Ocean Trawl Prawning Effort Quota

Effort quota commenced for ocean trawl prawning on 1 May 2019. Following is how the effort quota works.

Total Allowable Effort (TAE):

Total Allowable Effort (TAE) is the total effort that the fishery as a whole may use each fishing period (season). The fishing period runs from 1 May – 30 April each year.

Effort quota is measured in ‘standardised hull unit days’. This takes account of the fact that bigger boats can take more in one day than smaller boats.

For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 fishing periods, the TAE for ocean trawl prawning has been set at 487,800 standardised hull unit days by the independent Total Allowable Fishing Committee.

Allocation of quota:

The TAE is allocated to shareholders as quota, at the beginning of each fishing period.

It is allocated amongst shareholders in proportion to the number of prawn effort quota shares held. For example, if you hold 6% of the total prawn effort quota shares, you will receive 6% of the TAE as quota.

You can use the calculator to calculate your quota based on the number of prawn effort quota shares that you hold.

Quota may only be used during the fishing period for which it is allocated. It cannot be carried over to the next fishing period.

Quota may be transferred between anyone holding inshore prawn shares, offshore prawn shares or prawn effort quota shares.

Using quota:

The amount of effort quota used (known as the ‘quota deduction rate’) depends on two variables: the size of the boat used, and the number of days fished.

This is different to other quotas in NSW which have a single variable, such as kilograms or days.

Using a larger boat means that more quota will be deducted for each day of fishing, and therefore the business will have fewer days to fish, than if a smaller boat was used.

It is important that DPI has up-to-date information about which boat is used by each fishing business, so that quota is deducted at the right rate (see “Before using a new boat” below).

Calculating the size of your boat:

The size of a boat is expressed as ‘standardised hull units’.

You can use the calculator to calculate the standardised hull units of a boat.

Before using a new boat:

Before using a boat in the inshore or offshore prawn fishery the owner of the fishing business must provide certain information concerning the boat.

This information is used to link the boat to a nominated fishing business and to determine the quota to be deducted from the fishing business for each day of fishing.

Fishing business owners can use this form (PDF, 129.76 KB) to register a boat and provide the required information.