Commonwealth Fisheries Harvest Strategy Policy and Bycatch Policy Implementation Review

The summary is quite long but here is the first paragraph which I hope is enough! The scope of this review was determined by the Department with the assistance of the Steering Committee. For the Harvest Strategy Policy (HSP), a review of the harvest strategies that are in place was undertaken, followed by a consideration of the following priority areas identified in the terms of reference (Appendix A): • Accounting for all sources of mortality • Variability, regime shift and climate change • Technical evaluation of harvest strategies • Reference points • Rebuilding overfished stocks • Spatial and temporal management The review focuses on commercial species covered in the Fishery Status Reports (FSR; key commercial and some byproduct). Most byproduct species are covered under the Bycatch Policy (BCP) review, noting they are assessed and managed in a manner similar to bycatch species. For the BCP, priority areas outlined in the terms of reference (articulated as questions) were: • Have bycatch mitigation/management strategies being implemented? o Is AFMA effectively addressing high risk species? • Are assessment and management decisions about general bycatch based on the best available science, evidence and information? What is the best available science? Is the precautionary principle being consistently applied? • Are data collection and analysis systems sufficiently robust to ensure that risk is assessed and managed appropriately? • Where evidence shows that a general bycatch population has fallen below that limit, have fishery managers responded in a way that facilitates recovery of that population to above the limit? (Cumulative impacts) • Are any general bycatch species/populations being exposed to an unacceptable risk of recruitment impairment? If yes, why? • Have annual reports on implementation been submitted/provided by AFMA? The review of the implementation of the BCP was limited to general bycatch. Species listed under the EPBC Act were not in scope.