Fish collection is labour intensive and entails careful handling to ensure the well being of the animals.
The Coral Sea Fishery operates from Sandy Cape on Fraser Island in the south to Cape York in the north; and east of the Offshore Constitutional Settlement to the edge of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which is an area of 780,000km2.
The fishery is limited entry and there are just two permit holders in the aquarium fish collection sector. The fishery is managed in accordance with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority’s harvest strategies, which include gear restrictions as well as size and catch limits and conservative management intervention triggers. It is the world’s only aquarium fishery with a compulsory 24/7 satellite Vessel Monitoring System for all vessels. Collection of coral is not permitted in the Coral Sea Fishery.
The Coral Sea Fishery is situated wholly within the 1,000,000km2 Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve. This is the worlds largest marine protected area and extends from the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to the extent of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
More than 65% of the Coral Sea Fishery area is designated IUCN II (National Park). No fishing of any kind is permitted in this vast area. The remainder of the Coral Sea Fishery remains open to some forms of fishing but is subject to marine park management in addition to fishery management arrangements.
