East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery
The East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery is Queensland’s largest fishery in terms of number of operators. It comprises the commercial sector, a large recreational sector of around 800,000 anglers and an Indigenous sector. The fisheries operate in estuaries and tidal rivers, on the foreshore and adjacent waters.
The commercial net fishery comprises some 300 fishing vessels operating in the GBR Marine Park and landing around 2,800 tonnes per year, valued at $15 million. The key target species is barramundi, but other commercially valuable species include threadfin salmon, small mackerels (grey and school mackerels) and tropical sharks. Most of the species taken by the commercial net sector are for domestic consumption. A smaller commercial line fishery also operates for school and spotted mackerel. Although highly variable from year to year, catches in the commercial East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery have ranged between 6,000 to 7,500 tonnes per year. The recreational take for some of the inshore finfish species is higher than the commercial catch.
The East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery, managed by the QDPI&F, has been a limited entry fishery since 1984. However, formal management arrangements through a Management Plan are yet to be introduced. Commercial operators are authorised to use specialised gear within prescribed areas. Gear limitations include restrictions on the number of nets, net design, length and mesh size. There are also rules about the deployment and attendance of nets. Legal size limits, designed to protect the spawning capacity of stocks, apply to many species in both the commercial and recreational sectors. For barramundi, there is a closed season during summer that applies to all sectors.
Within the GBR Marine Park, net fishing is permitted only within the General Use (light blue) and Habitat Protection (dark blue) zones. Bait netting is permitted also in the Conservation Park (yellow) zone. Since 1997, 15 Dugong Protection Areas, in which netting is restricted or prohibited, have been established in the GBR Marine Park.
