NSW Harvest Strategy Policy and Guidelines

The Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW has approved the adoption and implementation of the NSW Fisheries Harvest Strategy Policy (the Policy) and associated NSW Fisheries Harvest Strategy Guidelines (the Guidelines).

The Policy and Guidelines provide for the development and implementation of fishery-specific harvest strategies, to further the objectives of the Fisheries Management Act 1994 and Marine Estate Management Act 2014, consistent with Australia's National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development 1992.

The Policy facilitates the development of harvest strategies for NSW fisheries, defining what a harvest strategy is, how harvest strategies fit within the current management context, and outlines the core principles which must be applied to facilitate their development.

The Guidelines provide further explanation of key concepts in the Policy itself and additional consideration of aspects of the Policy that will need to be carefully addressed. Initially, the Guidelines are unlikely to cover all issues arising as harvest strategies are implemented across NSW Fisheries and will be updated by DPI Fisheries accordingly.

The draft NSW Fisheries Harvest Strategy Policy and Guidelines were placed on public exhibition from November 2020 until January 2021. Feedback was received and reviewed, and the policy and guidelines updated. The Ministerial Fisheries Advisory Council then recommended the Policy and Guidelines to the Minister for adoption and implementation. The NSW Fisheries Harvest Strategy Policy and Guidelines are available below.