Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775:reg:18:p9
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2022L00775
Segment Type: reg
Provision Reference: reg 18 (pt 9/152)
Character Range: 63718–66889

have with seabirds through their logbooks. AFMA officers can also travel as observers on Australian fishing boats to collect biological data and make environmental observations which contributes to the monitoring of fishing interactions with protected species. Electronic monitoring of fishing activities, including interactions with seabirds, through the mounting of electronic monitoring systems on fishing vessels, is also being used in
 Commonwealth fisheries.

AFMA and industry work in partnership to minimise and avoid interactions with protected seabirds. For example, fishery operations in Commonwealth longline fisheries are guided by the Australian Government's Threat Abatement Plan for the incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations (2018). This threat abatement plan was developed to address the key threatening process of 'the incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations'. The key threatening process was listed in July 2000 under the EPBC Act. This threat abatement plan is considered to be a feasible, effective and efficient approach to abating the threat to Australia's biodiversity from the incidental catch (or bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations. The threat abatement plan binds the Commonwealth and its agencies to respond to the impact of oceanic longline fishing on seabirds, and identifies the research, management and other actions needed to reduce the impacts of the key threatening process to an acceptable level.
The Australian Government has also developed a National Plan of Action for Minimising the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Australian Capture Fisheries (NPOA–Seabirds). NPOA–Seabirds is a voluntary measure that has been developed to provide a comprehensive and nationally consistent approach to reducing the impact of fishing on seabirds. It draws together existing regulatory and voluntary management arrangements into one document and provides additional guidance for future management decisions around seabird mitigation measures.
The plan provides guidance on best practice mitigation, monitoring and reporting of seabird interactions. It aims to reduce duplication, target responses to areas identified as having the strongest need, and assist fisheries managers and industry towards more uniform, efficient and cost-effective seabird bycatch management.
AFMA also uses seabird management plans to reduce fishing interactions with protected seabirds. Seabird management plans are tailored to individual fishing boats and identify the main threats posed to seabirds by that boat. It also sets out the mitigation measures the concession holder has agreed to implement to reduce the risk of seabird interactions.
Mitigation measures are another way to reduce interactions between fisheries and seabirds. A range of measures is available that can minimise bycatch, and improvements and novel approaches are still being researched. Although some approaches are widely advocated, none is 100 per cent effective in isolation. There is extensive variation in operational and gear characteristics among fisheries, and they