The tiger prawn season officially opens on 1 August 2016 in the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF).
To ensure all operators are up to date with the NPF requirements the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) will be attending key ports to conduct pre-season briefings in late July.
Operators are encouraged to attend the briefings with AFMA Fisheries Officers, Management Staff, representatives from the Northern Prawn Fishery Industry and Officers from the United States of America (USA) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Pre-season briefings will be conducted at the following locations:
| Port | Date and Time | Location |
| Cairns | Sunday 24 July (8:30-9:30am) | Cairns – Austral Fisheries Office
Shed 4, Dutton Street |
| Darwin | Monday 25 July (9am-10am) | Darwin – NT Seafood Council
Level1, Darwin Shipstores Building Fisherman’s Wharf |
| Karumba | Tuesday 26 July (3:30pm-4:30pm) | Karumba – Raptis Office |
Operators are reminded of the following:
- floats must be attached to the top one-half of all TEDs with bottom escape openings
- the grid must be at an angle between 30 and 55 degrees, and
- the double cover flap overlap must not exceed 38 cm.
To make sure USA export accreditation can be renewed NOAA Officers will be inspecting gear to ensure it complies with their regulations on turtle excluder devices (TEDs).
TEDs allow any turtles that may swim into fishing nets to safely escape without losing the target catch of prawns and they are mandatory in the NPF.
For more information on management arrangements for the Northern Prawn Fishery, visit www.afma.gov.au.