Operating a net fishery
Structural adjustment payments: Stage 1 extended
Eligible commercial licence holders affected by the phase-out of gillnets on the Great Barrier Reef or the Great Sandy Marine Park rezoning can now apply for structural adjustment payments.
Closing dates have been extended so commercial licence holders have more time to get independent advice and submit their applications.
Queensland’s major commercial net fisheries are the:
Queensland's commercial net fishery is a multi-species fishery. Fishers target different species at different times of the year.
Fishery symbols
Cancelled symbols
N1, N2, N4 and S symbols are no longer valid from 1 January 2024.
East coast
- N10: Net fishery (east coast—no. 4)
- N11: Net fishery (no. 11)
- N15: Net fishery (management region 5)
- NX: Net fishery (limited life—management region 2–4)
Ocean beach
- 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)
Gulf of Carpentaria
- N3: Net fishery (Gulf of Carpentaria—no. 1)
- N12: Net fishery (Gulf of Carpentaria—offshore)
- N11: Net fishery (no. 11)
- N13: Net fishery (Gulf of Carpentaria—offshore)
Management
Harvest strategies
Working groups
Operating areas
Ocean beach
- Area of the K1 net fishery
- Area of the K2 net fishery
- Area of the K3 net fishery
- Area of the K4 net fishery
- Area of the K5 net fishery
- Area of the K6 net fishery
- Area of the K7 net fishery
- Area of the K8 net fishery
East coast inshore
Gulf of Carpentaria
- Area of the N3 Gulf of Carpentaria net fishery
- Area of the N11 Gulf of Carpentaria net fishery
- Area of the N12 net fishery
- Area of the N13 net fishery
N10: Net fishery (east coast—no. 4)
- Selected foreshore waters in:
- Moreton Bay region
- Great Sandy Strait region.
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 – varies depending on the fishery symbol
- 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.
Equipment
Permitted fishing equipment varies across fishing symbols and fishing areas:
- east coast inshore fishery use mainly mesh nets, with seine nets used in ocean beach fisheries
- Gulf of Carpentaria inshore fishery mainly uses mesh nets.
- Last reviewed: 13 Feb 2024
- Last updated: 27 Feb 2024