COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

Revocation of Accreditation of a Plan, Regime or Policy for the purposes of Part 13.

Accreditation of a Plan, Regime or Policy for the purposes of Part 13.

Commonwealth Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery, November 2022

I, ADAM SINCOCK, Principal Director, Wildlife Trade Office, as Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water:

a)      revoke the accreditation of the management regime for the Commonwealth Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery dated 21 November 2014, and

b)      being satisfied that:

i)        the management regime for the Commonwealth Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery, in force under the:

·         Fisheries Management Act 1991 (Cth)

·         Fisheries Management Regulations 2019 (Cth)

·         Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery Management Plan 2005,

requires persons engaged in fishing under the management regime to take all reasonable steps to ensure that members of listed threatened species, listed migratory species, cetaceans and listed marine species are not killed or injured as a result of the fishing, and

ii)      the fishery to which the management regime relates does not, or is not likely to, adversely affect:

a)      the survival or recovery in nature of any listed threatened species, or

b)      the conservation status of a listed migratory species, cetacean, or listed marine species or a population of that species,

accredit the management regime for the Commonwealth Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery in force under the:

·         Fisheries Management Act 1991 (Cth)

·         Fisheries Regulations 2019 (Cth)

·         Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery Management Plan 2005,

under sections 208A, 222A, 245 and 265 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) for the purposes of Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively of Part 13 of the EPBC Act.

This accreditation is subject to the following conditions under section 303AA of the EPBC Act:

Part 13 Condition A

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority must:

a)      By 1 November 2024, conduct and publish an updated Ecological Risk Assessment for the Commonwealth Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery using data that best reflects the management arrangements which the fishery currently operates within. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority must ensure the data used to inform the updated Ecological Risk Assessment includes fishing operations data collected since the implementation of electronic monitoring in the fishery

b)      Implement risk mitigation strategies to address any high risks identified in the Ecological Risk Assessment, including for species identified as being at high risk due to a lack of available information. Progress in implementing the risk mitigation strategies should be included in annual reports provided to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (as specified at Condition 4 of the wildlife trade operation approval).

Dated this 10^th day of November 2022

ADAM SINCOCK

..……………………….……..

Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water