The Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery at a glance

The fishery for scallops in Bass Strait is divided into three zones, of which the Commonwealth manages the Central Zone.

The remaining zones, which are located generally 20 nm off the coasts of Victoria and Tasmania, are managed by those States respectively under Offshore Constitutional Settlement agreements.

At a glance
Principal species	Commercial scallops (Pecten fumatus)
Byproduct species	Doughboy scallop (Chlamys asperrimus)
Fishing technique	Harvested from coarse sandy bottoms using a towed dredge.
Jurisdiction	Offshore Constitutional Settlement Arrangements finalised in June 1986 rationalised the jurisdiction for Bass Strait scallops. AFMA manages the Commonwealth Central Zone of Bass Strait, between the zones managed by Victoria and Tasmania that lie within 20nm of their respective coasts.
Number of concessions	From 1 January 2005, there were 103 Statutory Fishing Right (SFR) holders in the fishery. Each SFR holder was allocated one boat SFR and 3,500 quota SFRs for every permit held on the snapshot date. There are now a total of 455,000 commercial scallop quota SFRs and 455,000 doughboy scallop quota SFRs.
Estimated catch and value 2003/2004	1,112.9 tonnes caught; valued at $1.475 million Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Data Summary 2003
Main markets	Domestic and Europe
Stock status	Overfished – the abundance of commercial-sized scallops remains low. The only known aggregation of scallops in the fishery is east of Flinders Island, and was closed to fishing in 2001 and 2002. Surveys of the closed area in 2000-2003 showed an increase in both the number and distribution of scallops. Because there has been some recruitment to the closed bed, AFMA allowed fishing to resume in part of the area in 2003 and 2004. The In The 2005 Ministerial Direction required the setting of a zero TAC for at least 3 years and the fishery has been closed since December 2005. Scallops experience naturally variable abundance and mortality.
Management method	Input controls : summer closure to allow spat fall and growth, area closures, and minimum size limits to allow two major spawnings before landing. Output controls : a total allowable catch and a system of individual transferable quota (ITQ) Statutory Fishing Rights under the Management Plan. AFMA has produced a guide to the 2005 management arrangements (PDF 584kb) for the fishery, which was distributed to all SFR holders in December 2004.
Environment or bycatch issues	A revised Bycatch Action Plan for the fishery was released in June 2004 and outlines the strategies and actions AFMA will use to address bycatch issues. An ecological risk assessment is currently underway.
Consultative forum	Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery Management Advisory Committee (ScallopMAC) replaced the Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery Consultative Committee in 2000.

Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery

At a glance