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N1, N2, N4 and S symbols are no longer valid from 1 January 2024.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
- Area of the L4 line fishery
- Area of the N3 Gulf of Carpentaria net fishery
- Area of the N11 Gulf of Carpentaria net fishery
- Area of the N12 net fishery
- Area of the N13 net fishery
Gillnet-free areas
New gillnet-free areas in the Gulf of Carpentaria took effect from 17 May 2024.
- All Gulf of Carpentaria gillnet-free areas
- Northern Gulf of Carpentaria gillnet-free area
- Western Gulf of Carpentaria gillnet-free area
- Norman River gillnet-free area
- Pormpuraaw gillnet-free area
- Topsy Creek gillnet-free area
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:
- primary commercial fishing licence with the relevant fishery symbol
- commercial fisher licence for the person in charge of fishing activities.
Reporting and monitoring
Commercial fishers must:
- report trip and catch notices
- 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.
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
- Barramundi (Lates calcarifer)
- King threadfin (Polydactylus macrochir)
- Blue threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum)
- Grey mackerel (Scomberomorus semifasciatus)
- Barred javelin (Pomadasys kaakan)
- Spanish mackerel (Scomberomoruscommerson)
- Queenfish (Scomberoides spp.)
- Scaly jewfish (Nibea squamosa)