On 30 January 2012, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) announced measures, aimed at protecting sea lions, that alter management arrangements in the Gillnet, Hook and Trap Sector of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF). The changes significantly reduce the number of fishing related Australian Sea Lion (ASL) deaths that will trigger the closure of the fishery to commercial net fishing. This will provide more protection to the many ASL colonies that gather food within the waters of the fishery. Following consultation with marine mammal experts and other stakeholders the zone based bycatch level for the ASL Management Zone (located in South Australia) of the fishery has been reduced to a total of 15 animals. This new level is seen as more appropriate as the small, genetically distinct populations that exist in the fishery are unlikely to be able to withstand significant levels of mortality. As the new levels will be applied retrospectively from the start of the fishing season (1 May 2011), zone A within the fishery will be closed to gillnet fishing for 18 months, due to the revised trigger level having already been breached. A Regulation Impact Statement was prepared by AFMA and assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.
- Managing interactions with ASL in the Gillnet, Hook and Trap Sector of the SESSF: application of zone based bycatch interaction trigger levels RIS - Word version [
538 KB] - Managing interactions with ASL in the Gillnet, Hook and Trap Sector of the SESSF: application of zone based bycatch interaction trigger levels RIS – PDF version [
195 KB]