About quota fisheries

Prescribed commercial catch (PCC)

The PCC is the total catch limit for commercial fisheries on a species within a defined management region. This was previously referred to as Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC).

Some quota fisheries in Queensland have total allowable catch limits, which are set annually. Once the catch limit is reached, the species is no-take for the remainder of the fishing season.

It doesn't include fish caught by recreational or Indigenous fishers.

Individual transferable quota (ITQ)

Individual transferable quota (ITQ) units are allocated to eligible authority holders and can be either:

• permanently transferred (bought or sold)
• temporarily transferred (leased).

Fishers must ensure sufficient ITQ units are held before commencing a fishing operation.

Trawl fishing effort

As opposed to quota units, the trawl fishery uses trawl fishing effort, commonly referred to as trawl nights.

Trawl fishing effort deductions are determined by the hull size of the boat attached to the licence.

Trawl fishing effort units have been regionalised and can be accessed by certain symbols:

• Northern (T1)
• Central (T1)
• Southern Inshore (T1)
• Southern Offshore (A (T1) and B (T2))
• Moreton Bay (M1 and M2).

Adjusting catch limits

The value of each quota unit depends on how the fish stock is performing. Harvest strategies determine whether a catch limit (PCC or ITQ) needs to be increased or decreased for a season.