Operating a trawl fishery

Management

• Harvest strategies apply to each trawl region:
  • Northern trawl region
  • Central trawl region
  • Southern inshore trawl region
  • Southern offshore trawl region
  • Moreton Bay trawl region.
• The trawl fishery working group provides operational advice on the management of the east coast otter trawl fishery.

Operating areas

• Area of the T1 trawl fishery
• Area of the T2 trawl fishery
• Area of the M1 and M2 Moreton Bay trawl fishery
• Area of the T4 trawl fishery
• Area of the T5 trawl fishery
• Area of the T6 trawl fishery
• Area of the T7 trawl fishery
• Area of the T8 trawl fishery
• Area of the T9 trawl fishery

Quota and effort units

• East coast otter trawl fishery operates on an effort quota system.
• Fin fish (stout whiting) trawl fishery operates on total allowable commercial catch (TACC).
• River and inshore beam trawl fishery has no effort quota or catch limits in place.

Equipment

Check the gear and net requirements for the specific fishery you plan to work in. Trawl fishing gear restrictions apply and differ between the trawl regions.

Trawlers are allowed to:

• tow more than 1 otter trawl or beam trawl
• use both beam and otter trawl gear to take prawns.

All vessels used in a trawl fishery must have an approved vessel tracking unit.

Bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) are mandatory for all otter trawls and beam trawls.

Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) are mandatory for:

• all otter trawls
• some beam trawl nets.

Illegal gear

Some fishing devices are illegal because they can damage the seafloor and the fishery.

You cannot use or possess:

• trawl spikes
• ploughs
• rippers
• similar devices that attach to trawl sleds, boards or beams.

Otter and beam trawl nets are regulated to:

• manage the total amount of 'swept area' in the fishery
• minimise the impact on non-permitted species.

Check the net and gear requirements for the specific fishery symbol on your primary commercial fishing licence.

Closures

Trawling is prohibited or restricted in specific areas to:

• protect habitat and nursery grounds
• maintain broodstock
• reduce bycatch.

Areas closed to trawling:

• areas closed under fisheries legislation
• areas closed to fishing in Queensland marine parks
• areas closed to fishing under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan (2003)
• waters over 300m deep (trawling at such depths is not feasible)
• otter trawl fishing is not permitted in estuaries.