Recommendation 1

6.22       The committee recommends that the Australian government ban all factory freezer mid-water trawlers from operating in the Commonwealth Small Pelagic Fishery.

Recommendation 2

6.25       The committee recommends that the Australian government expedite its 2013 election commitment to appoint a National Recreational Fishing Council. An Agriculture and Water Resources portfolio minister should chair the Council.

Recommendation 3

6.26       The committee recommends that the government expedite its 2016 election commitment to amend the Fisheries Management Act 1991 to specify that the Australian Fisheries Management Authority is required to consider the interests of all users of fisheries including recreational, Indigenous and commercial fishers.

Recommendation 4

6.28       To enhance public confidence in the management of Australian fisheries, the committee recommends that the Australian Fisheries Management Authority publish, on a regular basis, further information about fishing activity in the Small Pelagic Fishery. This information should include:

• the total value of the fishery;
• quantity of catch (by species);
• the amount of bycatch caught and discarded by species; and
• the areas where fishing activity is taking place.

6.29       Publication of this information should occur:

• despite any claims from industry that particular information is commercially sensitive or should not be disclosed, although a short delay in publication may be appropriate to accommodate concerns about the commercial sensitivity of particular information; and
• regardless of any additional disclosures the operator of the FV Geelong Star may provide as part of a voluntary undertaking.

Recommendation 5

6.30       As the visual identification of protected species is critical for their protection, the committee recommends that the Australian Fisheries Management Authority restrict mid-water trawling in the Small Pelagic Fishery to daylight hours.

Recommendation 6

6.31       The committee recommends that the Australian Fisheries Management Authority require estimates of spawning biomass based on the daily egg production method to be obtained for all quota fish populations in the Small Pelagic Fishery more frequently than the current arrangements. The cost of these surveys is to be recovered from industry.

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