East coast inshore fishery
Structural adjustment payments
Applications are still open for supply chain business diversification grants, gillnet buyback and gillnet reel boat refit grants for eligible commercial licence holders, and businesses affected by the:
- phase-out of gillnets on the Great Barrier Reef
- Great Sandy Marine Park rezoning
- new Gulf of Carpentaria gillnet-free areas.
Cancelled symbols
N1, N2, N4 and S symbols are no longer valid from 1 January 2024.
Fishery symbols
Net fisheries:
- N10: Tunnel netting
- N11: Small mesh netting
- N15: Net fishery (management region 5)
- NX: Net fishery (limited life—management region 2 to 4)
Ocean beach net fisheries:
- K1: Net fishery (ocean beach—area 1)
- K2: Net fishery (ocean beach—area 2)
- K3: Net fishery (ocean beach—area 3)
- K4: Net fishery (ocean beach—area 4)
- K5: Net fishery (ocean beach—area 5)
- K6: Net fishery (ocean beach—area 6)
- K7: Net fishery (ocean beach—area 7)
- K8: Net fishery (ocean beach—area 8)
Line fisheries:
- L1: Line fishery (other than in Great Barrier Reef)
- L2: Line fishery (reef)
- L3: Line fishery (reef)
Management
Operating areas
Operating areas depend on the fishery and symbol:
Management regions
The east coast fishery is split into 5 management regions, across the east coast of Queensland.
Region 1:
- from latitude 10°30’ south, north of Cape York
- to 15º13.56' south, Cape Bedford.
Region 2:
- from latitude 15º13.56' south, Cape Bedford
- to 19°00’ south, near Balgal Beach.
Region 3:
- from latitude 19°00’ south, near Balgal Beach
- to 22°00’ south, between Carmilla and Clairview.
Region 4:
- from latitude 22°00’ south, between Carmilla and Clairview
- to 24°30’ south, Baffle Creek.
Region 5:
- from latitude 24°30’ south, Baffle Creek
- to the Queensland–New South Wales border.
Quota
The quota management depends on whether fish are:
- tier 1: key species that drive fishing behaviour in the east coast inshore fishery
- tier 2: other species of high commercial and recreational importance
- tier 3: all other species monitored for changes in fishing pressure.
Once the total allowable commercial catch (TACC) is reached in a management region, it becomes a no-take species in that region for the remainder of the quota season.
Tier 1 species
Tier 1 species are managed regionally through:
- individual transferable quota (ITQs)
- TACC.
All management regions:
- barramundi (Lates calcarifer)
- king threadfin (Polydactylus macrochir)
- grey mackerel (Scomberomorus semifasciatus).
Region 5 only:
- school mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus)
- whiting (Sillago spp.).
Tier 2 species
Tier 2 species are managed regionally through prescribed commercial catch (competitive TACCs).
All management regions:
- black jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus)
- sharks and rays (except hammerhead sharks)
- spotted mackerel (Scomberomorus munroi).
Regions 1 to 4:
- school mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus).
Region 5 only:
- sea mullet (Mugil cephalus)
- tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix)
- yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis)
- dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus).
Tier 3 species
Tier 3 species are all other fin fish species. These are monitored for changes in fishing pressure.
Licences
To operate in the fishery, you need a:
- primary commercial fishing licence with the relevant fishery symbol
- commercial fisher licence for the person in charge of fishing activities.
Reporting and monitoring
Commercial fishers must:
- report trip and catch notices
- complete daily logbooks
- keep sale dockets
- have vessel tracking on their boats
- comply with state marine park and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning rules.
Closures
- Barramundi is a no-take species between 1 November and 31 January each year.
Equipment
- Permitted fishing equipment varies across fishing symbols and fishing areas.
- Restrictions apply for taking certain species using fishing lines.
Target species
- Grey mackerel (Scomberomorus semifasciatus)
- School mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus)
- Whiting (Sillago spp.)
- Sea mullet (Mugil cephalus)
- Black jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus)
- Sharks and rays (except hammerhead sharks)
- Tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix)
- Yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis)
- Dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus)
- Spotted mackerel (Scomberomorus munroi)
Size and take limits
Size limits apply to individual fish species.
Form requirements for species in the inshore fishery include:
- no inshore finfish can be landed in fillet form
- some can be gilled and gutted and trunked
- otherwise all finfish must be landed whole.
Refer to the Fisheries Declaration 2019 for details.
- Last reviewed: 13 Feb 2024
- Last updated: 1 Aug 2024