Tropical rock lobster fishery
Fishery symbol
- R: Crayfish and rock lobster fishery
Management
Operating areas
Quota
The fishery is managed through:
- total allowable commercial catch (TACC)
- individual transferable quotas (ITQs) units allocated to each licence.
Licences
To operate in the fishery, you need a:
- primary commercial fishing licence with at least one R fishery symbol which allows:
- a maximum of 8 tender boats can operate
- only 1 diver per tender boat
- commercial fisher licence for the person in charge of fishing activities.
Reporting and monitoring
Commercial fishers must:
- report trip and catch notices
- pre-trip notice
- amending notice
- transhipment notice
- prior notice
- weight notice
- catch disposal record
- retained fish notice
- emergency notice
- complete daily logbooks
- keep sale dockets
- have vessel tracking on their boats
- comply with state marine park and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park zoning rules.
Closures
- Annual closed season north of 14°S from 1 October to 31 January.
Equipment
- Primary boats can be up to 25m long.
- Tender boats can be up to 10m long.
- Distance between tender and primary boats is restricted to 5 nautical miles.
Target species
- Tropical spiny rock lobster (Panulirus ornatus)
Size and take limits
- Minimum size limit is 90mm (carapace length) and 115mm (tail length).
- Fishers must not take egg-bearing and tar-spot females.