | East | 2630 |
| West | 6200 | |
| Redbait | East | 3310 |
| West | 2880 | |
| Australian sardines | East | 1880 |
TACs are reviewed every season to ensure that species caught in Commonwealth fisheries are not subject to overfishing.
The TACs have been set at the same levels as the 2015-16 season. This decision allows time for additional testing of, and consultation on, proposed changes to the SPF Harvest Strategy.
More information about AFMA’s management of the SPF can be found at afma.gov.au