Environmental Assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, August 2021
Agency application on ecological sustainability
About the application
The current export approval for the Queensland Coral Fishery is valid until 31 October 2021 and the fishery is now due for assessment for ongoing export accreditation. The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment received an application from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on 30 July 2021. Further information was received by the department on 10 August 2021.
The application has been prepared to address the Australian Government Guidelines for the ecologically sustainable management of fisheries - 2nd edition and to provide updates on the implementation of any conditions or recommendations made in the previous Australian Government assessment. The application will be used to assess the operation of the fishery for the purposes of Part 13 and Part 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), this includes Australia’s obligations as a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
Consideration will be given to:
- declaring the Queensland Coral Fishery as managed consistent with the Fisheries Act 1994 (Queensland) and Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019, Fisheries (Commercial Fisheries) Regulation 2019, Fisheries Declaration 2019 and Fisheries Quota Declaration 2019 (Queensland), as an approved wildlife trade operation under section 303FN of the EPBC Act, and
- including in the list of exempt native specimens, specimens harvested in the Queensland Coral Fishery under the provisions of the Fisheries Act 1994 (Queensland) and Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019, Fisheries (Commercial Fisheries) Regulation 2019, Fisheries Declaration 2019 and Fisheries Quota Declaration 2019 (Queensland).
In accordance with the provisions of sections 303FR and 303DC of the EPBC Act, you are invited to comment on this proposal.
How can I get involved?
Download the application
Status report for reassessment and approval under protected species and export provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (PDF - 946.45 KB)
Status report for reassessment and approval under protected species and export provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (DOCX - 763.81 KB)
The call for public comments is open from 20 August 2021 until 20 September 2021.
Please submit your comments via email to sustainablefisheries@environment.gov.au.
Submissions may also be posted to:
The Director
Wildlife Trade Assessments Section
Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment
GPO Box 858
CANBERRA ACT 2601
Any comments received will form part of the documentation provided to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment, or Minister’s delegate for a decision. Copies of comments may be made available to other persons with a particular interest in the application. If you wish to claim confidentiality for any part of your comments, please contact the Director of the Wildlife Trade Assessments Section by emailing sustainablefisheries@environment.gov.au.