The Commission convened for its 103rd meeting in Sydney. The meeting was scheduled to coincide with the biennial Seafood Directions Conference.
Industry status and consultation
The Commission considered written updates from industry associations. The reports generally indicated continuation of hardship caused by well-known issues of spatial squeeze, operational and investment uncertainty and high operating costs exacerbated by fuel price increases. The Commission was encouraged by the positive industry responses to AFMA's calls for regulatory improvement proposals but noted the challenge AFMA faces in dedicated resources outside of business as usual. The Commission encouraged AFMA Management to continue to work with industry proponents to prioritise improvement opportunities, while ensuring that Resource Assessment Groups, Management Advisory Committees and the Commission are adequately involved in any significant reforms.
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA) Board
The Commission met with the CFA Board for the second time this year and discussed strategic opportunities for cooperation to ensure AFMA's regulation of the fishing industry continues to meet legislated objectives, but reflects the context of smaller fisheries and increased environmental protection through marine parks and other spatial exclusions.
The CFA updated the Commission on its Commonwealth Fisheries Security project. It was generally agreed that the culmination of the CFA project, AFMA's ongoing regulatory reform, the Futures of Seafood project and development of the National Food Security Strategy together provide an important opportunity to elevate fisheries issues and drive improvements in both regulation and industry performance.
Both AFMA and CFA have identified the need for analysis to support "risk retirement", that being a process to quantify and explain the reduced risk that fisheries pose to the marine environment now compared to in the past as a result of decades of effort from multiple stakeholders and sectors, including improved fisheries monitoring and science, harvest strategy implementation, greater independent monitoring, smaller fleets and expanded fisheries closures and marine parks.
It was generally agreed that while there is great strength in participating in a nation-wide, seafood sector-wide process and approach, there are also issues specific to Commonwealth commercial fisheries on which CFA will continue to approach AFMA and Government directly. The Commission supported that view, and AFMA outlined some priority issues to pursue in the short term, such as the risk work outlined above to recognise hard fought improvements, cross-jurisdictional regulatory simplification, and streamlined arrangements for environmental approval of Commonwealth fisheries.
Seafood Industry Australia (SIA) and Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (BECRC)
The Commission welcomed Dr John Ackerman (SIA) and Ms Angela Williamson (BECRC) and congratulated Dr Ackerman on his appointment as SIA CEO. SIA/BECRC updated the Commission on finalisation of the Futures of Seafood project and intentions for the upcoming Seafood Directions conference.
The strong intention was to use the Futures of Seafood Roadmap and the analytical work that sits behind it to inform an industry and government response promoting opportunities for improvement, rather than to focus on the status quo and the challenging circumstances that are driving current pessimistic outlooks.
The Commission noted strong synergy between the key issues raised in this discussion and in conversation with the CFA, and committed to continued engagement with SIA, BECRC and the Futures of Seafood project generally.
San Remo Fishermen's Cooperative (SRFC)
The Commission welcomed Mr Wolgang Platzer. Mr Platzer was invited to the meeting, following his participation in the 2025 and 2026 annual public meetings, to provide his perspectives on fisheries issues and particularly the interplay with offshore energy production. Mr Platzer outlined that while there are many pressures in the gillnet fishery, there are also signs of confidence and optimism, including a transition to a younger generation of fishers, and some investment in new vessel capacity.
The Commission discussed several issues such as ongoing consultation between industry and windfarm proponents to achieve innovative co-existence and provide greater certainty to industry than a simple compensation method, and the role of industry bodies such as the SRFC in community engagement and education.
The Commission thanks Mr Platzer for his attendance and welcomed his invitation for Commissioners to visit the SRFC.
Joint meeting with Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) Board
The Commission met with the FRDC Board for the first time, although it was noted that senior staff from each agency regularly meet with each other and with the respective Board/Commission.
The Board and Commission discussed a wide range of shared issues including:
General agreement on areas for future research prioritisation, particularly around innovative assessment methods at the stock and ecosystem level, and subsequent modernisation of fisheries management standards and policy frameworks.
The Commission supported FRDC's decision to move to a system of regional Fisheries Advisory Panels to replace the current jurisdiction-based Research Advisory Committees. While it was generally agreed that there was more detail to work through, the Commission acknowledged that a regional approach could result in better synergies across jurisdictions and stimulate co-investment in projects of common interest.
Participants shared their outlook on the status of the sector and the importance of strong synergy between industry and government agencies to deliver maximum benefit from the sustainable management of Australia's fisheries resources.
It was agreed that direct interaction at this level is extremely useful, and the Commission and Board should endeavour to meet annually.
Regulatory Improvement and Streamlining
The Commission received an update on AFMA Management's ongoing priority to identify areas of regulatory improvement in line with the government Productivity agenda Minister's Statement of Expectations and AFMA's own Statement of Intent. The Commission supported AFMA's call to industry for specific proposals on bespoke improvements that could assist industry to adapt to higher fuel prices by increasing operating efficiency.
Trawl Sector Seal Mitigation Strategy (Seal Strategy)
The Commission noted that one of the expected outcomes of EM implementation in the Commonwealth Trawl Sector, Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery, and other fisheries is enhanced reporting of Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species. This has been observed in many other fisheries in Australia and around the world when independent monitoring is introduced or enhanced.
The Commission supported the intent of the draft Seal Strategy to better quantify and understand the nature and magnitude of interactions in the first instance while progressing mitigation measures that are expected to significantly reduce them. The Commission noted that further development of the Seal Strategy may be required over time, but that the content and approach is fit-for-purpose now.
The Commission approved the draft Seal Strategy for public consultation release, subject to minor amendments.
Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) Sawfish Mitigation Strategy
The Commission noted that one of the expected outcomes of EM implementation in the NPF, and other fisheries is enhanced reporting of Endangered, Threatened and Protected (ETP) species. This has been observed in many other fisheries in Australia and around the world when independent monitoring is introduced or enhanced.
The Commission noted that the sawfish strategy is the culmination of years of work between industry, scientists, the Northern Prawn Fishery Industry (NPFI) and AFMA, including through a dedicated stakeholder workshop held in November 2025.
The Commission endorsed the approach set out in the Sawfish Strategy for:
- Rapid, but staged implementation of reduced bar spacing on Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), implementing the results of the successful research trials conducted by NPF Industry.
- Work to better understand the nature and magnitude of interactions using EM data.
- Continued exploration of other technical measures.
The Commission approved the NPF Sawfish Mitigation Strategy, subject to minor amendments.
Coral Sea Aquarium Fishery Harvest Strategy
The Commission strongly supported the improvements proposed for the harvest strategy, particularly the inclusion of contemporary abundance estimates, and trigger points related to them. The Commission noted that there are some potential complexities between the actions taken in response to different triggers and requested that AFMA Management produce some worked examples of different scenarios to provide implementation clarity in advance of any actual events.
The Commission noted the small scale and intermittent nature of the fishery, and recommended that AFMA Management continue to work closely with Queensland to seek opportunities for aligning management and reducing cost.
The Commission approved the Coral Sea Fishery Harvest Strategy, subject to minor amendments.
Torres Strait Black Teatfish Fishery (TSBTF)
The Commission received a presentation on the successful completion of the 2026 TSBTF season, including the first trial of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) in the fishery, and the enhanced management information it produced. While the Commission does not oversee Torres fisheries, it was generally agreed that periodic updates such as this are important to seek common management approaches, and in recognition of the significant resourcing that AFMA Management dedicates to Torres Strait fisheries.
The Commission supported the work and congratulated the Protected Zone Joint Authority on the successful VMS trial.
AFMA Risk Management Framework
The Commission noted that AFMA Management has updated its Risk Management Framework, including revising policy and procedure, and redeveloping its Enterprise Risk Register (ERR). The Commission reviewed the revised ERR, particularly focusing on those risks that are most directly relevant to the work and authority of the Commission.
The Commission supported the ERR and requested that future versions include greater narrative on the controls that are in place for each, to demonstrate the individual risk ratings.
Next meeting
The next Commission meeting will be held in Canberra on 15 and 16 September 2026.
Helen Kroger
Chairman
