Juvenile eels fishery
Queensland's commercial juvenile eel fishery refers to eels less than 30cm long.
Although fishers of adult eels and juvenile eels harvest eels at different life stages and use different gear, both target the same eel populations.
Fishery symbol
- JE: Juvenile eel fishery
Operating areas
Licensed fishers can collect juvenile eels:
- at or downstream of the most downstream dam or weir (tidal barrage is not considered a weir)
- up to 200m either side of the mouths of the rivers open to collection
- in tributaries of approved rivers that enter the main river downstream of the most downstream dam or weir.
Active fishways
Collecting is not permitted within 10m—in any direction—of the openings to the entry bays of an active fishway, except with approved flow traps. An active fishway has water flowing through the entrances.
This is because collecting activities could disrupt the migration of other fish.
Approved rivers
In Queensland, 23 rivers are open to commercial fishing of juvenile eels:
- Albert
- Barron
- Brisbane
- Burdekin
- Burnett
- Burrum
- Caboolture
- Coomera
- Currumbin
- Fitzroy
- North Johnstone
- South Johnstone
- Kolan
- Logan
- Maroochy
- Mary
- Mooloolah
- Mulgrave
- Nerang
- Noosa
- North Pine
- South Pine
- Tully.
Licences
To operate in the fishery, you need a:
- primary commercial fishing licence with the JE fishery symbol
- commercial fisher licence for the person in charge of fishing activities.
Reporting and monitoring
Commercial fishers must:
- complete daily logbooks
- keep sale dockets.
Equipment
Juvenile traps must contain bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) to minimise impacts on non-target species.
Maximum gear allowed
- 1 small mesh eel fyke net (long, narrow wing-mouthed net):
- the fyke net must have a maximum of 2 wings
- the length of each wing must not exceed 15m
- the fyke net must not exceed 4m in height, width or diameter
- the ends of the wings and the cod-end of the net must be marked with a reflective float bearing the licence holder's name and address
- the net may be fixed by anchor or supported on stakes
- the net must be kept reasonably free of debris at all times to avoid mortalities
- a float must be attached to the cod-end to provide a breathing space within the cod-end for any accidentally trapped air-breathing animals
- 3 small mesh dip nets
- 3 flow traps with an effective BRD (approved by Fisheries Queensland eel fishery manager prior to use).