Tropical rock lobster fishery working group

This working group provides operational advice on the management of the east coast tropical rock lobster fishery.

Queensland’s tropical rock lobster fishery is a harvest fishery for both commercial and recreational fishers. Divers collect bottom-dwelling lobsters by hand using small tender boats, hence impacts on non-target species and habitats are negligible. The commercial sector consists of a small number of quota holders targeting the high-value Panulirus ornatus species. The commercial fishery is currently managed by individual transferable quota, based on a fixed total allowable catch set after the last stock assessment in 2009.