Gulf of Carpentaria inshore fishery

Structural adjustment payments

Applications are still open for supply chain business diversification grants, gillnet buyback and gillnet reel boat refit grants for eligible commercial licence holders, and businesses affected by the:

  • phase-out of gillnets on the Great Barrier Reef
  • Great Sandy Marine Park rezoning
  • new Gulf of Carpentaria gillnet-free areas.

Fishery symbols

Cancelled symbols

N1, N2, N4 and S symbols are no longer valid from 1 January 2024.

  • L4: Line fishery (Queensland Fisheries Joint Authority no. 1)
  • N3: Net fishery (Gulf of Carpentaria—no. 1)
  • N11: Net fishery (Gulf of Carpentaria—no. 11)
  • N12: Net fishery (Gulf of Carpentaria—offshore)
  • N13: Net fishery (Gulf of Carpentaria—offshore)

Management

Operating areas

Gillnet-free areas

New gillnet-free areas in the Gulf of Carpentaria took effect from 17 May 2024.

In gillnet-free areas, a person cannot:

  • possess a cast net, mesh net, seine net or set pocket net for taking a fish for trade or commerce, unless the net is stowed and secured on a boat
  • possess a relevant net to take a fish for trade or commerce.

Quota or effort units

The fishery is managed through a competitive total allowable commercial catch (TACC) limit for black jewfish.

Once the TACC is reached, these become a no-take species for the remainder of the quota season.

Licences

To operate in the fishery, you need a:

Reporting and monitoring

Commercial fishers must:

Equipment

Mesh nets are the main gear used. The nets are set in position where fish are likely to swim into them—in rivers, nearshore or offshore (depending on the location and target species).

Line fishing is another method of harvest in this fishery, primarily for Spanish mackerel and associated species.

Target species