Heard Island and Mcdonald Islands Fishery
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Submission for the re-assessment of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery January 2012 This report has been prepared by AFMA for consideration by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities in relation to the exemption of the HIMI Fishery from export controls under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Table of contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................3 1.1 Target and bycatch species........................................................................................................................7 1.2 Management arrangements employed in the Fishery.................................................................................8 1.3 Fishing methods employed (gear types).....................................................................................................9 1.4 Fishing area..............................................................................................................................................12 1.5 Allocation between sectors.......................................................................................................................13 1.6 Governing legislation/fishing authority ......................................................................................................13 1.7 Status of export approval/accreditation under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (EPBC Act) ......................................................................................................................................14 2 Management.............................................................................................................14 2.1 Changes to management arrangements (if applicable) ............................................................................14 2.2 A statement of the performance of the fishery against objectives, performance indicators and performance measures.............................................................................................................................14 2.3 Compliance risks present in the fishery and actions taken to reduce these risks .....................................15 2.4 Consultation processes ............................................................................................................................16 2.5 Description of cross-jurisdictional management arrangements ................................................................17 2.6 Outcomes of review processes (if applicable) ..........................................................................................17 2.7 Demonstration of compliance with TAP’s, recovery plans, etc and also relevant domestic and international agreements (where applicable)............................................................................................17 3 Research and Monitoring ..........................................................................................17 3.1 Results of any research completed relevant to the fishery, including how results will be incorporated into management of the fishery............................................................................................17 3.2 Description of monitoring programs used to gather information on the fishery.........................................18 3.3 Results of any collaborative research undertaken for the fishery .............................................................19 4 Catch data.................................................................................................................22 4.1 Total catch of target species (including retained and discarded catch) ....................................................22 4.2 Total catch of target species taken in other fisheries................................................................................22 4.3 Catch of by-product species .....................................................................................................................23 4.4 Total catch of bycatch species..................................................................................................................23 4.5 Harvest by each sector (ie: commercial, recreational, indigenous and illegal)..........................................23 4.6 Effort data including information on any trends.........................................................................................24 4.7 Spatial issues/trends.................................................................................................................................24 5 Status of target stock.................................................................................................24 5.1 Resource concerns...................................................................................................................................24 5.2 Results of any stock assessments............................................................................................................26 5.3 Results of any stock recovery strategies (if applicable) ............................................................................27 6 Interactions with protected species ...........................................................................27 6.1 Frequency and nature of interactions .......................................................................................................27 6.2 Management action taken to reduce interactions and results of such action............................................27 7 Impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem in which it operates ....................................28 7.1 Results of any Ecological Risk Assessments ...........................................................................................28 7.2 Nature of impacts on the ecosystem.........................................................................................................30 7.3 Management action taken to reduce impacts and results of such action..................................................31 8 Progress in implementing recommendations and conditions .....................................31 8.1 Description of progress in implementing each recommendation and condition ........................................31 8.2 Reasons for any missed deadlines...........................................................................................................31 8.3 Expected completion dates if actions running behind schedule................................................................31 8.4 How the measures implemented to address the recommendations and/or conditions have improved management of the fishery........................................................................................................31 9 References................................................................................................................32 10 List of acronyms........................................................................................................33 Attachment A Recommendations to the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) on the ecologically sustainable management of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Fishery...........34 3 1 Introduction The Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Fishery lies in waters adjacent to the Islands of the same name. The Islands are Australia’s most remote sovereign territory and are located on the Kerguelen Plateau in the south Indian Ocean, about 4,000 kilometres south-west of Perth. The fishery extends from 12 nautical miles offshore to the edge of the 200 nautical mile Australian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around the Islands. These Islands are the only unmodified example of a sub-Antarctic island ecosystem in the world. They provide valuable breeding and feeding areas for many species of marine mammals and birds, while supporting a vast array of endemic invertebrates. They are included on the register of the National Estate and the World Heritage List. Strict environmental management measures have been in place since access to the fishery was first granted in 1995. These measures are incorporated in the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery Management Plan 2002 (the HIMI Plan) and supporting legislative instruments, developed under the Fisheries Management Act 1991 . The HIMI Fishery falls within the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) Convention area (see figure 1), and is managed by AFMA in close cooperation with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) in accordance with CCAMLR Conservation Measures. Given the environmental significance of the area, AFMA and CCAMLR are committed to minimising the impacts of fishing on the marine environment and have adopted a precautionary approach to management. This approach considers the effects of harvesting on target, dependent and associated species, and ecological relationships, to ensure sustainability of target species stocks and the broader marine environment. The target species are Patagonian Toothfish ( Dissostichus eleginoides) and Mackerel Icefish ( Champsocephalus gunnari ). Figure 1: Location of the HIMI Fishery within the CCAMLR Convention area The HIMI Fishery was the first Commonwealth fishery to be assessed and granted an export exemption under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). This exemption took effect on 14 May 2002 and expired on 13 May 2007. A further 5 year exemption