Fisheries Management Fishing Closure (Prawn Counts) Notification 2019

Fisheries Management Fishing Closure

(Prawn Counts) Notification 2019

under the

Fisheries Management Act 1994

I, Sarah Fairfull, Acting Deputy Director General DPI Fisheries, with the delegated authority of the Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales and the Secretary of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment pursuant to sections 227 and 228 of the Fisheries Management Act 1994 (“the Act”) and pursuant to section 8 of the Act, make the following Notification.

Dated this 18th day of December 2019

Sarah Fairfull

Acting Deputy Director General DPI Fisheries

Department of Primary Industries

(within the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment)

Fisheries Management Fishing Closure

(Prawn Counts) Notification 2019

1. Name of Notification

This Notification is the Fisheries Management Fishing Closure (Prawn Counts) Notification 2019.

2. Commencement and Duration

This notification commences on the date it is published on the NSW Department of Primary Industries website and will remain in force until 12 December 2024.

Note: This notification is further published in the Government Gazette under section 9(1) of the Act.

3. Definitions

In this Notification:

Clarence River means all waters from the confluence of the Clarence River and the South Pacific Ocean (that is, the eastern most extremity of the breakwalls), upstream to the vehicular ferry at Ulmarra, and including the waters of Lake Wooloweyah.

dip or scoop net (prawns) means a dip or scoop net that complies with the requirements of clause 31D of the Fisheries Management (Estuary General Share Management Plan) Regulation 2006.

hand-hauled prawn net means a hand-hauled net that satisfies the requirements of clause 31B of the Fisheries Management (Estuary General Share Management Plan) Regulation 2006.

Hawkesbury River means all waters from the confluence of the Hawkesbury River and the South Pacific Ocean (that is, a line drawn from the southern extremity of Box Head to the Northern Extremity of Barrenjoey Headland), upstream to the vehicular ferry at Lower Portland.

Hunter River means all waters from a line drawn south-westerly from the boat ramp adjacent to Punt Road, Stockton, to the eastern extremity of the State Dockyard (Dyke Point), upstream to its junction with the Williams River.

otter trawl net (prawns) means an otter trawl net that satisfies the requirements of clause 17A of the Fisheries Management (Estuary Prawn Trawl Share Management Plan) Regulation 2006.

prawn net (hauling) means a hauling net that satisfies the requirements of clause 21 of the Fisheries Management (Estuary General Share Management Plan) Regulation 2006.

prawning endorsement means:

a) a prawning endorsement held under the Fisheries Management (Estuary General Share Management Plan) Regulation 2006,

b) an endorsement held under the Fisheries Management (Estuary Prawn Trawl Share Management Plan) Regulation 2006, and

c) an inshore prawn endorsement, an offshore prawn endorsement, or a deepwater prawn endorsement held under the Fisheries Management (Ocean Trawl Share Management Plan) Regulation 2006.

push or scissor net (prawns) means a push or scissors net that satisfies the requirements of clause 31C of the Fisheries Management (Estuary General Share Management Plan) Regulation 2006.

4. Fishing closure

Pursuant to section 8 of the Act, the holder of a prawning endorsement is prohibited, in the waters described in Column 1 of the Schedule to this notification, from taking more than the number of prawns per the weight of prawns taken as specified in Column 3 of the Schedule, using the methods of fishing described in Column 2 of the Schedule.

Schedule

Column 1 Waters

Column 2 Method

Column 3 Prawn Counts

All waters other than the Hawkesbury River, Hunter River and Clarence River

All methods

125 prawns per ½ kilogram in the case of catch consisting of more than 10% Melicertus plebejus (eastern king prawns),

and

180 prawns per ½ kilogram in any other case.

Hawkesbury River and Clarence River

All methods

180 prawns (any species) per ½ kilogram

Hunter River

(a) prawn net (hauling),

(b) hand-hauled prawn net,

(c) push or scissor net (prawns),

(d) dip or scoop net (prawns).

180 prawns (any species) per ½ kilogram

Hunter River

Otter trawl net (prawns)

150 prawns (any species) per ½ kilogram