Also known as harvest or collection fisheries, these fisheries are valued around $15 million per year, and there are five major commercial fisheries in this category:

• Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery - valued at $6 million with 28 operators taking around 200 tonnes per year.
• Aquarium Fish Fishery - valued at $4 million with 41 full-time operators and 14 restricted operators in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
• Sea Cucumber (or Beche-de-Mer) Fishery - valued at $4 million with three operators permitted to take a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 380 tonnes per year.
• Coral Fishery - valued at $1 million with 36 operators permitted to take a TAC of 200 tonnes per year.
• Trochus Fishery - valued at $0.7 million with six operators permitted to take a TAC of 300 tonnes per year.
• Additionally, there are also two smaller collection fisheries for specimen shells and bait (worms and yabbies).

Management

The dive-based fisheries are managed by the Fisheries Queensland, but a permit from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is also required for operations within the Marine Park.

There are no Management Plans in place for any of the dive-based fisheries but management arrangements include limited entry, quota, fishing gear restrictions and area restrictions.