Confirm vessel tracking unit is polling
Your vessel tracking unit must be working properly during your commercial fishing operations.
Green or red lights on your unit do not indicate that it is polling.
Before you begin
- Make sure the unit:
- is connected to a reliable external power source
- is powered on
- has a clear, uninterrupted view of the sky.
- Confirm that your unit is polling before you commence a commercial fishing operation. This confirmation can be:
- via the Automated Interactive Voice Response (AIVR) phone system
- a vessel tracking confirmation SMS notification
- evidence that your unit is working from your provider's online tracking platform
- the working vessel tracking unit status in the Qld eFisher app (green tick).
Automated Interactive Voice Response phone system
Before you phone the AIVR system, you need to know your primary commercial fishing licence number and personal identification number (PIN). To find or change your PIN, log in to FishNet Secure.
Phone the AIVR system and follow the prompts to confirm your vessel tracking unit is working properly. At the end of the call, you can:
- request to have the confirmation sent to a mobile phone number via SMS
- record the transaction number.
This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Vessel tracking confirmation SMS
If your unit is continuously operational, a daily SMS will be sent to you at approximately 7am.
If you power up your unit later in the day, an SMS will be sent to you once positions are received (it may take 10–20 minutes to receive the SMS).
The SMS will be sent to the mobile number nominated in 'My Boat Contact' and to any current skippers nominated under 'My Commercial Fishers' in FishNet Secure. If no mobile number is nominated, the SMS will be sent to the current authority holder of the primary commercial fishing licence.
Make sure the SMS is relevant to the vessel tracking unit and the day you start the commercial fishing operation.
If you do not receive an SMS, your unit may not be working properly. Find out what to do if a unit malfunctions during a commercial fishing operation.
Unit provider website
To view your positions, visit your unit provider's website and log in to its online tracking platform.
You may take a photo or screen shot that includes relevant details (i.e. current date, time and location of the most recent poll) to show the unit is polling.
Contact your unit provider about accessing their online tracking platform.
Qld eFisher app
You can check the status of your vessel tracking unit anytime in the Qld Fisher app, through the 'Check my vessel tracking devices' option in the side menu or on the pre-trip screen:
- green tick: unit is polling
- yellow exclamation: unit has insufficient polls
- red cross: unit is not working.
The status information will be current as at the date and time displayed. If you have connectivity, you can update this information with the refresh button located on the screen.
If your unit is not working
First, contact your provider for technical advice to resolve the problem.
If you need further help, phone 13 25 23 for advice.
A provider or satellite system outage may affect your ability to meet vessel tracking requirements.
- All outages are registered in our system and notifications are sent to industry, depending on the duration and impact.
- Make sure you know your provider's outage notification process and phone 13 25 23 if you are not receiving official advice from your provider.