Catch reporting requirements for quota fisheries

Certain fisheries have controls on total allowable catch and effort units. These are collectively referred to as 'quotas'.

Total allowable catch

Some quota fisheries in Queensland have a total allowable catch limit, which is set annually. Examples include the Spanish mackerel, Coral Reef and spanner crab fisheries.

Effort units

Trawl effort units convert to a fishing day based on the hull size of the boat being used. This type of quota applies to the east coast trawl fishery and the concessional trawl fishery.

Monitoring quota fisheries

Quota fisheries are monitored by a combination of:

• Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)
• Automated Integrated Voice Response (AIVR)
• logbook data
• compliance checks by Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol (QBFP).

Transferring your quota

Quota are transferable between the holders of licences with the appropriate fishery symbols. Quotas described in the conditions of an authority can generally be transferred by 2 holders applying to amend their licences: 1 party applies to decrease the quantity of quota by an agreed amount, and the other party applies to increase the quantity of quota by the same amount.

Transfers of quota not described in conditions can be either:

• temporary - provides the transferee with use of the quota until the end of the season in which the transfer occurs
• or
• permanent - the transferee becomes the owner of the quota.

Paper-based transfers of temporary and permanent quota require the transferor (owner) and transferee (purchaser/lessee) to complete sections of the form, and their signatures must be witnessed. You can use these transfer and amendment forms:

• Transfer quota application
• Temporary transfer quota application
• Amend authority application.

Temporary transfers of quota can be processed online by the transferor (owner), using FishNet Secure. To do this, the transferor must be a registered FishNet Secure user, and must know the boat mark under which the quota will be used.

Register for FishNet Secure.

Automated interactive voice response (AIVR) system

If you are a commercial fisher working in catch-based quota fisheries listed below, you must report your catch via Fisheries Queensland's AIVR system.

The following guides have details about reporting procedures for specific fisheries:

• beche-de-mer fishery
• black jewfish
• coral reef fin fish fishery (RQ) and Spanish mackerel fishery (SM)
• coral fishery
• fin fish (stout whiting) trawl.
• spanner crab fishery (C2)
• trochus fishery (J1)
• tropical rock lobster fishery (R)
• shark/ray fishery

Fisheries Queensland uses notices given through the AIVR to monitor quota usage, and uses a chain of auditable records to detect the possible development of a black market for illegally caught fish.

Landing and transport codes

You need to provide landing location or transport vessel details whenever you report your catch through the AIVR system. You can enter landing location details as either:

• the latitude and longitude for a place
• a landing code.

Transport vessel details can only be entered as a vessel transport code.

Landing codes

You can use a landing code rather than entering the latitude and longitude for a landing location. Landing codes are created by the Fisheries Queensland Quota Monitoring Unit and can be set up for any landing place within Queensland where a fisher regularly lands.

Vessel transport codes

If you are a commercial reef fish, Spanish mackerel and tropical rock lobster fisher, you must use a vessel transport code for when giving a transhipment notice. Vessel transport codes are created by the Quota Monitoring Unit and can be set up for any approved transport vessel.

Aeroplane transport codes

If you are a commercial tropical rock lobster fisher, you must use an aeroplane transport code when giving a transhipment notice. Aeroplane transport codes are created by the Quota Monitoring Unit and can be set up for any approved aeroplane transport vessel.

Record requirements

The following documents set out the requirements to give telephone notices and keep records:

• the Fisheries (East Coast Trawl) Management Plan 2010
• for Spanish mackerel - Fisheries Regulation 2008
• for tropical rock lobster - in the conditions attached to a commercial fishing boat licence