East coast Spanish mackerel fishery
Management changes
- The East coast Spanish mackerel harvest strategy was amended in December 2025.
- The total allowable commercial catch (TACC) increased from 165 tonnes to 250 tonnes from 1 February 2026.
- Fishers who own Spanish mackerel quota will receive additional quota, which will be credited to their FishNet Secure accounts.
Fishery symbols
- SM: Spanish mackerel fishery
Management
Operating area
The SM symbol can be used only in the area defined for the east coast line fishery symbol(s) appearing on the same licence:
- Area of the L1 line fishery
- Area of the L2 line fishery
- Area of the L3 line fishery
- Area of the L8 line fishery
Quota
The fishery is a quota-managed fishery:
- total allowable commercial catch
- individual transferable quota units allocated to each licence.
Licences and permits
To operate in the fishery, you need a:
- primary commercial fishing licence with
- an SM symbol
- and
- an L1, L2, L3 or L8 symbol.
- commercial fisher licence for the person in charge of fishing activities.
A filleting permit is required to fillet this species, and a sufficient Spanish mackerel quota.
While fishing in the east coast Spanish mackerel fishery under an L1, L2, L3 or L8 symbol, a fisher with:
- a C1 or C2 symbol on that licence – may also take crab under those symbols if they hold sufficient crab quota
- an RQ symbol on that licence – may also take reef line quota species if they hold sufficient quota of the relevant quota category.
Otherwise, you must not take fish in more than one commercial fishery at the same time.
Reporting and monitoring
Commercial fishers must:
- report trip and catch notices
- pre-trip notice
- amending notice
- transhipment notice
- prior notice
- weight notice
- catch disposal record
- retained fish notice
- emergency notice
- complete daily logbooks
- keep sales dockets
- have vessel tracking on their boats
- comply with the state marine park and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning rules.
Closures
- Annual closed seasons apply.
- Northern closed season:
- Two 3-week periods (6 weeks total) each year—dates align with new moon periods in October and November and timed to commence with the reef line fishery closures.
- Apply to east coast waters north of latitude 22˚S (located slightly north of Stanage Bay, between Mackay and Yeppoon).
- Southern closed season:
- Two 3-week periods (6 weeks total)—1 to 21 February and 1 to 21 March each year.
- Applies to east coast waters south of latitude 22˚S (located slightly north of Stanage Bay, between Mackay and Yeppoon).
Closed water:
- Platypus Bay (near K'gari, formerly Fraser Island)—Spanish mackerel cannot be taken in this area due to the risk of ciguatoxin contamination.
Equipment
- Fish can be taken using fishing lines.
- Restrictions depend on the fishing symbol you are operating under.
- Fishers cannot fish from land (must fish from a boat) in this fishery.
Target species
- Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson).