Legislation
Reforms to fisheries regulations announced on 30 September 2020 will reduce red tape, support economic recovery and ensure the sustainability of Queensland’s fishing industry. For a list of the changes to fisheries legislation, refer to the Fisheries Legislation Amendment Regulation 2020.
Queensland's fisheries are regulated by the following pieces of legislation:
- Fisheries Act 1994
- Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019
- Fisheries (Commercial Fisheries) Regulation 2019
- Fisheries Declaration 2019
- Fisheries Quota Declaration 2019
The Fisheries Act 1994 sets out Fisheries Queensland's responsibilities for the economically viable, socially acceptable and ecologically sustainable development of Queensland's fisheries resources.
The Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019 outlines general regulatory requirements relevant to the management and use of Queensland's fisheries resources. Section 3 provides useful advice on how to read and understand the regulations and declarations.
The Fisheries (Commercial Fisheries) Regulation 2019 outlines the regulatory requirements that apply to Queensland’s commercial fisheries, including how activities are to be carried out.
The Fisheries Declaration 2019 outlines restrictions on particular fishing activities across all sectors. Schedule 1 outlines regulated waters that apply in Queensland. Schedule 2 outlines the regulated fish declarations (size, possession and form requirements etc.) that apply to commercial and recreational fishers in Queensland.
The Fisheries (Quota) Declaration 2019 outlines the quota entitlements for particular commercial fisheries, including the commercial catch limits.
Recent management and regulatory changes
October 2022:
September 2020:
- Changes to fishing rules in Queensland: September 2020 (PDF, 508.8KB)
- Trawl fishery effort unit allocation (PDF, 451.7KB)
- East coast inshore fishery quota allocation (PDF, 246.5KB)
- Crab fishery quota allocation (PDF, 887.2KB)
- Reporting requirements for commercial fisheries (PDF, 483.9KB)
March 2020:
- Temporary expansion of tropical rock lobster fishery area
Due to the impacts of COVID-19, the tropical rock lobster fishery area was temporarily expanded south to 18°S (just north of Cardwell) for 3 months from 10 March 2020 until 9 June 2020.
September 2019:
- Changes to fishing rules in Queensland: September 2019 (PDF, 413.4KB)
- Why recreational fishing rules have changed: September 2019 (PDF, 1.5MB)
- Why commercial rules have changed: September 2019 (PDF, 1.5MB)