Queensland's fisheries sector supports communities, businesses and jobs across our regions.

Commercial fishing

$354.1 million

gross state product in 2021–22

2,835

direct and indirect jobs 2021–22

Charter fishing

$31 million

gross state product in 2021–22

238

direct and indirect jobs in 2021–22

Aquaculture

Data is based on the latest aquaculture production summary report.

$263.2 million

gross value of production in 2022–23

855

full-time jobs in 2022–23

Recreational fishing

The lower bound estimate:

  • excludes interstate visitor expenditure
  • only considers value derived from Queenslanders.

$333.7 million

gross state product (lower bound estimate)

$2.5 billion

gross state product (upper bound estimate)

View the data

Fishing activity in Queensland supports our economy, regions and communities.

Access statewide or regional information by fishery or sector.

This dashboard shows a time series of economic indicators:

  • commercial fisheries
  • charter fishing
  • aquaculture
  • recreational fishing.

Explore the data

Commercial fishing:

Charter fishing:

Aquaculture:

Recreational fishing:

Data collection

BDO EconSearch

From 2020–2024, we engaged BDO EconSearch to:

  • collect economic data about Queensland's fisheries
  • produce economic indicators for the different fisheries and sectors.

We received summary data and reports (not individual data).

We provided BDO EconSearch with necessary information about the costs of managing the individual fisheries and fishing activity, confidentially and solely for the purposes of this project.

DataFarm

In 2025, we will collect and analyse the economic data directly for the Queensland commercial fishing sector, as we do across other primary industry sectors (including grazing and horticulture).

Find out more about the 'State of the Industry' commercial fishing survey.

All data will be stored securely by the Queensland Government.

Privacy

We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the confidentiality of your information. Your information is protected under the Information Privacy Act 2009.

Data storage and security

All data collected from this survey will be stored on a secure server in Australia with robust safeguards in place to prevent unauthorised access.

Access to data

Access to your individual information will be restricted to designated Queensland Government officials and Action Market Research officers. They are bound by confidentiality agreements and data protection protocols to ensure the security of your data.

Data sharing and confidentiality

Individual data will not be disclosed under any circumstances, unless required by law.

Any data shared publicly or with third parties will be a summary dataset of responses from at least 5 distinct businesses. Published reports will only include average figures from these combined datasets.

Use of data

The information you provide will be used to monitor the economic health of Queensland fisheries, manage fisheries resources and support business development initiatives for industry.

Your data may also be used for other related objectives, such as informing future policy decisions. Any additional use of your data will adhere to the same standards of confidentiality and data protection.

Last updated: 31 Mar 2025