From May 1, more than one million square kilometres of additional offshore waters near southern and eastern Australia will open to mid-water trawling in the small pelagic fishery (SPF).
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) found that SPF mid-water trawlers pose a low risk to deep water species such as orange roughy and gulper sharks and decided that many of the current closures are not required to protect these species during SPF trawler operations.
The move follows calls from recreational and commercial fishers to review the closures.
AFMA’s
