Commercial Fishing

This bill overhauls Queensland's fisheries management by introducing harvest strategies as the key tool for managing fish stocks, strengthening enforcement against black marketing of seafood, and formally recognising charter fishing and Indigenous fishing in the law. It implements the Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2027, backed by $20.9 million in funding for better monitoring, compliance and stakeholder engagement.

This bill closes a regulatory gap by bringing the last 5% of Queensland's commercial boats under the national marine safety system. It applies the Commonwealth's Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law to vessels owned by individuals, sole traders and partnerships that operate only in Queensland waters, so every commercial vessel in the state follows the same national safety rules.

This bill rewrites parts of Queensland's marine safety laws so they fit alongside Commonwealth laws that have regulated commercial vessels since 2013. It creates a new category called 'Queensland regulated ship' to cover recreational boats and low-risk vessels like surf lifesaving craft that remain under state control, and removes Queensland rules that are now handled nationally.

This bill makes sweeping changes across agriculture, fisheries, biosecurity and animal management in Queensland. It bans dangerous dog breeds and introduces statewide dog control laws with tough new penalties, establishes mandatory onboard monitoring for commercial fishing vessels to protect the Great Barrier Reef, strengthens biosecurity emergency response powers, and modernises several other agricultural regulatory frameworks.