COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

DECLARATION OF AN APPROVED WILDLIFE TRADE OPERATION – QUEENSLAND CORAL FISHERY, OCTOBER 2024

I, TANYA PLIBERSEK, Minster for the Environment and Water, have considered in accordance with section 303FN of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) the application from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, public comments on the proposal as required under section 303FR and advice on the ecological sustainability of the operation. I am satisfied on those matters specified in section 303FN of the EPBC Act. I hereby declare the operations for the harvesting of specimens that are or are derived from fish or invertebrates, taken in the Queensland Coral Fishery as defined in the management regime in force under the:

• Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld)
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (Cth)
• Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019 (Qld)
• Fisheries (Commercial Fisheries) Regulation 2019 (Qld)
• Fisheries Declaration 2019 (Qld)
• Fisheries Quota Declaration 2019 (Qld)
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 2019 (Cth),

but not including:

1.     specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 209 of the EPBC Act (Australia’s List of Migratory Species), or
2.    specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 248 of the EPBC Act (Australia’s List of Marine Species), or
3.     specimens that belong to eligible listed threatened species, as defined under section 303BC of the EPBC Act, or
4.    specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 303CA of the EPBC Act (Australia’s CITES List), except for specimens that belong to taxa listed in Schedule 1,

to be an approved wildlife trade operation, in accordance with subsection 303FN(2) and paragraph 303FN(10)(d), for the purposes of the EPBC Act.

Unless amended or revoked, this declaration:

1.               is valid until 28 October 2027, and
2.              is subject to the conditions applied under section 303FT specified in Schedule 2.

Dated this 21 day of October 2024

T. Plibersek

Minister for the Environment and Water

Notes:

1.         Australia’s obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are met through Part 13A of the EPBC Act. Specimens of species listed in Appendix II of Australia’s CITES list under section 303CA of the EPBC Act may only be exported, under a CITES export permit issued under the EPBC Act, if Australia’s CITES Scientific Authority has issued a non-detriment finding for that species. Further information, including a list of species for which non detriment findings have been issued and the fisheries from which they may be sourced, is available from https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/wildlife-trade/cites.
   

Schedule 1

List of coral taxa eligible to be taken in the Queensland Coral Fishery.

Schedule 2

Declaration of the harvest operations of the Queensland Coral Fishery as an approved wildlife trade operation, October 2024

ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS (section 303FT)

Relating to the harvesting of fish specimens that are, or are derived from, fish or invertebrates, other than specimens of species listed under Part 13 and Part 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, taken in the Queensland Coral Fishery:

Condition 1

Operation of the Queensland Coral Fishery must be carried out in accordance with the Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld), Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019 (Qld), Fisheries (Commercial Fisheries) Regulation 2019 (Qld), Fisheries Declaration 2019 (Qld) and the Fisheries Quota Declaration 2019 (Qld). The fishery must also be managed in accordance with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (Cth), Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 2019 (Cth) and the Coral Sea Marine Park Management Plan 2018.

Condition 2

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must inform the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of any intended material changes to the Queensland Coral Fishery management arrangements that may affect the assessment against which Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth) decisions are made.

Condition 3

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must inform the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of any intended changes to fisheries legislation that may affect the legislative instruments relevant to this approval.

Condition 4

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must produce and present reports on the Queensland Coral Fishery to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water by 30 September annually, as per Appendix B of the Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries – 2nd Edition.

For species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora there are additional reporting requirements that must be included in the annual reports. These requirements are as follows:

1.        species specific data of each CITES-listed species harvested in the fishery in the preceding 12 months. All hard coral taxa (order Scleractinia) must be reported at a species-level where possible, unless otherwise authorised by this wildlife trade operation approval; and
2.        provide an overview of the coral harvest spatial data and how this has been collected and considered in the management of the fishery.

Condition 5

By 30 June 2026, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must publish an updated Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) for the Queensland Coral Fishery. The updated ERA must:

1.        consider the impacts the fishery may have on habitats, the physical environment, ecosystem functions, as well as on coral and coral-dependent ecosystems. This should consider the potential impacts of harvesting at a regional level; and
2.        identify any ongoing monitoring or risk mitigation needs for the fishery.

Condition 6

1.       By 30 November 2026, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must publish an updated harvest strategy for the Queensland Coral Fishery. The updated harvest strategy must:

1.             apply to all species that are recorded in current logbooks;
2.             include mechanisms to manage the risk of localised depletion; and
3.             manage risks to individual species and reefs targeted by the Queensland Coral Fishery, including risks associated with environmental disturbances.

1.       By 30 November 2026, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must commence implementing any monitoring and/or risk mitigation recommendations identified in the updated Environmental Risk Assessment.

Condition 7

1.       By 31 August 2025, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must:
   1.             review all available information on at-risk species, including Euphyllia glabrescens, Homophyllia cf. australis, Micromussa lordhowensis, Trachyphyllia geoffroyi and Acropora microclados, to determine if catch limits are appropriate, and if required determine if reductions or other management responses are necessary; and
   2.             report outcomes of the review and a schedule for any necessary changes to management of the fishery to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
   3.             This review should include consideration of available information on the life history traits (e.g. recruitment, growth and reproductive rates) of at-risk species in the Queensland Coral Fishery.
2.       By 30 April 2027, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must address information gaps on key life history traits (e.g. recruitment, growth and reproductive rates) for at-risk species to inform sustainable take levels at a reef and regional scale. In lieu of this, precautionary management of these species is necessary to maintain sustainable harvest levels and prevent localised depletion. Progress and outcomes of this work must be reported to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water via annual reports outlined at Condition 4.

Condition 8

1.       By 28 October 2026, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF) must develop and implement a Severe Event Response Plan that allows QDAF to respond to severe environmental threats which impact coral reefs in areas accessed by the Queensland Coral Fishery. This plan should integrate with existing monitoring and incident management frameworks across science and management agencies to inform adaptive fishery management responses. Severe environmental event may be associated with (inter alia) mass bleaching events, severe cyclones (>Category 4-5) and/or severe flood events.
2.       In lieu of the Severe Event Response Plan being implemented, if the Great Barrier Reef experiences a severe flooding or cyclonic event, or conditions that are likely to cause severe heat stress and coral bleaching, indicated by six consecutive Degree Heating Weeks, QDAF must meet with the Department of Climate Change, Energy the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to discuss appropriate management responses. This meeting should be undertaken as soon as possible to:

1.             consider the extent and severity of impact over the Great Barrier Reef; and
2.             explore any necessary fisheries management responses to manage the extent of the impact on affected species and ecosystems.

Condition 9

By 1 July 2025 the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries must continue to implement measures to closely monitor and manage catch limits to prevent them being exceeded.

ATTACHMENT A

Hard coral (order Scleractinia) taxa where identification to genus level is acceptable but should be identified to a species level where feasible. All other hard corals should be recorded to species.

• Acropora
• Agaricia
• Alveopora
• Anacropora
• Astreopora
• Balanophyllia
• Barabattoia
• Blastomussa
• Caulastraea
• Coelastrea
• Coeloseris
• Coscinaraea
• Cyphastrea
• Dendrophyllia
• Dipsastrea
• Distichopora
• Echinophyllia
• Echinopora
• Favites
• Fungia
• Galaxea
• Goniastrea
• Goniopora
• Heteropsammia
• Hydnophora
• Isopora
• Leptastrea
• Leptoria
• Leptoseris
• Lobophyllia
• Merulina
• Montastrea
• Montipora
• Oculina
• Oulophyllia
• Oxypora
• Pachyseris
• Paragoniastrea
• Paramontrastrea
• Pavona
• Pectinia
• Platygyra
• Pocillopora
• Porites
• Psammocora
• Seriatopora
• Siderastrea
• Stylaster
• Stylocoeniella
• Stylophora
• Turbinaria