Assessment of the NSW SUTS Fishery
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FISHERIES NSW Assessment of the NSW SUTS Fishery Prepared for the Department of the Environment for the purpose of assessment under Part 13 and 13(A) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 Published by the NSW Department of Primary Industries Assessment of the NSW Sea Urchin and Turban Shell Fishery - Prepared for the Department of the Environment for the purpose of assessment under Part 13 and 13(A) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 First published February 2015 More information Fiona McKinnon, Fisheries NSW www.dpi.nsw.gov.au Cover image: Sea urchin and turban shell species commonly taken in NSW SUTS Fishery. Source www.dpi.nsw.gov.au © State of New South Wales through the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services, 2015. You may copy, distribute and otherwise freely deal with this publication for any purpose, provided that you attribute the NSW Department of Primary Industries as the owner. Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing (February 2015). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date and to check currency of the information with the appropriate officer of the Department of Primary Industries or the user’s independent adviser. Assessment of the NSW Sea Urchin and Turban Shell Fishery Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Description of the Fishery............................................................................................................ 1 Species ................................................................................................................................... 1 Sea Urchin ........................................................................................................................... 1 Turban shell ......................................................................................................................... 1 Method of Harvesting .............................................................................................................. 2 Area and Season of Operation ................................................................................................ 2 Management Arrangements .................................................................................................... 2 Input controls ....................................................................................................................... 2 Output controls ..................................................................................................................... 2 Number of fishers .................................................................................................................... 3 Allocation between sectors ...................................................................................................... 3 Governing Legislation .............................................................................................................. 3 Status of export approval under the EPBC Act ........................................................................ 3 Management ............................................................................................................................... 3 Licensing arrangements .......................................................................................................... 3 Access to the SUTS Fishery ................................................................................................ 3 Licensing conditions specific to SUTS endorsements .......................................................... 3 NSW Commercial Fisheries Administration Guide ............................................................... 5 Legislation ............................................................................................................................... 5 Fisheries Management Act 1994 .......................................................................................... 5 Fisheries Management (General) Regulation 2010 .............................................................. 6 Fishing Closures ...................................................................................................................... 6 Intertidal protected areas ......................................................................................................... 9 Total Allowable Commercial Catch ........................................................................................ 10 Compliance Risks .................................................................................................................. 11 Compliance rates ............................................................................................................... 11 Consultation processes ......................................................................................................... 11 Commercial fishery consultation ........................................................................................ 11 Cross jurisdictional management arrangements .................................................................... 11 Compliance with TAPs, recovery plans, etc and also relevant domestic and international arrangements ........................................................................................................................ 11 Research and Monitoring .......................................................................................................... 12 Research priorities ................................................................................................................. 12 Results of any research completed relevant to the fishery ..................................................... 12 Monitoring programs .............................................................................................................. 12 Collection of catch and effort data ......................................................................................... 12 i NSW Department of Primary Industries, February 2015 Assessment of the NSW Sea Urchin and Turban Shell Fishery Catch Data ................................................................................................................................ 13 Total catch and value of the SUTS Fishery ............................................................................ 13 Harvest by each sector (commercial, recreational, Indigenous and illegal) ............................ 14 Status of target stock ................................................................................................................ 14 Interaction with threatened or protected species ....................................................................... 15 Frequency and nature of interactions ..................................................................................... 15 Management actions taken to reduce interactions and results of such actions ...................... 15 Impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem in which operates ....................................................... 15 Results of any Ecological Risk Assessments ......................................................................... 15 Nature of the impacts on the ecosystem including impacts on any key conservation values .. 16 Management actions taken to reduce the impacts ................................................................. 16 Appendix 1 ................................................................................................................................ 17 Sub zones of the SUTS Fishery ............................................................................................. 17 Assessment of the NSW Sea Urchin and Turban Shell Fishery Introduction This submission has been prepared by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) on behalf of endorsement holders in the NSW Sea Urchin and Turban Shell Restricted Fishery (the SUTS Fishery) in order to assist industry to obtain export approval by leveraging off the comprehensive legislative and policy framework for fisheries management in NSW. The following provides a report of the SUTS Fishery for assessment under Part 13 and Part 13(A) of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Information provided is based on the headings contained within Appendix B of the Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Development of Fisheries – 2nd Edition and, consistent with these guidelines, this submission references sections of related documents. Table 1: Summary of the SUTS Fishery as at February 2015. Area NSW waters Management Limited entry Controls Total allowable commercial catch applied to red urchins only Minimum size limits Regulated closed waters Fishing Units 37 fishing businesses Target Species Purple sea urchin ( Centrostephanus rodgersii ) and red sea urchin ( Heliocidaris tuberculata ) Catch 2013 2014 Purple sea urchin – 67.3 tonnes Purple sea urchin – 66.5 tonnes Red sea urchin – 5.5 tonnes Red sea urchin – 4.7 tonnes Military turban shell – 4.4 tonnes Military turban shell – 2.9 tonnes Total – 78.1 tonnes Total – 75.3 tonnes Value 2013 – $105,335 2014 – $98,340 Stock Status Undefined Description of the Fishery The commercial harvest of sea urchins and turban shells is managed as