This page provides information for the petroleum industry on how to consult with the Commonwealth commercial fishing industry.
The Australian petroleum industry’s offshore activities include seismic surveys, exploration, drilling, pipeline construction and oil and gas production. Many of these activities occur in the same place where fishing occurs.
AFMA ensures that any broad-scale impacts of offshore petroleum industry development on commercial fishing in Commonwealth waters are considered. AFMA does this by providing comment directly to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science on the annual acreage releases and also by providing comment to petroleum companies on large scale proposals which may have a significant impact on a fishery.
All activities proposed by petroleum companies are subject to environmental approvals. Petroleum operators must submit an environment plan and an oil spill contingency plan to the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA). The environment plan must be accepted before any activity can begin.
The aim of an Environment Plan is to ensure petroleum activities are carried out in a manner consistent with the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development. Operators are required to demonstrate the environmental impacts of petroleum activities are of an acceptable level and are reduced to ‘as low as reasonably practicable’ in order for the activity to proceed. Additionally, the Environment Plan for a proposed project must demonstrate how the operator has consulted with relevant stakeholders, including government departments, fishing operators, fishing associations and the community, and how they have responded.
The aim of the Oil Spill Contingency Plan is for operators to demonstrate their capacity to respond to and maintain responsibility for a spill and to identify when and how the operator will involve stakeholders in a response.
Petroleum facility operators must also prepare an Emergency Response Plan as part of a facility safety system and are required to communicate this plan with any persons who have been identified as having a role.
Petroleum companies are encouraged to consult directly with fishing operators when preparing environment plans and oil spill contingency plans. An appropriate level of consultation with the fishing industry, is a legal requirement of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006, as administered by the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).
The level of consultation required is directly related to the type and scale of the activity and subsequent likelihood of impact on fishing.
Impacts on fishing from offshore petroleum activities can be through direct impacts on fish species and fish habitat (for example, infrastructure construction effect on reef substrate which may impact fish breeding), but can also be indirect through impacts on data collection for science (for example, impacts on long term surveys used to build fish population models that underpin management).
The spatial distribution and intensity of fishing operations can be highly variable over time and the only way to reliably determine future activity is by consulting relevant fishing operators. It should be noted that even if there has been low or no activity this does not mean that there will be none in the future (for example, fisheries can have “stock re-building strategies” which might include closing the fisheries for periods of time).
AFMA has a list of fishing industry association contacts for each fishery (where they exist).
If a petroleum activity occurs in the region of the 1974 Australian Indonesian Memorandum of Understanding (this boundary is also included on the AMSIS website), which allows traditional Indonesian fishing activities, the following advice may be relevant to risk assessments.
Traditional fishers can be found in any part of this area and in adjacent Australian water where they may stray from time to time.
Traditional vessels are only sail powered and therefore unable to readily take evasive action to avoid collision.
Few vessels carry navigational lights and they do not carry radar reflectors as general practice. The hulls are timber and present poor radar targets.
While peak activity for fishers is outside of the cyclone season some fishing is done throughout the year.
AFMA expects petroleum operators to consult directly with fishing operators about all activities and projects which may affect day to day fishing activities.
AFMA has a list of fishing industry association contacts (where they exist). In some fisheries there are no associations other than the Commonwealth Fisheries Association. Some fishing industry associations are developing fee-for-service models to identify fishing industry issues and liaise with the fishing sector. A number of private consultants are also active in this field.
It is important that the directory includes current contact information to ensure those who need to be consulted can be contacted. To update the list of fishing industry association contact details email petroleum@afma.gov.au.
Petroleum operators can access the names and addresses of individual Commonwealth statutory fishing rights, fishing permit and high seas permit holders from the statutory register by contacting AFMA Licensing on 1300 723 621.
Overlay maps of Petroleum Title and Commonwealth Fisheries boundaries are not currently available on the Australian Marine Spatial Information System (AMSIS) website. AFMA is working with Geoscience Australia to develop this capability. For reference, maps of Commonwealth fisheries boundaries can be found on the AFMA website. Please note these are in the process of being updated.
Fishing industry association contacts
These fishing industry association contacts are for petroleum operators to use when consultation with fishing operators is required. Please note that this is a contact list for Commonwealth licenced operators and that various State-managed fisheries may also be relevant. Proponents should contact the relevant State peak industry body for additional contacts.
Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery
Bass Strait Scallop Industry Association
10 Warleigh Grove
Brighton VIC 3186
Phone: 0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council (TSIC)
PO Box 878
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
Phone: 03 6224 2332
Email: tsic@tsic.org.au
Seafood Industry Victoria
C/O Melbourne Seafood Centre
133 Kensington Road
West Melbourne VIC 3003
Phone: 0491200570
Email: admin@siv.com.au
Coral Sea Fishery
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7066
0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Norfolk Island Fishery
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Northern Prawn Fishery
The Northern Prawn Fishery Industry Pty Ltd
PO Box 756
Caloundra QLD 4551
Phone: 07 5437 0513
Email: ceo@npfindustry.com.au
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
North West Slope Trawl, Western Deepwater Trawl
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Small Pelagic Fishery
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA)
PO Box 1125
Lakes Entrance VIC 3909
Phone: 0428 141 591
Email: webenquiries@setfia.org.au
Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery
South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA)
PO Box 1125
Lakes Entrance VIC 3909
Phone: 0428 141 591
Email: webenquiries@setfia.org.au
Southern Shark Industry Alliance Inc.
Phone: 0428 141 591
Email: simon@atlantisfcg.com
Great Australian Bight Fishing Industry Association Inc. (GABIA)
PO Box 3350
Port Lincoln SA 5606
Phone: 0428 233 200
Email: eo@gabia.com.au
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
Phone: 0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Southern Squid Jig
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
Phone: 0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Torres Strait Fisheries
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
Phone: 0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery
Tuna Australia (ETBF Industry Association)
PO Box 6 Civic Square
Canberra ACT 2608
Phone: 0427 837 966
Email: CEO@tunaaustralia.org.au
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
Phone: 0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Skipjack Tuna Fisheries
Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association (ASBTIA)
PO Box 1146
Port Lincoln SA 5606
Phone: 08 8682 3257
Email: sbt_research@bigpond.com
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
Phone: 0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery
Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association (ASBTIA)
PO Box 1146
Port Lincoln SA 5606
Phone: 08 8682 3257
Email: sbt_research@bigpond.com
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
Phone: 0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au
Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery/Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery
Austral Fisheries Pty Ltd
Po Box 42
Mt Hawthorn WA 6915
Phone: 08 9217 0100
Email: austral@australfisheries.com.au
Australian Longline Fishing Pty Ltd
Ground Floor
85 Macquarie St
Hobart TAS 7000
Phone: 03 6244 2609
Email: admin@australianlongline.com.au
Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA)
PO Box 804
Sandy Bay TAS 7006
Phone: 0408 131 204
Email: ceo@comfish.com.au