Commercial Fish Production

Fishery Production

• Introduction
• Victorian fisheries production summary (2018/19)
• Number of Fishery Access Licences (June 2019)
• Number of Licensed Pots (June 2019)
• Victoria Statewide (Teleosts) catch and value, 2013/14-2018/19
• Victoria Statewide (Molluscs, Echinoderms, Crustaceans and Chondrichthyans) catch and value, 2013/14-2018-19
• Port Phillip Bay catch, 1978/79-2018/19
• Western Port catch, 1978/79-2018/19
• Corner Inlet catch, 1978/79-2018/19
• Gippsland Lakes and Lake Tyers catch, 1978/79-2018/19
• Offshore catch, 1978/79-2018/19
• Southern Rock Lobster (Western Zone) catch, effort and value by quota year, 1982/83-2018/19
• Southern Rock Lobster (Western Zone) catch, effort and value by month during quota year 2018/19
• Giant Crab (Western Zone) catch, effort and value by quota year, 1982/83-2018/19
• Giant Crab (Western Zone) catch, effort and value by month during quota year 2018/19
• Southern Rock Lobster (Eastern Zone) catch, effort and value by quota year, 1982/83-2018/19
• Southern Rock Lobster (Eastern Zone) catch, effort and value by month during quota year 2018/19
• Abalone catch and effort by quota year and zone, 1995/96–2018/19
• Marketing, Scientific and Previously Used Names for Fishery Production

Aquaculture Production

• Introduction
• Number of Aquaculture Licences
• Growout Production, 2013/14-2018/19
• Areas of Water Licensed for Cultivation — Blue Mussels and Other Molluscs (Bivalves), 2013/14-2018/19

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Fishery Production

Introduction

Victoria’s commercial fisheries began at the time of European settlement during the 1840s. These fisheries have been managed under various Fisheries Acts since 1859 and fishery catch data has been collected continuously since 1911. Catch and effort data for the period since June 1978 is stored in an electronic database where the data is secure and readily accessible for various uses.

This information bulletin is designed to meet the data needs of the fishing industry, fishery researchers, the Victorian Fisheries Authority, the Victorian Government, the Commonwealth Government, and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation.

Under the Fisheries Act 1995, lodgement of catch and effort return forms is a condition of a fishery access licence. Individual returns are collected under Section 146 of the Act and are treated confidentially according to the Fisheries Act 1995 and the Information Privacy Act 2000. The data is released in aggregated form only. To preserve confidentiality, data is not reported if less than five licence holders have contributed to it.

Notes to the reader

Copyright The State of Victoria, Victorian Fisheries Authority Melbourne, 2019.

This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne 3000

ISSN: 1446‐2567

Victorian fisheries production summary

In order of weight for fiscal year 2018/19

¹ Weight (live, tonnes); ^2,Value ($ʹ000) from Jan 2011, Melbourne Fish Market price data collection ceased. Selected processors are still providing price data for some species including abalone & rock lobster; ³nd, no data obtained; ⁴na, not applicable; ⁵id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data); ⁶ Shark carcass weight (beheaded and eviscerated with fins attached) for Victorian Proclaimed waters only; ⁷ Aquaculture weight and value does not include hatchery production; ⁸ includes abalone and blue mussel; ⁹ includes salmonids, warmwater finfish and eels; ¹⁰ includes yabby; ¹¹no, number only of ornamental fish available (2,283,000 for 2016/17, 1,915,000 for 2017/18 and 1,847,000 for 2018/19).

Number of Fishery Access Licences (June 2019)

Number of Licensed Pots (June 2019)

Victoria Statewide (Teleosts)

Commercial catch and value for each major species caught during 2014/15–2018/19 (fiscal years)

Excludes landings from Commonwealth waters by the South East Fishery and Southern Shark Fishery. Value is estimated from various sources.

¹nd, no data obtained;²id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data), and the data have been included as 'other'.

Victoria Statewide (Molluscs, Echinoderms, Crustaceans & Chondrichthyans)

Commercial catch and value for each major species caught during 2014/15–2018/19 (fiscal years)

Excludes landings from Commonwealth waters by the South East Fishery and Southern Shark Fishery. Value is estimated from various sources.

¹ nd, no data obtained; ² id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data), and the data have been included as ʹotherʹ; ³ Scallop live weights (shell weight) reported; ⁴shark carcass weight (beheaded and gutted with fins attached) for Victorian Proclaimed Waters only; ⁵ weight of margins of pectoral fins

Port Phillip Bay

Commercial catch for each major species caught in Port Phillip Bay during 1978/79–2018/19

Excludes data for abalones, blue mussel, southern rock lobster, and commercial scallop.

¹ id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data), and the data have been included as ʹotherʹ; ² Reduction in licence numbers and introduction of catch limits from April 2016; ³ nd, no data obtained.

Western Port

Commercial catch for each major species caught in Western Port during 1978/79–2018/19

¹nd, no data obtained; ²id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data), and the data have been included as 'other'.

Corner Inlet

Commercial catch for each major species caught in Corner Inlet during 1978/79–2018/19

¹id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data), and the data have been included as 'other'. ²nd, no data obtained

Gippsland Lakes and Lake Tyers

Commercial catch for each major species caught in Gippsland Lakes and Lake Tyers during 1978/79–2017/18

¹Lake Tyers fishery was closed in April 2003. ²id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data), and the data have been included as 'other'.

Offshore

Commercial catch for each major species caught offshore during 1978/79–2018/19

Excludes landings from Commonwealth waters by the South East Fishery and Southern Shark Fishery.

¹id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data), and the data have been included as 'other'.

Southern Rock Lobster (Western Zone)

Catch, effort and value by quota year (April–March) during 1982/83–2009/10 (July–June) during 2009/10–2018/19.

Western Zone - South Australian border to Longitude 143^o40' E (just east of Apollo Bay).

Total Allowable Catch Catch (TACC) quota management was introduced 16 November 2001.

Southern Rock Lobster (Western Zone)

Catch, effort and value by month during quota year (July–June) 2018/19

Target pot-lifts is determined by allocating all effort to the species with catch greater than 70% of total catch prior to April 1998, but from April 1998 target species is specified in the logbooks.

¹id, insufficient data to report because there are less than five licence holders (policy requirement to protect commercial confidentiality of data).

Giant Crab (Western Zone)

Catch, effort and value by quota year (April–March) during 1982/83–2018/19

Western Zone - the South Australian border to Longitude 143° 40' E (just east of Apollo Bay).

Total Allowable Catch Catch (TACC) quota management was introduced 16 November 2001.