• Environment and sustainability
  • Petroleum industry consultation
    • Guidelines for petroleum industry consultation with AFMA
    • Petroleum industry information for fishing operators
    • Fisheries Consultation Directory
  • Ecological Risk Management
  • Strategic assessment
  • Bycatch and discarding
  • Protected species
  • AFMA’s climate change strategy
  • Sharing the ocean with other users
  • Marine Protected Areas
  • Marine Bioregional Planning
• Fisheries A to Z index
  • Antarctic fisheries
    • Antarctic fisheries at a glance
    • Antarctic fisheries maps
    • Antarctic fisheries notices and announcements
    • Antarctic fisheries management
    • Antarctic fisheries publications
  • Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery (BSCZSF)
    • BSCZSF at a glance
    • BSCZSF map
    • BSCZSF notices and announcements
    • BSCZSF management
    • BSCZSF publications
  • Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands fisheries
  • Coral Sea Fishery (CSF)
    • CSF at a glance
    • CSF map
    • CSF notices and announcements
    • CSF management
    • CSF publications
  • Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF)
    • ETBF at a glance
    • ETBF map
    • ETBF notices and announcements
    • ETBF management
    • ETBF publications
  • High Seas permits
    • High Seas maps
    • High Seas fisheries publications
  • Norfolk Island Fishery
    • Norfolk Island Fishery at a glance
    • Norfolk Island Fishery map
    • Norfolk Island Fishery notices and announcements
    • Norfolk Island Fishery publications
  • North West Slope Trawl Fishery (NWSTF)
    • NWSTF at a glance
    • NWSTF map
    • NWSTF notices and announcements
    • NWSTF management
    • NWSTF publications
  • Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF)
    • NPF at a glance
    • NPF map
    • NPF notices and announcements
    • NPF management
    • NPF publications
  • Skipjack Tuna fisheries
    • Skipjack Tuna fisheries at a glance
    • Skipjack Tuna fisheries maps
    • Skipjack Tuna fisheries notices and announcements
    • Skipjack Tuna fisheries management
    • Skipjack Tuna fisheries publications
  • Small Pelagic Fishery (SPF)
    • SPF at a glance
    • SPF map including zones
    • SPF notices and announcements
    • SPF management
    • SPF publications
  • Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF)
    • SESSF at a glance
    • SESSF maps
    • SESSF notices and announcements
    • SESSF management
    • SESSF publications
  • Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery (SBTF)
    • SBTF at a glance
    • SBTF map
    • SBTF notices and announcements
    • SBTF management
    • SBTF publications
  • Southern Squid Jig Fishery (SSJF)
    • SSJF at a glance
    • SSJF map
    • SSJF notices and announcements
    • SSJF management
    • SSJF publications
  • South Tasman Rise (STR)
    • STR at a glance
    • STR map
  • Torres Strait Fisheries
  • Western Deepwater Trawl Fishery (WDTF)
    • WDTF at a glance
    • WDTF map
    • WDTF notices and announcements
    • WDTF management
    • WDTF publications
  • Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery (WTBF)
    • WTBF at a glance
    • WTBF map
    • WTBF notices and announcements
    • WTBF management
    • WTBF publications
• Compliance activities
  • Australia’s National Compliance Strategy
  • The Domestic Compliance Program
  • CRIMFISH
    • CRIMFISH frequently asked questions
  • Monitoring programs
  • International monitoring, control and surveillance
• Co-management
  • Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery co-management trial
  • Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery co-management trial
  • Northern Prawn Fishery co-management trial
• Harvest strategies
  • Antarctic fisheries Harvest Strategy
  • Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery Harvest Strategy
  • Coral Sea Fishery – Hand Collection Sector: Aquarium Harvest Strategy
  • Coral Sea Fishery – Hand Collection Sector: Lobster and Trochus Harvest Strategy
  • Coral Sea Fishery – Hand Collection Sector: Sea Cucumber Harvest Strategy
  • Coral Sea Fishery: Line, Trawl and Trap Sectors Harvest Strategy
  • Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery Harvest Strategy
  • Northern Prawn Fishery Harvest Strategy under Input Controls
  • Skipjack Tuna Harvest Strategy
  • Small Pelagic Fishery Harvest Strategy
  • Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Harvest Strategy
  • Southern Squid Jig Fishery Arrow Squid Harvest Strategy
  • Western Deepwater Trawl and North West Slope Trawl Fishery Harvest Strategy
• Data collection
  • Data collection programs
  • Data principles
  • Data application
  • E-Monitoring
• Consultation
  • Opportunity to comment on the transhipment of fish at sea in the Small Pelagic Fishery
  • Management Advisory Committees (MACs)
    • Great Australian Bight trawl sector MAC
    • Northern Prawn MAC
    • Southern Bluefin Tuna MAC
    • ScallopMAC
    • South East MAC
    • Sub-Antarctic MAC
    • Torres MAC
    • Tropical Tuna MAC
  • Resource Assessment Groups (RAGs)
    • Northern Prawn RAG
    • Tropical Tuna RAG
    • Sub-Antarctic RAG
    • ScallopRAG
    • Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery RAG
    • Small Pelagic Fishery RAG
    • SquidRAG
  • Coral Sea Fishery Stakeholder Group
  • Species workshops

Compliance activities

 

Latest news on AFMA’s compliance activities

VMS crackdown – FAQ’s for fishing operators – May 2013

 

Key documents

Compliance Enforcement Policy 28 Day rolling quota reconciliation National Compliance and Enforcement Program 2012-13 Domestic Compliance and Enforcement Policy 2010 (PDF, 362kb) Domestic Compliance Risk Assessment Methodology 2013-15 (Word, 305kb) Domestic Compliance Risk Assessment Methodology 2013-15 (PDF, 528kb)

See also: Compliance archives

AFMA’s role in managing compliance

AFMA has a responsibility to enforce the provisions of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 and the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 through the detection and investigation of illegal activities by domestic and foreign fishing boats in the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) and Commonwealth managed fisheries.

Our Compliance section seeks to provide a cost-effective service which ensures all fishing undertaken in the Australian Fishing Zone (PDF, 258kb), under Commonwealth jurisdiction is conducted in a manner which maintains the integrity of Commonwealth fisheries management arrangements.

We seek to achieve a level of compliance such that industry and the community at large can be confident that fishers are operating within the rules of each fishery management regime.

AFMA administers compliance programs directed towards domestic and foreign fishing vessels, covering licensed and illegal fishing activity.

The Commonwealth also has flag State responsibilities for fishing undertaken by Australian boats on the high seas under international treaties and agreements.

AFMA‘s main compliance functions include:

• ensuring compliance with AFMA’s domestic fisheries management measures;
• ensuring licensed foreign boats comply with conditions for fishing within the AFZ; and
• surveillance and apprehension of unlicensed foreign vessels fishing in the AFZ, including conducting deterrence and apprehension activities in tropical, temperate and cold water regions.

Effective compliance is achieved through a combination of measures, including:

• continued education and stakeholder participation in the development of management rules;
• effective law enforcement deterrents involving targeted operations and inspections;
• intelligence gathering;
• risk assessments; and
• mitigation measures.

Specific measures include monitoring activities and a comprehensive catch and landing reporting system for quota.

In the majority of fisheries managed by AFMA, vessel monitoring systems (VMS) are used to provide real-time position reporting of boats and movements in and out of port.

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Partnerships

AFMA undertakes its compliance function in conjunction with other relevant Commonwealth agencies, with specific compliance functions in the field being undertaken by officers from State/Territory fisheries authorities on an agency basis under which State/Territory agencies are reimbursed for services provided to AFMA:

• through these arrangements, State/Territory agencies provide the personnel and expertise while AFMA provides overall co-ordination, policy direction, technical advice and funding for these activities; and
• we also work co-operatively with other Commonwealth agencies with fisheries-related responsibilities, including the Australian Federal Police, Border Protection Command, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, and the Australian Tax Office.

AFMA cooperates with State/Territory agencies in the implementation of fisheries documentation systems and the exchange of information. This is particularly important given that commercial operators often hold joint Commonwealth /State/ Territory fishing licence packages and that State/Territory agencies carry-out AFMA field programs.

AFMA is a client agency of Coastwatch which co-ordinates surveillance and responses to illegal foreign fishing in the AFZ by the Australian Defence Force and civilian assets. Assets available under this program include:

• aerial surveillance provided by a private contractor working to Coastwatch;
• patrol boat surveillance provided by the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Customs Service as primary surface response platforms; and
• private charter vessels when primary response vessels are unavailable.

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