Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01763:reg:10:p1
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2015L01763
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 10 (pt 1/4)
Character Range: 103024–106324

10          Current management practices

     10.1          Management practices
Management practices and measures other than those contained in this plan have been developed and are being implemented through a number of agencies and programs. These include Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) procedures and protocols, Department of Agriculture (DoA) policies and programs, and state and territory government programs. These measures include area and seasonal closures, the compulsory use of logbooks by commercial fishers to record incidental capture, and mechanisms to encourage recreational fishers to report interactions. There are also a number of observer programs in operation designed to provide fisheries independent measures of mortality in state and Commonwealth waters, noting that the capacity of observer programs to provide such data has been reduced with a loss of observer programs and/or reduction in numbers of observers in some fisheries.
In July 2012 the 'National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks 2012' (Shark-plan 2) was released (DAFF, 2012). Shark-plan 2 identifies how Australia will manage and conserve sharks, and ensure that Australia meets international conservation and management obligations. The plan identifies research and management actions across Australia for the long-term sustainability of sharks, including actions to help minimise the impacts of fishing on sharks. Shark-plan 2 can be accessed at the following website: http://www.agriculture.gov.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/fisheries/environment/sharks/sharkplan2-final/sharkplan2-action.pdf. Shark-plan 2 was developed in conjunction with state, Northern Territory and Australian Government agencies, and has been endorsed by the Shark-plan Implementation and Review Committee and the Australian Fisheries Management Forum.
As the five species of sawfish and river sharks are protected under the EPBC Act, it is an offence to kill, injure, take, trade, keep, or move any individual without a permit in Commonwealth waters. In addition, all listed threatened species are considered matters of national environmental significance (MNES), and any action that may have an impact on MNES must be referred to the Minister of the Environment for approval. The Department of the Environment, as the Australian Government department responsible for administering the EPBC Act, maintains a suite of interactive tools that allow users to search, find and generate reports on information and data describing matters of national environmental significance, including sawfish and river sharks. The conservation values atlas shows the location and spatial extent of conservation values (where sufficient information exists) and is available at: www.environment.gov.au/coasts/marineplans/cva/index.html.
The environmental performance of Commonwealth, state and Northern Territory-managed wild harvest fisheries is assessed under the EPBC Act. The EPBC Act requires that:
    * All Commonwealth-managed and state wild capture marine fisheries with an export component be assessed to ensure they are being managed in an ecologically sustainable way;

    * All Commonwealth-managed fisheries are also assessed to determine the impact of actions taken under a fishery management plan