Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L01562:body:0:p15
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L01562
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 44758–48353

to determine, as appropriate, species, subspecies, provenance (where possible), age, sex and breeding status and other relevant circumstances of the bycatch incident.
  18. AFMA and the Department of the Environment and Energy will analyse and review seabird-fisheries interactions data to assess seabird bycatch levels by fishing area, season, fishery and fishing method to monitor compliance with the criteria. These analyses will be prepared annually and take into account possible biases in independent monitoring. The analyses will be provided to the stakeholder group and will show, for each fishing area, season and fishery, the observed and overall bycatch rates, together with the species composition of any seabird bycatch, if available.
  19. AFMA will ensure that information collection procedures in longline fisheries enable accurate records about the following to be collected by fishing operators and reported through the logbook system, and collected and reported through independent monitoring:
    a. number of seabirds caught;
    b. species of seabirds caught;
    c. life status of seabirds caught;
    d. type of bait used;
    e. fishing gear and mitigation measures used and stage of operation when the seabird bycatch occurred;
    f. time of day/night of line setting and haul;
    g. date and location of the catch; and
    h. external factors (such as weather conditions and moon phase) that may influence seabird bycatch.
  20. AFMA will use independent monitoring to validate seabird bycatch data collected by fishing operators and reported through the logbook system, and to identify potential benefits and/or deficiencies in existing programs, and will disseminate any findings among domestic longline fishers, and in relevant international forums, as appropriate.
  21. AFMA, the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and the Department of the Environment and Energy, together with representatives of key stakeholders and relevant experts, will collaborate to consider the impact of actions under this threat abatement plan on other marine species.

Criteria to measure performance of threat abatement plan
Threat abatement plans must state criteria against which achievement of the objective(s) is to be measured (EPBC Act s 271(2)(b)). This threat abatement plan requires that seabird bycatch in all fishing areas, seasons and fisheries is less than the bycatch rates set out in Table 4 below.
       Table 4. Bycatch rate performance criteria in longline fisheries
Fishery                                                                                                                Bycatch rate

Antarctic Fishery                                                                                                      0.01 birds per 1000 hooks

Coral Sea Fishery                                                                                                      0.01 birds per 1000 hooks

Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery                                                                                      0.05 birds per 1000 hooks in each fishing area

Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery                                                                              0.01 birds per 1000 hooks

Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery                                                                                     0.01 birds per 1000 hooks

Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery: scalefish hook, shark hook and scalefish automatic longline sectors  0.01 birds per 1000 hooks in each of the demersal longline sectors

Western Tuna