At a glance

The Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF) extends from Cape York, Queensland, to the South Australian/Victorian border and includes waters around Lord Howe and Norfolk Island and the high seas area under the region of concern of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

Major ports used by the fleet include Cairns, Mooloolaba, Coffs Harbour, Ulladulla and various other New South Wales south coast ports.

At a glance
Quota Species and Total Allowable Commercial Catch The quota species and Total Allowable Commercial Catch for the 2012-13 fishing season are:

Species TACC (t)
Albacore Tuna (Thunnus alulunga) 2500
Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus) 1056
Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) 2200
Broadbill Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) 1396
Striped Marlin (Tetrapturus audux) 370
Fishing Season The ETBF fishing season commences on 1 March and lasts for 12 months concluding on the last day of February in the following year.
Fishing Techniques Pelagic longline, minor line (handline, troll, rod and reel)
No. Concessions at 1 March 2012 105 boat Statutory Fishing Rights;
131 minor line Statutory Fishing Fights;
1,075,571 quota Statutory Fishing Rights for each quota species; and
11 Coral Sea Zone Statutory Fishing Rights
No. of Active Vessels in 2011 44 (including minor lining vessels)
Estimated Catch and Value (ABARES fishery status reports 2009) Yellowfin tuna 1,657 t ($A 14.3 million)
Bigeye tuna 712 t ($A 8.1 million)
Albacore tuna 1,520 t ($A 4.6 million)
Striped marlin 361 t ($A 2.7 million)
Broadbill swordfish 1315 t ($A 7.3 million)
Other 786 t ($A 1.9 million)
Total 6,399 t ($A 38.9 million)
Main Markets
  • Fresh product – Domestic, Japan, United States
  • Frozen product – Europe
  • Canneries in Samoa, Thailand and Indonesia (Albacore)
Stock Status (ABARES fishery status reports 2009) Stock assessments are conducted on the full stock for each quota species which encompasses the broader Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

  • Albacore – not overfished and not subject to overfishing
  • Bigeye – overfished and subject to overfishing
  • Yellowfin – not overfished and not subject to overfishing
  • Broadbill Swordfish – not overfished and not subject to overfishing
  • Striped Marlin – uncertain
Management Plan The ETBF Management Plan 2010 was accepted in January 2011 and came into effect on 1 March 2011.
Strategic Assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act The ETBF has been granted export approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) which is due to expire on 26 February 2014. The fishery has been formally accredited following a full strategic assessment of the fishery under the quota-based management Plan in relation to the protected species provisions of Part 13 and the wildlife trade provisions of Part 13A under the EPBC Act.
Management Method Under the ETBF management Plan 2011, the ETBF is managed through output controls with a Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) limit set for each of the five species. The five quota species in the ETBF are Albacore Tuna, Bigeye Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Broadbill Swordfish and Striped Marlin.All operators in the ETBF have been granted statutory fishing rights that allow them to fish in the fishery and catch a portion of the TACC for each quota species. These fishing rights are fully transferable and are also known as Individually Transferable Quota’s. Under these arrangements each fisher is limited to catching up to the amount of quota that they hold and whole fishery is limited to the TACC that is set each season.
Consultative Mechanism The Tropical Tuna Management Advisory Committee (TTMAC) is the principal forum in which issues relating to the management of the ETBF are discussed. The TTMAC has several sub-committees including the Tropical Tuna Resource Assessment Group (TTRAG) and a Research, Review and Recommendations Committee.
International Management Australia is a member of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and participates in meetings as part of the Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA). The WCPFC is responsible for the management of tuna and billfish stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, as well as the impacts of fishing on the wider ecosystem. The FFA is an advisory body comprised of 17 Pacific Island Nations that provides expertise, technical assistance and other support to its members about their tuna resources.Australia pursues the implementation of management measures that protect the long-term sustainability of the tuna and billfish stocks and the wider marine ecosystem in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Australia is also required to implement management measures agreed at the WCPFC.
Bycatch and discarding AFMA has developed a revised bycatch and discards workplan plans for the Eastern and Western Tuna and Billfish longline Fisheries. The workplan outlines management responses to high ecological risks identified through the Ecological Risk Assessment framework. These include actions to address impacts on Threatened, Endangered and Protected (TEP) species, sharks and discarding of quota species.
Major management issues over the next 12 months
  • Operation of the first fishing season under quota-based management arrangements.
  • Implementation of cameras as part of the data collection and monitoring regime for the fishery.
Long term strategic management issues
  • Consider the economic status of the fishery and the factors affecting the economic climate.
  • Continued improvement in bycatch mitigation.