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 (Australia’s National Catch Allocation) Determination 2021
Subsection 17(5) of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (the Act) provides that a plan of management made under the FM 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 17.2 of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fisheries Management Plan 1995 (the Plan) provides that AFMA must determine the amount of Australia’s national catch allocation for each season. It further provides that this amount must not exceed ninety-five percent of the allocation to Australia under any decision made under paragraph 3 of article 8 of the Convention for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna made by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna that applies to that season.
The Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Australia’s National Catch Allocation Determination 2021 (the Determination) is a legislative instrument for the purposes of the Legislation Act 2003.
The Determination determines Australia’s national catch allocation for the season commencing 1 December 2020 and ending on 30 November 2021.
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% of Australia’s annual CCSBT allocation will be available to the commercial sector.
The commercial SBT Fishery is managed using Statutory Fishing Rights (SFRs) which 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 6 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, Water Resources and the Environment, AFMA and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences attended the 27th Annual Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna meeting 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 also considered the issue of domestic allocations at its September 2020 meeting and unanimously supported setting the Australian national catch allocation using the amended resource sharing arrangements under the Plan.
The Commission’s Decision
The AFMA Commission determined Australia’s national catch allocation at its meeting 12-13 November 2020. The Commission was satisfied that the Determination is consistent with AFMA’s obligation to pursue its statutory objectives, specified in section 3 of the Act and section 6 of the Fisheries Administration Act 1991. The Commission’s determined national catch allocation is 5,926,500 kilograms, which is 95% of Australia’s CCSBT allocation.
Regulation Impact Statement
The Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) 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) reflecting where AFMA is required to make decisions under current regulatory settings and follow certain procedures when making those decisions.
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 outlined below.
Details of the Determination are set out below:
Clause 1 Provides for the Determination to be cited as the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery (Australia’s National Catch Allocation) Determination 2021.
Clause 2 Provides that the Determination commences on 1 December 2020.
Clause 3 Provides that the Determination ceases on 1 December 2021.
Clause 4 Provides that the Determination is made pursuant to paragraph 17(6)(aa) of the Act under subclause 17.2 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 that Australia’s national catch allocation for the fishing season commencing on 1 December 2020 and ending on 30 November 2021 to be 5,926,500 kilograms.