Commercial Trawl Fishery in Queensland
See also: Queensland Fin Fish Trawl Fishery Statement of Management Arrangements
Target species:
- Prawns
- Scallops
- Stout whiting
- Bugs
- Squid
Extent: All tidal waters between eastern Cape York and the New South Wales border (subject to area closures).
Value: Approx. A$110 million a year
- Overview of the commercial Trawl Fishery in Queensland
- Trawl Fishery management areas
- Principal species
- Other principal species
- Incidental catch
- Gear
Overview of the commercial Trawl Fishery in Queensland
The Trawl Fishery is Queensland's largest commercial fishery, with about 600 vessels producing up to 10 000 tonnes of product worth approximately A$110 million each year.
How do the trawlers operate?
Boats tow open-mouthed nets along the sea floor to collect target species in the nets. The fishing is done mainly at night.
There are two basic types of trawling: otter trawling and beam trawling. The difference is in the way the net is kept open (see Gear, below).
- The otter trawl fishery operates in more-open waters. It is by far the larger, accounting for about 95 per cent of the total harvest taken each year.
- The beam trawl is used in estuaries.
Queensland has four main trawl fisheries:
- the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery
- the Moreton Bay Otter Trawl Fishery
- the River and Inshore Beam Trawl Fishery
- the Finfish (Stout Whiting) Trawl Fishery.
Is trawl fishing seasonal?
There are optimal fishing periods for the various species, and these periods vary according to location. Prawns are the most common species caught in the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery, the River and Inshore Beam Trawl Fishery and the Moreton Bay Otter Trawl Fishery. Seasonal influences affect the abundance of the different prawn species, causing shifts in targeting behaviour with these fisheries.
The official fishing season for stout whiting is between 1 April and 31 December.
Where is the catch sold?
International export markets are extremely important for much of the targeted product, including prawns, scallops and stout whiting. Part of the catch is also sold domestically.
Trawl Fishery management areas
The trawl fisheries cover all tidal waters out to the Queensland East Coast Offshore Constitutional Settlement Boundary between Cape York and the New South Wales border, with the following exceptions:
- areas closed to trawling under the Fisheries (East Coast Trawl) Management Plan 1999
- areas closed to fishing in Queensland Marine Parks (administered by the Environmental Protection Agency)
- areas closed to fishing under the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003 which is administered by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
- waters over 300 metres deep (trawling at such depths is not practicable)
- otter trawl fishing is not permitted in estuaries
Trawling in the Gulf of Carpentaria is jointly managed by the State and Commonwealth governments.
For maps of individual fishery endorsement areas, see Commercial fishery symbols in Queensland.
Principal species
Prawns
-
Tiger prawn
(Penaeus esculentus, P. semisulcatus or P. monodon). About 90 per cent of Queensland's tiger prawns are harvested from the waters inside the Great Barrier
Reef, offshore from their estuarine nurseries. They are caught in the East
Coast Otter Trawl Fishery.
-
Endeavour prawn (Metapenaeus endeavouri and M. ensis). Most of the Endeavour prawn harvest comes from the Cape York Peninsula waters from Cairns north, where the adults tend to inhabit inshore reef lagoons. They are caught in the East
Coast Otter Trawl Fishery.Caught in the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery and the
River and Inshore Beam Fishery.
-
Red spot king prawn (Penaeus longistylus) - also known as the northern king prawn. These prawns prefer hard-bottomed areas
near reefs, in waters 35-55 m deep. They are found from
Mackay north. They are caught in the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery.
-
Banana prawn (Penaeus merguiensis ). The banana prawn tends to be an inshore species, favouring the turbid waters that flow from
estuaries. In some areas the size of the catch increases
significantly after heavy rainfall. They are caught in the East Coast Otter Trawl
Fishery and the River and Inshore Beam Fishery.
-
Eastern king prawn (Penaeus plebejus). The catch of eastern king prawns varies throughout the year - the highest being taken January-April and the lowest August-November. They are caught in the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery.
- Bay prawn (Metapenaeus bennettae and M. macleayi). Moreton Bay is the source of about 90 per cent of the bay prawn harvest. Most are greasyback prawns (Metapenaeus bennettae), but there are also school prawns (M. macleayi ) and young prawns of various other species. Most are caught in spring and summer. They are caught in the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery and the River and Inshore Beam Fishery.
- Saucer scallop (Amusium japonicum balloti)
Scallops (Amusium japonicum balloti and A. pleuronectes)
These free-swimming molluscs have two fan-shaped shells enclosing a soft body. The edible part is the muscle that opens and closes the shell. Saucer scallops are highly regarded for their sweet flabour and are prized in Hong Kong restaurants.
Queensland's scallop industry is based on saucer scallops, which are found at depths of 20 metres to 100 metres from Bowen south to northern New South Wales. They are abundant around Yeppoon and Bundaberg on the central coast.
Saucer scallops are taken by trawlers using otter trawl nets with large mesh but also commonly appear as prawn trawlers' incidental catch. Most of the Queensland catch is taken from the Capricorn coast south. Scallops are caught in the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery.
Stout whiting (Sillago robusta)
Stout whiting (Sillago robusta) are caught by otter trawlers between Sandy Cape and Caloundra. They inhabit the sandy sea floor, preferring deeper offshore waters. They are a different species to that targeted by recreational fishers, which are mostly winter whiting (Sillago maculata) or sand whiting (Sillago ciliata). They are caught in the Finfish (Stout Whiting) Trawl Fishery.
Where are the principal species caught?
The principal species harvested in the northern areas of the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery are:
- tiger prawns (Penaeus esculentus, P. semisulcatus and P. monodon)
- Endeavour prawns (Metapenaeus endeavouri and M. ensis)
- red spot king prawns (Penaeus longistylus)
- banana prawns (Penaeus merguiensis)
In the southern section of the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery, the harvest is mostly:
- prawns
- eastern king prawns (Penaeus plebejus )
- banana prawns (Penaeus merguiensis )
- scallops (Amusium japonicum balloti)
- stout whiting (Sillago robusta)
The Moreton Bay Otter Trawl Fishery harvests mostly:
- bay prawns (Metapenaeus bennettae and M. macleayi)
- banana prawns (Penaeus merguiensis)
- eastern king prawns (P. plebejus)
- tiger prawns (P. esculentus)
Other principal species
- Moreton Bay bugs (Thenus orientalis and T. indicus)
Bugs
Moreton Bay bugs (Thenus orientalis and T. indicus) are another target species in the East Coast and Moreton Bay trawl fisheries. However, most bugs are taken as an incidental part of the prawn and scallop catch.
Squid
Squid caught in Queensland waters include:
- pencil squid (Photololigo - two species)
- tiger squid or northern calamari (Sepioteuthis - two species) and
- arrow squid (Nototodarus - two species, Ommastrephes bartramii, Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis).
Incidental catch
"Permitted" species
Operators in the East Coast Trawl Fishery are allowed to keep and sell a number of byproduct species - that is, species taken incidentally while targeting others, such as prawns. Byproduct species (or "permitted species") are an economically important part of the overall catch in the East Coast Trawl Fishery, particularly in Moreton Bay.
Permitted species are blue swimmer crabs, barking crayfish, cuttlefish, mantis shrimp, octopuses, pinkies, pipefish, red spot crabs and Balmain bugs.
Some of these species are subject to minimum legal sizes, take and possession limits and other restrictions, to ensure they do not become a target species over time.
Reducing bycatch
What is bycatch?
Bycatch is the part of the catch that is returned to the water. It includes any fish other than permitted fish, undersized individuals of permitted species, and permitted species caught in excess of take and possession limits. It also includes unmarketable species or unwanted product.
The amount of bycatch varies between fishing grounds and can range from almost nil to 10 times the weight of the targeted catch.
How can bycatch be reduced?
Reducing bycatch lessens the impact that trawling has on non-permitted species and the broader ecosystem. Less bycatch also results in cleaner catches and improves fishing efficiency and profitability.
All Queensland trawlers are required by law to use bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) that are designed to minimise the capture of non-target and undersized target species.
What are these devices and how do they work?
Bycatch reduction device (BRD) is the general term for a device that excludes unwanted animals, both large and small. The devices are modifications to the nets to allow unwanted animals to escape. Some are designed to exclude just fish, whereas others exclude a range of animals, such as crustaceans, molluscs, sponges, stingrays, sharks and sea turtles. New and improved designs for BRDs are continually being developed and tested by industry, researchers and government.
For more information on devices to reduce bycatch in nets, see Gear Technology .
Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) are a particular type of BRD that allows larger animals, such as sea turtles, stingrays and sharks, to escape after being taken into the net.
For details about how turtle excluder devices work, see Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) Explained.
Gear
How many nets per trawler?
Trawlers are allowed to tow more than one otter trawl or beam trawl. However, there are restrictions on how much net and the type of net that may be used (these restrictions differ in different parts of Queensland).
What does trawl gear consist of?
There are two types of trawl gear - beam and otter - and they are both used to take prawns. The main difference is in how they keep the net open.
The beam trawl is generally used in the shallow inshore waters or lower estuaries. In Queensland, only about 5 per cent of the trawl harvest is taken by beam trawling each year.
The net is attached to two "sleds" connected by a rigid pole, or beam, that holds the net open for fishing.
- Beam trawl.
The otter trawl net has chains hung below the footrope to disturb the prawns as the net is towed along the seabed, making them jump into the mouth of the oncoming net.
Each end of the net is attached to an otter board. The shear force of water on the angled board forces each board sideways until the net is spread and held open.
- Otter trawl.
Stout whiting are caught using modified otter trawl nets that have long (about 120 metres) sweeps. Sweeps are long extensions in front of the net that "herd" the whiting towards the mouth. In Queensland, only 5 operators are permitted to use these nets.
Government controls
Licensing
What licences do you need for trawling?
- The fisher must have a Commercial Fisher Licence .
- The boat must be licensed as a Queensland Commercial Fishing Vessel (QFV).
- The boat licence must be officially endorsed for the particular fishery - that is, marked with the symbol that stands for that fishery (e.g. T1-T9,M1 and M2).
More information is available from the Licensing section.
How do you get a licence for trawling?
Under the limited-entry arrangements, no new vessel licences are being issued. Therefore, the only way to enter the fishery is to buy an existing boat licence and either engage a commercial fisher to operate the boat or apply for a Commercial Fisher Licence yourself.
Regulations
A comprehensive range of measures are used to regulate the trawl fishery including:
Limits on operating time - Almost all the licences in the trawl fishery operate on an effort quota system. Each trawler is permitted to work a certain number of nights based on the quota it holds. Through this system, a trawler can increase its allocation by buying qupta from another vessel without the effort in the fishery increasing. The exeptions are the Moreton Bay Trawl Fishery, which is limited to fishing weeknights only, and the Finfish (Stout Whiting) Fishery, which is limited by a total catch quota.
Area closures - There are many areas throughout the fishery where trawling is prohibited or restricted. These areas are declared for a number of reasons, including habitat and nursery ground protection, maintenance of broodstock and bycatch reduction. In addition, there are a range of fisheries closures that have been introduced by the EPA and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to manage marine parks.
Boat size restrictions - The size of boats in each fishery is restricted as a further mechanism to regulate fishing effort, the maximums being 20 metres for the Stout Whiting and East Coast Otter Trawl Fisheries, 9 metres for the River and Inshore Beam Trawl Fishery, and 14 metres for the Moreton Bay Otter Trawl Fishery.
Net size restrictions - Otter and beam trawl nets are also regulated by total length and mesh size. These regulations manage the total amount of "swept area" in the fishery and minimise the impact on non-permitted species.
Catch limits - The small Finfish (Stout Whiting) Fishery, which has only five operators, is managed through a Total Allowable Catch (TAC). There is a quota set on the amount of product that can be taken each year. The figure is determined by means of an annual stock assessment that establishes the yield that the population can sustain. See also: Queensland Fin Fish Trawl Fishery Statement of Management Arrangements
How is compliance monitored?
Commercial fishers have a legal obligation to report information about their fishing activities in a compulsory daily logbook. All trawl fishers must supply data about their day's catch, location fished and time spent fishing. The data provided is used to assess and monitor the status of individual species and fisheries in Queensland to ensure a long-term sustainable fishery. See Commercial Fishery Information System (CFISH) for details.
Boats operating in certain fisheries or areas are also obliged to have on board a Vessel Monitoring System, which tracks the position of their boat, to monitor compliance with closures and other restrictions.
Trawl Fishery statistics
Up to date fishery statistics are provided in Annual Status Reports. Maps containing catch information and other data can also be generated in the Coastal Habitat Resources Information System (CHRIS) .
Laws relating to Queensland's commercial Trawl Fishery
The trawl fisheries in Queensland are operated in accordance with the Fisheries Act 1994 and the Fisheries (East Coast Trawl) Management Plan 1999 .
Copies are available through the Government Printing Office on telephone (07) 3246 3399 or you can download them at the Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel website.
Other relevant legislation
The Australian Government regulates trawl effort by means of spatial closures in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park area. These closures are contained in legislation that is administered by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (part of the Australian Government).
For information on other Queensland commercial fisheries see:
- Commercial fisheries in Queensland
- Commercial Collection Fishery in Queensland
- Commercial Crab Fisheries in Queensland
- Commercial Eel Fishery in Queensland
- Commercial Line Fishery in Queensland
- Commercial Net Fisheries in Queensland
- Torres Strait commercial fisheries
Last updated 19 May 2006
