Application for Reassessment Under the EPBC Act of the Queensland Sea Cucumber Fishery

Application for reassessment under the EPBC Act of the

Queensland Sea Cucumber Fishery

GENERAL INFORMATION
Area of the fishery / The Sea Cucumber Fishery (East Coast) operates along the east coast Queensland within theGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park(GBRMP) area (Figure 1).

Figure 1.Map of the Queensland Sea Cucumber Fishery (East Coast)
Gear used / Harvest is by hand collection. Divers either use free diving methods, hookah equipment (air hoses attached to air pumps on a boat) or Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) gear.
Recreational users are only permitted to harvest by hand without the aid of hookah apparatus or SCUBA.
Information page / Queensland Sea Cucumber Fishery Information:
(mainpagewith links to various report)
Queensland Harvest Fisheries summary page (Sea Cucumber Fishery) -
Business Industry Portal Sea Cucumber Fishery-
MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS
Legislation / QueenslandFisheries Act 1994 - .
Regulations, exemptions and/or licence designations / Queensland Fisheries Regulation 2008 -
Management plan / No fishery specific management plan
Other management documents / Co-managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Operators in the Queensland Sea Cucumber Fishery require a permit to access the Marine Park.
FISHERY STATUS
Annual report / Annual Fishery Summary report -
Stock assessment / Stock status assessment 2015 -
Ecological risk assessment / No ERA for this fishery
SPECIES
Target species / The Sea Cucumber Fishery(East Coast) targets sea cucumber species, otherwise known as holothurians.
The bulk of the catch is typically made up of only a small number of high valued species. Key species include:
• white teatfish (Holothuria fuscogilva)
• burrowing blackfish (Actinopyga spinea)
• curryfish (Stichopus vastus and Stichopus hermanni).
Byproduct species (retained) / There is no byproduct harvested in the Queensland Sea Cucumber (EastCoast) Fishery, due to the selective harvest method (hand-collection) and wide range of permitted species.
Bycatch species (non-retained) / There is negligible bycatch in the fishery, due to the highly selective and targeted harvest method (hand-collection) used.
Protected species / Interactions with protected species are minimal due to the highly selective method of harvest (hand collection).
PROGRESS AGAINST PREVIOUS EPBC CONDITIONS (DELETE IF NOT APPLICABLE)
Condition 1: Operation of the fishery will be carried out in accordance with the management regime under the Queensland Fisheries Act1994 and Queensland Fisheries Regulation 2008. / Met
All operations in the Queensland Sea Cucumber Fishery were carried out under the appropriate legislation.
Condition 2: Queensland DAFF to inform the DoEEof any intended material changes to the Queensland Sea Cucumber Fishery (East Coast) management arrangements that may affect the assessment against which Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act1999 decisions are made. / Met
Queensland DAF is considering amendments to the description of the fishery in legislation to include an area encompassing Ashmore and Boot Reefs in the far northern section of Queensland waters, adjacent to the Torres Strait Protection Zone. Queensland DAF has been issuing General Fisheries Permits to access this area within the constraints of the rotational harvest strategy since 2008.
The decision regarding this change has been delayed until further notice. DoEE will be informed of any progress before changes are made.
Condition 3: Queensland DAFF to produce and present reports to the DoEEannually as per Appendix B of the Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries - 2ndEdition. / Ongoing
Queensland DAF continues to produce and present reports annually to the DoEE.
PROGRESS AGAINST PREVIOUS EPBC RECOMMENDATIONS (DELETE IF NOT APPLICABLE
Recommendation 1: Queensland DAFF to continue to develop and improve management arrangements for the fishery that allow for appropriate management actions to be taken, including if catch exceeds reference points, to ensure stocks levels remain ecologically viable. / Ongoing
Changes to management arrangements for the fishery are still under development.
Recommendation 2:
Queensland DAFF to encourage research relevant to management of sea cucumber species harvested in the fishery, including:

research identified as necessary to address current information gaps and reduce sustainability risks in the fishery, and
other research to continue to improve the understanding of the stock status of target species.

/ Ongoing
A survey of Black Teatfish resources within the fishery commenced in October 2015 and results were provided to Queensland DAF and GBRMPA in mid-2016 for joint agency consideration of increasing the annual quota for Black Teatfish.
At this time, Queensland DAF does not support an increase in the annual quota for Black Teatfish.
Recommendation 3:
Queensland DAFF to continue and encourage further co-operation with other relevant jurisdictions to pursue increased knowledge and complementary management of sea cucumber resources across fisheries and across jurisdictions. / Ongoing
Two species of sea cucumber were assessed in the Queensland Stock Status process in 2015 with a classification of ‘sustainable’ allocated to the stocks. The stock status process adopted the SAFS assessment framework including a workshop attended by GBRMPA.
Management of the fishery is in collaboration with GBRMPA.
Queensland DAF will continue to explore collaborative opportunities as they arise in the future.
Recommendation 4:
Queensland DAFF to compare spatial distribution of fishing effort before and after the north/south boundary in the fishery is removed and provide a report detailing the findings to the Department. Should any unsustainable trends be identified, Queensland DAFF should consider appropriate management intervention. / Ongoing
A report is being prepared for the DoEE and will be delivered before the due date.
Recommendation 5:
Queensland DAFF to ensure any change to the total allowable catch for black teatfish is supported by independent scientific verification of sustainable harvest levels. / Ongoing
A survey of Black Teatfish resources within the fishery commenced in October 2015. Queensland DAF convened a Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) that included sea cucumber experts, Tim Skewes and Eva Plaganyi, to evaluate the methodology and findings. The SAG were satisfied the outputs were scientifically valid. Industry has requested Queensland DAF to consider the results and to provide advice on increasing the TACC for Black Teatfish.
At this time, Queensland DAF does not support an increase in the annual quota for Black Teatfish.