• 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

Protected species

As part of its commitment to promoting sustainable use of fisheries resources, AFMA engages in many protected species issues.

A number of marine species are listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 including seals and sea lions, sharks, turtles, seabirds and cetaceans (whales and dolphins). The fishing industry interacts with these species and as such must be accredited to do so.

Species listed fall into four main categories:

1. a member of a listed threatened species or listed threatened ecological community
2. a member of a listed migratory species
3. a member of a listed marine species
4. a cetacean

Information on protected species is available through our Threatened, Endangered, Protected species Management Fact Sheets and Protected Species ID Guide (PDF, 3.5MB).

Threatened, Endangered, Protected Species Management Fact Sheets

Introduction to Threatened, Endangered, Protected species Management Fact Sheets (PDF, 123kb) No.1 Seals & Sea Lions (PDF, 191kb) No.2 Dolphins and Porpoises (PDF. 167kb) No.3 Seabirds (PDF, 131kb) No.4 Sawfishes (PDF, 167kb) No.5 Sharks (PDF, 129kb) No.6 Seasnakes (PDF, 316kb) No.7 Marine Turtles (PDF, 170kb) No.8 Syngnathids (PDF, 169kb) No.9 Whales (PDF, 148kb) No.10 Dugongs (PDF, 128kb)

Interactions with protected species

An interaction is any physical contact a person, boat or gear has with a protected species including catching and colliding with any of these species.

As a result of being a wild animal harvesting industry, the fishing industry may interact with protected species. All AFMA-managed fisheries have accreditation under Part 13 of the EPBC Act 1999 for interactions with protected species. Without this accreditation, fishing operators may be liable for prosecution for the capture of protected species. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (763kb) between AFMA and the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPaC) allows AFMA to report interactions with protected species on behalf of Commonwealth fishers. As long as operators are fishing in accordance with the accredited fishery management arrangements it is not an offence to interact with a protected species. However, it is an offence not to report these interactions in their AFMA logbook. So, don’t get caught – just report!

All interaction reports are provided to DSEWPaC quarterly and are available below.

Protected species interaction reports from AFMA logbooks

1 October to 31 December 2012 – preliminary (Word, 141kb) 1 July to 30 September 2012 (Word, 132kb) 1 April to 30 June 2012 (Word, 140kb) 1 January to 31 March 2012 (Word, 152kb) 1 October to 31 December 2011 (PDF, 44kb) 1 July to 30 September 2011 (PDF, 45kb) 1 April to 30 June 2011 (PDF, 46kb) 1 January to 31 March 2011 (PDF, 54kb) 1 October to 31 December 2010 (PDF, 68kb) 1 July to 30 September 2010 (PDF, 55kb) 1 April to 30 June 2010 (PDF, 31kb) 1 January to 31 March 2010 (PDF, 27kb) 1 October to 31 December 2009 (PDF, 36kb) 1 July to 30 September 2009 (PDF, 46kb) 1 April to 30 June 2009 (PDF, 43kb) 1 January to 31 March 2009 (PDF, 43kb)

See also: Past protected species interaction reports from AFMA logbooks

To find out more about protected species interactions with fisheries contact our Environment section on 1300 723 621.

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