Under the Small Pelagic Fishery (Closures) Direction No.1 2015, zone 6 detailed in the Direction, was closed to mid-water trawling for a period of six months from 17 June 2015. The zone was closed a result of a dolphin mortality by the fishing vessel the Geelong Star. This zone has now reopened to mid-water trawling.
There have been no dolphin mortalities in the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF) since 17 June 2015.
AFMA will continue to monitor the vessel 24/7 using a GPS tracking system known as a Vessel Monitoring System. The requirement for all mid-water trawl vessels in the SPF to use electronic monitoring will also remain in place, along with an AFMA Observer on board for the first 12 months and then on board for at least 20 per cent of trips.
Any dolphin mortalities by mid-water trawling, in any of the seven management zones, will continue to result in the closure of that respective zone for six months.