COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION (APPROVED WILDLIFE TRADE OPERATION—QUEENSLAND AQUARIUM FISH FISHERY) DECLARATION 2026
I, BELINDA JAGO, Branch Head, Ocean and Wildlife, as Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water, have considered in accordance with section 303FN of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) the application from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries, public comments on the proposal as required under section 303FR, and advice on the ecological sustainability of the operation. I am satisfied on those matters specified in section 303FN of the EPBC Act. I hereby declare the operations for the harvesting of specimens that are or are derived from fish or invertebrates, taken in the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery as defined in the management regime in force under the:
- Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld)
- Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019 (Qld)
- Fisheries (Commercial Fisheries) Regulation 2019 (Qld)
- Fisheries Declaration 2019 (Qld),
but not including:
- specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 209 of the EPBC Act (Australia’s List of Migratory Species), or
- specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 248 of the EPBC Act (Australia’s List of Marine Species), or
- specimens that belong to eligible listed threatened species, as defined under section 303BC of the EPBC Act, or
- specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 303CA of the EPBC Act (Australia’s CITES List), except for silvertip shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatus), bignose shark (Carcharhinus altimus), graceful shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchoides), grey reef shark (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos), pigeye shark (Carcharhinus amboinensis), spinner shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna), nervous shark (Carcharhinus cautus), Australian blackspot shark (Carcharhinus coatesi), creek whaler (Carcharhinus fitzroyensis), bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), common blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus), hardnose shark (Carcharhinus macloti), blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus), dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus), sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus), spot-tail shark (Carcharhinus sorrah), Australian blacktip shark (Carcharhinus tilstoni), sicklefin lemon shark/sharptooth lemon shark (Negaprion acutidens), milk shark (Rhizoprionodon acutus), Australian sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon taylori) and whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus).
to be an approved wildlife trade operation, in accordance with subsection 303FN(2) and paragraph 303FN(10)(d), for the purposes of the EPBC Act.
Unless amended or revoked, this declaration:
- is valid until 23 April 2027 and;
- is subject to the conditions applied under section 303FT specified in Schedule 1.
Dated this 20th day of March 2026
Belinda Jago
………….…….…………………………………
Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water
Notes:
- Under the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024, a person whose interests are affected by this decision may apply for a statement of reasons and for independent review of the decision. An application for a statement of reasons may be made in writing to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water within 28 days of the date of the declaration. An application for independent review may be made to the Administrative Review Tribunal on payment of the relevant fee within 28 days of the date of the declaration, or if reasons are sought, within 28 days of receipt of reasons. Further information may be obtained from the Director, Sustainable Fisheries and CITES Policy Section, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Email: sustainablefisheries@dcceew.gov.au.
- Australia’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are met through Part 13A of the EPBC Act. Specimens of species listed in Appendix II of Australia’s CITES list under section 303CA of the EPBC Act may only be exported, under a CITES export permit issued under the EPBC Act, if Australia’s CITES Scientific Authority has issued a non-detriment finding for that species. Further information is available from https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/wildlife-trade/cites.
Schedule 1
Declaration of the harvest operations of the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery as an approved wildlife trade operation, March 2026
ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS (section 303FT)
Relating to the harvesting of specimens that are, or are derived from, fish or invertebrates, other than specimens of species listed under Part 13 and Part 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), unless those specimens are subject to any exceptions as outlined in this declaration, taken in the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery:
Condition 1
The operation of the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery must be carried out in accordance the Queensland Fisheries Act 1994, Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019, Fisheries (Commercial Fisheries) Regulation 2019, Fisheries Declaration 2019.
Condition 2
The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must inform the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of any intended material changes to the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery management arrangements that may affect the assessment against which Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 decisions are made.
Condition 3
The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must inform the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of any intended changes to fisheries legislation that may affect the legislative instruments relevant to this approval.
Condition 4
The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must provide annual reports on the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water by 30 September annually, as per Appendix B of the Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries - 2nd Edition (2007).
Condition 5
The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must:
a) By 31 October 2024, finalise and publish the level 2 species-specific assessment for the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery. The assessment should be undertaken in accordance with the Fisheries Queensland Ecological Risk Assessment Guideline, consider all available information, including information on the spatial distributions of key species, and address species-specific risks for all species in a precautionary way.
b) By 30 November 2026, implement all risk mitigation recommendations identified in the level 2 assessment.
Updates on implementation of these recommendations must be included in annual reports to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water in accordance with condition 4.
Condition 6
By 30 November 2026, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must review and if necessary, update the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery harvest strategy to ensure it:
a) considers the outcomes from the Level 2 Environmental Risk Assessment
b) manages risks to individual species and ecosystem functions, including risks associated with environmental disturbance and localised depletion.
A copy of the revised harvest strategy must be published and sent to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water by 30 November 2026.
Condition 7
By 30 September 2024, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must facilitate reporting of all species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) caught (retained or discarded) in the Queensland Aquarium Fish Fishery to a species-level.
The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must include details of any retained or discarded catches of CITES-listed species to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water annually as part of Condition 4.
Condition 8
If, during the term of this Wildlife Trade Operation approval, the Great Barrier Reef experiences conditions that are likely to cause severe heat stress and coral bleaching, indicated by six consecutive Degree Heating Weeks, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must meet with the Department of Climate Change, Energy the Environment and Water and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to discuss appropriate management responses. This meeting should be pre-emptive to:
- consider the extent and severity of impact over the Great Barrier Reef
- discuss and explore required fisheries management responses to reduce fishing pressure on sensitive target species and enable heat-sensitive target species to recover.
Note: The name of this document was amended on registration as the document as lodged did not have a unique name (see subsection 11(2), Legislation Rules 2026).