ANSWER 1

Written response:

You’re absolutely right, simply seeing a new species in commercial quantities isn’t the same as being legally allowed to put it in your hold. It’s a process, and it’s something fisheries management agencies like AFMA and the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) are actively grappling with. They know the oceans are changing, and their systems need to adapt.

First off, any pathway begins with you, the fisher. When you consistently observe significant quantities of a species like snapper, which hasn’t historically been common in Tasmanian waters, that’s incredibly valuable information. It’s a critical data point. Reporting these sightings through programs like Redmap, or directly to your industry association or NRE Tas, is crucial. Your observations provide essential intelligence that scientists can’t gather from an office. This early reporting helps confirm the range extension and alerts researchers to a potential new stock. Once consistent sightings are noted, scientists need to start collecting more robust data on this new population. This means understanding its size, growth rate, distribution, and how it fits into the local ecosystem. Sometimes, this might involve you participating in research trips or contributing through enhanced logbook programs. This phase builds the essential scientific case; it’s about proving there’s a viable, sustainable population that could actually support a fishery. Without that solid scientific assessment, any commercial activity would be a gamble, risking the health of the new stock before it’s established.

If scientific evidence suggests a healthy, potentially harvestable population, then we move into the policy and management phase—which is my area of expertise. This is where the formal rules would need to change. The relevant fisheries management body – likely NRE Tas for your snapper example, potentially collaborating with AFMA if the stock extends into Commonwealth waters – would need to amend an existing fishery management plan or even create a new one. This amendment is the crucial step that formalises everything. It would involve officially adding “snapper” to the list of target species for your specific fishery or region. Simultaneously, a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) would be determined for that species, dictating how much can be caught sustainably. Following that, they’d figure out how that TAC might be allocated, potentially through individual transferable quotas (ITQs), and clarify specific licensing requirements or endorsements needed.

It’s vital to remember that this entire process isn’t done behind closed doors. There will be formal public consultation periods where you, your industry associations, and other stakeholders can provide feedback on the proposed changes. Your direct input during these consultations is incredibly valuable. It’s your chance to highlight practical considerations and ensure the proposed rules are workable for those of you on the frontline. If the species truly spans different jurisdictions, then coordination between these different agencies becomes absolutely essential for consistent and effective management.

Now, in reality, this isn’t a quick fix. From the moment you first consistently observe a new species to actually getting a quota for it, the process can realistically take several years. It requires dedicated scientific research, robust data collection, and then the often-lengthy bureaucratic process of amending management plans and potentially even relevant legislation. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. However, the encouraging news is that fisheries agencies are increasingly aware of these climate-driven shifts, and the need for this process to be adaptive. AFMA, for instance, has developed a “Climate Risk Framework” to integrate these impacts into their annual decision-making for quotas. The National Fisheries Plan also explicitly highlights the need for greater adaptability in management. They understand they need to be more agile and responsive than ever before.

The Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995 (LMRMA) in Tasmania gives the Minister flexibility to create rules for fisheries management in two key ways. Firstly, for established fisheries, rules can be made to support and detail an existing, formal “management plan”. Think of the plan as the overarching strategy for a particular fishery, and the rules as the specific operational details—like setting the precise Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for a season. Secondly, and crucially for adapting to changing conditions like species shifting their distribution, the Minister can also make rules for a fishery even if there isn’t a comprehensive management plan formally approved for it. This allows for a more rapid regulatory response when new situations or species emerge, without needing to go through the lengthy process of creating an entirely new, formal management plan. These rules can cover a broad range of aspects, including licensing, gear restrictions, catch limits, and reporting requirements, providing essential tools for agile management in a changing marine environment.

So, your role remains incredibly important. Keep observing, keep noting those changes, and keep reporting them. Engage actively with your industry groups, and crucially, participate in those consultation periods when they arise. The more practical insights and on-the-water knowledge that can be fed into the decision-making process, the better and more efficiently the management system can adapt. And that’s where Sea Change Australia comes in – to help bridge that gap and ensure your vital experiences are heard by the people making the rules.