• in the verification of the management of catches of quota species in overlapping and neighbouring fisheries. Performance assessment against the target In 2016-2017, no fish stock managed exclusively by AFMA was exposed to overfishing – a strong reflection of effective fisheries management. However, while our environmental sustainability performance remained on track, the number of economically significant stocks with harvest strategy targets based on maximum economic yield or best available approximation (14) was below the target of 18. This largely reflected the variability of catch quotas, with stocks being made up of „economically significant stocks”, i.e. afma`s 30 most valuable stocks that were changing. As a result, four stocks managed according to maximum economic return targets fell into the top 30 trading stocks, and four stocks that did not meet maximum economic return targets entered the top 30 trade stocks. Torres Strait Protected Area Joint Authority An authority composed of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources (Chair), the Queensland Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Chair of the Torres Strait Regional Authority. The Authority is responsible for monitoring the state of jointly managed fisheries in the Torres Strait and for formulating policies and plans for its management. Due to the success of these sea trials, the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association has asked AFMA to intensify measures to reduce seabird bycatch in the southern trawl fishery to show that the industry is serious about reducing seabird bycatch. The AfMA then ordered that from the beginning of the 2017 fishing season, all vessels install bird screens or seabird sprayers, or have shown AFMA that they can fish with pinkies without throwing offal while the trawl equipment was in tow. Management plans/agreements There is no statutory management plan for fisheries in the Coral Sea. The fishery has five sectors: REVIEW BY THE PRESIDENT AND CEO In 2016-2017, the value of the gross production of commonwealth fisheries was approximately $385 million, of which approximately $20 million came from the Torres Strait fishery. The overall performance of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) underscores the importance for AFMA to continue to provide an efficient and responsive regulatory approach that supports a profitable and competitive Commonwealth commercial fishing industry.

At the same time, AFMA has effectively pursued the sustainability of Australia`s marine environment for the benefit of current and future generations of Australians. – A review of the processes and procedures used by AFMA in the management of contract research. Environmental sustainability The latest State of Fisheries reports (published by the Australian Bureau of Economics and Agricultural and Resource Sciences on 29 September 2017) revealed that for the fourth year in a row, no stock managed exclusively by the Commonwealth (AFMA) has been exposed to overfishing (a stock that overfishes and the rate of distance from the stock is not sustainable). This is an important achievement that is reflected in the independent recognition of Australian fisheries management as one of the most efficient in the world.1 However, seven stocks under shared management continue to be classified as overexploited (a fish stock below the biomass limit) due to historical overexploitation, and AFMA will continue to play its role in taking management measures to restore these stocks. Further details can be found in the individual fisheries reports in Part 3 of this report. The performance criteria set out in the Fisheries Management Plan were all met in 2016-2017, noting that there is no bycatch action plan for the southern squid fishery. This reflects the low incidence of bycatch in fisheries and the conclusion of the ecological risk assessment that no high- or medium-risk gardens have been identified. We plan to update the environmental risk assessment for southern Squid Jig Fishery in 2017-2018 to identify any bycatch issues. AFMA will develop and implement an appropriate management response to reduce risks to an acceptable level. For the period 2017-2018, we will try to further increase the positive sustainability of fisheries and economic performance. Priority work is expected to include the implementation of the Fisheries (Representation) Amendment Act 2017 which, if passed by Parliament, will require AFMA to consider the interests of the commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries sectors in the management of Australia`s fisheries. Reviews of the Commonwealth`s harvest strategy policy and by-catch policy are expected to be completed by the end of 2017.

These may have an impact on AFMA`s environmental risk assessment and risk management framework. Further policy work will establish economic performance indicators for the Commonwealth fisheries and continue to implement more cost-effective and efficient management. Considerable work has been done to install deflectors and sprayers on vessels in the South East Trawl and Great Australia Trawl fisheries, resulting in a 90% reduction in seabird attacks. This is an excellent result for fishing and reflects the positive cooperation between the industry and AFMA. Offshore Constitutional Regulation An agreement between one or more states and the Australian Government that provides for individual or joint jurisdiction for a particular fishery located both in coastal waters and in the Australian fishing zone. Advice from individual members of the Management Advisory Committee on the Pelagic Bottlenose Dolphin Mitigation Strategy was sought. The performance criteria set out in the Fisheries Management Plan were all met in 2016-2017. .