EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by the Authority of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority
Fisheries Management Act 1991
Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Plan 1995
Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery (Actual Live Weight Value of a Statutory Fishing Right) Determination 2023
Subsection 17(5) of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (the Act) provides that a plan of management made under the Act may provide for the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) to give particular determinations for the purposes of attaining the objectives of the plan of management.
Paragraph 17(6)(aa) of the Act provides that a plan of management may determine or provide for AFMA to determine the fishing capacity measured, by that method or those methods permitted for the fishery or a part of the fishery in respect of a particular period or periods.
Subsection 18.3 of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Plan 1995 (the Plan) provides that before the commencement of the season if AFMA has determined AusCatch (Australia’s national catch allocation) for the season AFMA must determine the actual live weight value of a statutory fishing right for the season.
The Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery (Actual Live Weight Value of a Statutory Fishing Right) Determination 2023 (the Determination) is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2003.
The Determination determines the actual live weight value of a statutory fishing right for the SBT Fishery fishing season starting on 1 December 2022 and finishing on 30 November 2023. The values have been determined in accordance with the formulas for calculation provided in subsection 18.2 of the Plan.
The Fishery
Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) is a highly migratory species and is widely distributed throughout waters of the southern oceans, including the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ). Internationally the fishery is managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) of which Australia is a member. The Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery encompasses SBT fishing operations inside the AFZ (i.e. adjacent from 3 to 200 nautical miles around Australia) and on the high seas. Aside from New South Wales, under an Offshore Constitutional Settlement (OCS) agreement between the Commonwealth and the States/Territories, management of the SBT Fishery to the area of low water mark is the responsibility of the Commonwealth through AFMA. The Plan was amended in 2020 to implement the Government’s commitment to set aside five per cent of Australia’s CCSBT allocation for recreational fishing mortality. The set aside means that up to 95 per cent of Australia’s annual CCSBT allocation will be available to the commercial sector.
The commercial SBT Fishery is managed using Statutory Fishing Rights (SFRs) that allow holders to fish for SBT within the AFZ and the high seas. The majority of SBT are caught live and transferred from a tow cage into a farm where the fish are kept for an approximate six months grow-out period. Fishing occurs in offshore waters adjacent to Kangaroo Island, South Australia. The remainder are caught using longline methods, predominantly off south eastern Australia during the winter months. The recreational sector continues to be managed by the relevant states using bag and size limits.
Consultation
Representatives of the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, AFMA and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences attended the 29th Annual Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna meeting (October 10-14, 2022) as part of the Australian delegation. The meeting discussed and agreed national catch allocations for Australia and other member countries. The Southern Bluefin Tuna Management Advisory Committee noted potential CCSBT outcomes relating to Australia’s national catch allocation at its annual meeting in September 2022.
The Commission’s Decision
The AFMA Commission determined the actual live weight of a statutory fishing right for the season commencing 1 December 2022 at its meeting of 9-10 November 2022. The Commission was satisfied that the Determination is consistent with AFMA’s obligation to pursue its statutory objectives, specified in section 3 of the FM Act and section 6 of the Fisheries Administration Act 1991.
Regulation Impact Statement
The Office of Best Practice Regulation has previously identified that decisions by AFMA including the setting of a total allowable catch (TAC); setting opening and closing dates for a fishing season; and setting undercatch and overcatch provisions in a fishery, do not require a Regulation Impact Statement. Such decisions are considered to be machinery in nature and are included in an approved carve-out (OBPR reference no. 14421) for AFMA.
Statement of compatibility prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011
AFMA assesses under section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 that this legislative instrument is compatible with human rights. AFMA’s Statement of Compatibility is attached to this document.
Details of the Determination are set out below:
Clause 1 Provides for the Determination to be cited as the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery (Actual Live Weight Value of a Statutory Fishing Right) Determination 2023.
Clause 2 Provides that the Determination commences on 1 December 2022.
Clause 3 Provides that the Determination ceases on 1 December 2023.
Clause 4 Provides that the Determination is made pursuant to paragraph 17(6)(aa) of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 under subsection 18.3 of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Plan 1995.
Clause 5 Provides that a term used in the Determination and in the Plan or Act has the same meaning in the Determination as in the Plan or Act.
Clause 6 Determines the actual live weight value of a statutory fishing right for the season in the SBT Fishery that commences on 1 December 2022 and ends on 30 November 2023 is 1.11307856 kilograms.