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Managing Interactions with Dolphins in the Gillnet Hook and Trap Sector of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery – Single-stage Regulation Impact Statement – Australian Fisheries Management Authority

On 18 September 2013, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) registered a continuation of an area closure, aimed at protecting dolphins in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery. The closure prohibits fishing by gillnets, in an area of the fishery off the South Australian coast, for a period of one year. Other measures will also be put in place, most notably 100 per cent monitoring requirements in areas adjacent to the closure, and allowing the use the hook fishing. The proposal has been assessed by the Office of Best Practice Regulation (OBPR) as likely to have relatively minor impacts on the broader economy and has therefore given this a ‘D’ rating (on a scale of A to D) in relation to the level of analysis required. The Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) looked at three options, and recommended the regulatory option. AFMA believe that without the closure and associated measures, the fishery’s accreditation and future operation could be at risk. They estimate that the closure will reduce revenue in the fishery by a maximum of $2.5 million per annum, if operators decide not to fish elsewhere in the fishery. The OBPR notes that as no decision has been previously announced an options-stage RIS was not required and that AFMA elected to undertake a single-stage RIS. The RIS was prepared and certified by AFMA and approved by the OBPR under the July 2013 Australian Government best practice regulation requirements.