Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Agriculture and land
    Agriculture and land Building stronger and more sustainable agriculture, fisheries, forestry and land care.
    • Animal health
    • Farming, food and drought
    • Fisheries
    • Forestry
    • Climate change and agriculture
    • Plant health
    • Drought and rural support
    • Mouse infestation advice
    Xylella

    Protect against unwanted plant pests

    Our biosecurity system helps protects us. Everyone has a role in supporting our biosecurity system.

    Find out more

  • Biosecurity and trade
    Biosecurity and trade Lowering biosecurity risks to Australia, and assisting industry to accelerate growth towards a $100 billion agricultural sector by 2030.
    • Aircraft, vessels and military
    • Biosecurity policy
    • Cats and dogs
    • Exporting
    • Importing
    • Pests, diseases and weeds
    • Public awareness and education
    • Trade and market access
    • Travelling or sending goods to Australia
    Brown marmorated stink bug

    BMSB Seasonal Measures

    Australia has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB.

    View our seasonal measures

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
    • Our science strategy
    Abares

    ABARES Insights

    Get 'snapshots’ of agricultural, forestry and fisheries industries, or analysis of key issues.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We enhance our agricultural industries and trade, and manage the threat of biosecurity risks to Australia.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Contact us
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • Payments
    • People and jobs
    • Publications
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Our department has changed

    Our department has changed

    Learn more about our roles and responsibilities.

    Find out more

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, Enviroment and Water

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Agriculture and land
  3. Fisheries
  4. Fisheries and the environment
  5. Fisheries Bycatch

Sidebar first - Fisheries

  • Fisheries and the environment
    • Commonwealth Marine Reserves
    • Fisheries Bycatch
      • Australian Seals and Sea Lions
      • Commonwealth Policy on Fisheries Bycatch
      • Seabird bycatch in Australian fisheries
      • National Policy on Fisheries Bycatch
      • Public consultation on the draft Commonwealth Fisheries Bycatch Policy
    • Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Act 2006
    • Sharks
      • Response to the Australian Marine Conservation Society and the Humane Society International
      • Response to the Australian Marine Conservation Society save our sharks campaign

Fisheries Bycatch

​All food production activities have some level of impact on the environment. For commercial fishing, one of the most direct and visible impacts from the harvest of commercial fish species is the unintentional catch of species that are not retained—known as ‘bycatch’.

Bycatch occurs in many fisheries in Australia and internationally, and is in many cases unavoidable. If left unmanaged, bycatch may have a detrimental impact on marine species and the marine environment.

Bycatch can be minimised, or for some species eliminated through the implementation of a range of management and mitigation measures.

The term bycatch can be defined as:

‘Species that physically interact with fishing vessels and/or fishing gear which are not usually retained by commercial fishers and do not make a contribution to the economic value of the fishery.’

Where:

‘Interact (ion)’ includes any physical contact with a species and includes all catches (for example, hooked, netted, entangled), and collisions with these species.

‘Not usually retained’ applies fishery-by-fishery, based on catch history and landing data.

Australia is a member of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) Committee on Fisheries responsible for the long-term sustainable development and utilisation of the world's fisheries and aquaculture.

Australian governments have taken a number of steps to address bycatch, including:

  • the National Bycatch Policy—sets out an agreed framework for coordinating efforts to reduce bycatch across all jurisdictions
  • the Commonwealth Fisheries Bycatch Policy—which is applicable to fishing activities in Commonwealth managed fisheries and is currently being revised to ensure it continues to reflect international best practice
  • Australia’s threat abatement plan to mitigate the take of seabirds in longlining
  • Australia’s National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks
  • Australia’s draft National Plan of Action for Minimising the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Australian Capture Fisheries.

Contacts

Call 1800 900 090

Contact us online

Report a biosecurity concern

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 04 November 2019

© Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.