TEP animal logbook

To report interactions with threatened, endangered and protected (TEP) animals, use a TEP animal logbook.

All commercial fisheries must complete a TEP animal logbook. The commercial fisher in control of the fishing operation is responsible for meeting the reporting requirements.

TEP animals

A TEP animal is:

Species that are no-take under fisheries legislation are not necessarily TEP animals. For example, Queensland groper is a no-take species but is not listed under the NC Act or the EPBC Act.

Interactions with no-take species that are not TEP animals are not reported in the TEP animal logbook. No-take species are only reported in the daily catch and effort logbook if discards reporting is required.

The following species are TEP animals.

    • Flatback turtle (Natator depressus)
    • Green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
    • Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
    • Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
    • Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
    • Olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)
    • Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
    • Brydes whale (Balaenoptera edeni)
    • Dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)
    • Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)
    • Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis)
    • Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
    • Australian humpback dolphin (Sousa sahulensis)
    • Australian snubfin dolphin (Orcaella heinsohni)
    • Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops species)
    • Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
    • False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens)
    • Fraser's dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei)
    • Killer whale (Orcinus orca)
    • Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
    • Spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata)
    • Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
    • Grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus)
    • Longfin mako (Isurus paucus)
    • Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus)
    • Porbeagle shark (Lamna nasus)
    • Scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini)
    • Shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)
    • Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis)
    • Speartooth shark (Glyphis glyphis)
    • Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
    • Freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni)
    • Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus)
    • Dwarf sawfish (Pristis clavata)
    • Freshwater sawfish (Pristis pristis)
    • Green sawfish (Pristis zijsron)
    • Narrow sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata)
    • Albatrosses (Diomedeidae)
    • Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus)
    • Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)
    • Darters (Anhinga species)
    • Diving petrels (Pelecanoides species)
    • Frigate birds (Fregata species)
    • Gadfly petrels (Pterodroma species)
    • Gannets and boobies (Sulidae)
    • Gulls (Laridae)
    • Petrels (Procellariidae)
    • Prions (Pachyptila species)
    • Shearwaters (Puffinus species)
    • Skuas (Stercorarius species)
    • Storm petrels (Hydrobatidae)
    • Terns (Sterna species)
    • Tropic birds (Phaethon species)
    • Delicate ghostpipefish (Solenostomus leptosomus)
    • Longtail ghostpipefish (Solenostomus armatus)
    • Ornate ghostpipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)
    • Robust ghostpipefish (Solenostomus cyanopterus)
    • Roughsnout ghostpipefish (Solenostomus paegnius)
    • Halimeda ghostpipefish (Solenostomus halimeda)
    • Bentfin devilray (Mobula thurstoni)
    • Black rockcod, black cod and saddled rockcod (Epinephelus daemelii)
    • Dugong (Dugong dugon)
    • Dunckers pipehorse (Solegnathus dunckeri)
    • Estuary stingray (Hemitrygon fluviorum)
    • Giant devilray (Mobula mobular)
    • Giant manta ray (Mobula birostris)
    • Kuhl's devilray (Mobula kuhlii)
    • Merten's water monitor (Varanus mertensi )
    • Mitchell's water monitor (Varanus mitchelli)
    • Pallid pipehorse (Solegnathus hardwickii)
    • Pipefish (other than Pallid and Dunckers pipehorse) and seahorses (Syngnathidae)
    • Reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi)
    • Sand yabby (Cherax robustus)
    • Seasnake (Hydrophiinae)
    • Water mouse, false water rat and Yirrkoo (Xeromys myoides)

What to report

An interaction with a TEP animal means physical contact between:

  • a person, boat or fishing apparatus involved in a fishing operation
  • and
  • the animal.

Physical contact includes all catching (hooked, netted, entangled or entrapped) and collisions between the animal and a vessel involved in the fishing operation.

You must record the:

  • fishing method
  • location of physical contact
  • interaction type
  • date of interaction
  • number of TEP animals sorted by their release condition (dead, alive and uninjured, alive but injured)
  • tag or band number (if present)
  • species.

How to complete

You must report all interactions in:

  • your paper TEP animal logbook
  • or
  • via the Qld eFisher app.

The logbook must be completed before the end of the day of the interaction with the TEP animal or before the fishing operation ends—whichever occurs first.

You need to have it available for immediate inspection during the fishing operation.

QLD eFisher app

You can submit your TEP animal logbook through the Qld eFisher app if:

Record all interactions with TEP animals in the TEP animal logbook section (under 'Logbook effort').

This must be submitted within 24 hours after the fishing operation ends.

Paper logbook

The paper logbook must be:

  • submitted within 7 days after the fishing operation ends
  • received by Fisheries Queensland no more than 15 days after the end of the month for which the record is made.

You can check if the logbook pages have been received on FishNet Secure, under 'Log Page Receipt'.

You can request a copy of submitted logbook pages.

Phone 13 25 23 if you need a logbook.

Access summary reports

The Qld eFisher fishing operation summary reports are emailed to the fisher at the end of the fishing operation.

You can also request a summary of logbook data.

Why this is required

Under the EPBC Act, commercial fishers must report all interactions with protected species.

Reporting these interactions is necessary to maintain Australian Government Wildlife Trade Operation (WTO) approvals.

The WTO approvals:

  • allow certain Queensland fisheries to export seafood to international markets
  • are used in Australia to market sustainably sourced seafood
  • protect commercial fishers against prosecution for unintentional interactions with protected species.