Recently, amendments were made and accepted to the Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery Management Plan, changing the dates of the fishing year from a fixed term to a ‘period determined by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) in line with AFMA’s general legislative reforms.
AFMA has changed the end of the current fishing season, to April 30, two weeks later than previously. Future fishing seasons will start on 1 May.
The new start date will provide more flexibility to the industry by allowing any remaining quota to be caught in between longline seasons (that is, 1 September to 30 April) by using a fishing method other than longline. The environmental conditions mean it is beneficial for operators to be able to fish year-round.
Other minor changes made to plan include changing some definitions and removing specific references to the Bycatch Action Plan, which will be managed under the broader AFMA ecological risk management approach.
The Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery was independently certified as sustainable and well managed by the Marine Stewardship Council in May 2012.
– article from AFMA