Fisheries (Sustainable Fisheries Strategy) Amendment Bill 2018

Overview

This bill reforms Queensland's fisheries laws to implement the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2027. It introduces harvest strategies for more responsive management of fish stocks, creates tough new penalties for illegal fish sales (black marketing), and formally recognises charter fishing and Indigenous traditional fishing as distinct sectors.

Who it affects

Commercial, recreational, and charter fishers will operate under a modernised management framework. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have their traditional fishing rights formally recognised. Those involved in illegal fish sales face significantly increased penalties including imprisonment.

Key changes

• Harvest strategies introduced as the key fisheries management tool, with pre-agreed rules for responding to changes in fish stocks
• New trafficking offence for selling priority species (mud crab, coral trout, spanish mackerel, rock lobster) with penalties up to 3 years imprisonment or $465,000
• Inspector powers expanded to enter seafood trade premises, access vehicles and electronic records, and use body-worn cameras
• Mandatory vessel tracking equipment for commercial fishing boats
• 20-metre exclusion zone established around shark control apparatus (nets and drumlines) for public safety
• Charter fishing formally recognised as a distinct fishing sector alongside commercial, recreational, and Indigenous fishing