Commonwealth Southern Bluefin Fishery - Application 2019

« Commonwealth Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery

Environmental Assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Australian Fisheries Management Authority, August 2019

Agency application on ecological sustainability

About the application

The current export approval for the Commonwealth Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery is valid until 13 December 2019 and the fishery is now due for assessment for ongoing export accreditation. The Department of the Environment and Energy received an application, ‘AFMA submission – Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 reassessment: Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery, July 2019 and other reports, from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority in July 2019. The application has been prepared to address the Australian Government ‘Guidelines for the ecologically sustainable management of fisheries – 2nd edition’ and to provide updates on the implementation of recommendations made in the previous Australian Government assessment. The application will be used to assess the operation of the fishery for the purposes of Parts 13 and 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Consideration will be given to:

• declaring the Commonwealth Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery, as managed consistent with the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (Cth), Southern Bluefin Tuna Management Plan 1995, and the Fisheries Management Regulations 2019 (Cth), as an approved wildlife trade operation under section 303FN of the EPBC Act, and
• including in the list of exempt native specimens, specimens harvested in the Commonwealth Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery, as managed consistent with the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (Cth), Southern Bluefin Tuna Management Plan 1995, and the Fisheries Management Regulations 2019 (Cth).

In accordance with the provisions of sections 303FR and 303DC of the EPBC Act, you are invited to comment on this proposal.