The Australian Fisheries Management Authority's (AFMA) National Compliance Team is reminding operators in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) that they need to understand and follow the trip limits for State managed species.
Sectors of the SESSF operate in both Commonwealth and some State waters under different Offshore Constitutional Settlement (OCS) arrangements with State governments. Under the OCS arrangements, catch limits and no take provisions for relevant Commonwealth and State managed species are agreed between the jurisdictions. Trip limits and associated catch arrangements for Commonwealth operators are prescribed in either concession conditions or the Fisheries Management Regulations 2019, and are summarised is the SESSF Management Arrangement Booklet.
It is important for operators to note that under the Fisheries Management Regulations 2019, the species trip limits are applied based on which State the catch is landed to, not where they are caught. For example, boats fishing in waters off Tasmania that unload in Victoria are subject to the limits prescribed for the state of Victoria.
AFMA monitors compliance with trip limits through logbooks, catch disposal records and at port inspections. AFMA fisheries officers aim to help operators understand their obligations, however, non-compliance will be treated seriously and investigated by AFMA.
