All midwater trawl vessels fishing in the Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF) must have a Vessel Management Plan (VMP) approved by AFMA before they start fishing. This is a legal requirement and is a condition on the fishing concession to allow operators to fish within the fishery.
A review of the VMP for the FV Geelong Star was recently completed. The revised VMP came into effect on 31 October 2016. It can be found at afma.gov.au.
The review took into account comments from public consultation, seabird and marine mammal experts, the fishing industry, the South East Management Advisory Committee, the SPF Scientific Panel, and other government departments.
The revised VMP builds on revisions previously made in response to on-the-water experience.
The main changes to the VMP resulting from this review include:
- the removal of background and explanatory information
- streamlining of reporting requirements when an interaction with a protected species occurs to remove duplication
- further strengthening of the actions required if an interaction with a fur seal occurs
- wording changes to improve clarity.
A summary of changes can be found at afma.gov.au.
At a minimum, the VMP will be reviewed every 12 months. In addition, AFMA is continuing to review some areas of operation of the FV Geelong Star, including regional catch limits and protected species management, with advice from the SPF Scientific Panel and AFMA’s Marine Mammal Working Group.
Further information about how AFMA manages the SPF can be found at afma.gov.au.