{"id":"F2026L00322","name":"Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (Total Allowable Catch for Quota Species) Determination 2026","slug":"f2026l00322","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":443220,"registerId":"F2026L00322-fast-fetch-1775958113867","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (Total Allowable Catch for Quota Species) Determination 2026","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n\n\n \n\nSouthern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (Total Allowable Catch for Quota Species) Determination 2026\n\nThe Australian Fisheries Management Authority makes the following determination.\n\nDated 11 March 2026 \n\n| Helen Kroger | Ian Dutton | Brett McCallum |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Chair | Commissioner | Commissioner |\n| Wez Norris | Sevaly Sen | Scott Spencer |\n| Commissioner | Commissioner | Commissioner
|\n| Sally Troy | | |\n| Commissioner | | |\n\n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Cessation\n\n4 Authority\n\n5 Definitions\n\n6 Determination of total allowable catch – whole fishery\n\n7 Determination of total allowable catch – parts of the area of the fishery\n\n \n\n \n\n1 Name\n\n This instrument is the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (Total Allowable Catch for Quota Species) Determination 2026.\n\n2 Commencement\n\n This instrument commences on the day after registration on the Federal Register of Legislation.\n\n3 Cessation\n\n This instrument ceases on 1 May 2027.\n\n4 Authority\n\n This instrument is made under subsection 11(1) of the Management Plan for the purpose of paragraph 17(6)(aa) of the Act.\n\n5 Definitions\n\n (1) In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Fisheries Management Act 1991.\n\nManagement Plan means the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Management Plan 2003.\n\n (2) Any term used in this instrument that is defined for the purposes of the Management Plan has the same meaning in this instrument as it has in the Management Plan. \n\nNote: Terms defined in the Act have the same meanings in this Instrument.\n\n6 Determination of total allowable catch – whole fishery\n\n1. This section applies to the 2026-27 fishing year commencing on 1 May 2026 and ending on 30 April 2027.\n2. For a species of fish specified in an item in column 1 of the table, the total allowable catch, in tonnes, for that species is determined in column 2 on the basis of the preparation of the fish in accordance with column 3.\n\n\n \n\n| Item | Column 1
Species of fish | Column 2
Total allowable catch | Column 3
Preparation |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 1 | Alfonsino | 1 017 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 2 | Bight redfish | 873 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 3 | Blue eye trevalla | 279 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 4 | Blue grenadier | 14 650 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 5 | Blue warehou | 30 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 6 | Deepwater flathead | 940 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 7 | Elephant fish | 114 tonnes | Trunked, belly flaps removed |\n| 8 | Flathead | 2 333 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 9 | Gummy shark | 1 595 tonnes | Trunked weight |\n| 10 | Jackass morwong | 50 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 11 | John dory | 60 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 12 | Mirror dory | 334 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 13 | Ocean perch | 318 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 14 | Oreo, basket | 137 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 15 | Pink ling | 1 539 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 16 | Redfish | 5 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 17 | Ribaldo | 393 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 18 | Royal red prawn | 462 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 19 | Saw shark | 525 tonnes | Trunked weight |\n| 20 | School shark | 446 tonnes | Trunked weight |\n| 21 | School whiting | 1 202 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 22 | Silver trevally | 25 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 23 | Silver warehou | 350 tonnes | Whole weight |\n\n\n \n\n7 Determination of total allowable catch – parts of the area of the fishery\n\n1. This section applies to the 2026-27 fishing year commencing on 1 May 2026 and ending on 30 April 2027.\n2. For a species of fish specified in an item in column 1 of the table in the zone, or zones, of the fishery in column 2, the total allowable catch, in tonnes, for that species in that part, or parts, of the area of the fishery is determined in column 3 on the basis of the preparation of the fish in accordance with column 4.\n\n\n \n\n| Item | Column 1
Species of fish | Column 2
Part of the area of the fishery | Column 3
Total allowable catch | Column 4
Preparation |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| 1 | Deepwater shark, basket | Gemfish and deepwater shark eastern zone | 24 tonnes | Trunked weight |\n| 2 | Deepwater shark, basket | Gemfish and deepwater shark western zone | 327 tonnes | Trunked weight |\n| 3 | Gemfish | Gemfish and deepwater shark eastern zone | 100 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 4 | Gemfish | Gemfish and deepwater shark western zone | 180 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 5 | Orange roughy | Both the GAB Albany zone and GAB Esperance zone | 50 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 6 | Orange roughy | Cascade Plateau zone | 397 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 7 | Orange roughy | Orange roughy eastern zone | 1 163 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 8 | Orange roughy | Orange roughy southern zone | 119 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 9 | Orange roughy | Orange roughy western zone | 200 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 10 | Smooth oreo dory | Cascade Plateau zone | 150 tonnes | Whole weight |\n| 11 | Smooth oreo dory | Other than Cascade Plateau zone | 90 tonnes | Whole weight |\n\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument performs exactly the function intended by the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Management Plan 2003: setting annual total allowable catches for quota species. It has not expanded beyond this original purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Only 2 defined terms in section 5 (Act and Management Plan), with a simple incorporation by reference of other defined terms","Straightforward tabular structure with no nested conditions or exceptions","No cross-references beyond the basic empowering provision (subsection 11(1) of the Management Plan)","Simple temporal application (single fishing year, fixed dates)","Binary operational rule: either whole fishery limits apply (section 6) OR zone-specific limits apply (section 7), with no overlap or conflict resolution needed"],"plain_english_summary":"This rule sets the 1 May 2026–30 Apr 2027 total allowable catches for 23 species in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (and zone-specific limits for six stocks), and specifies whether catches are measured as whole or trunked weight — e.g., blue grenadier ~14,650 t, flathead ~2,333 t, gummy shark ~1,595 t. \n\nIt binds commercial fishers with relevant permits and AFMA enforcement to prevent overfishing, with penalties for breaches."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument operates as an annual TAC determination for the 2026–27 fishing year (sections 6–7) under the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act (section 4). It does not amend the Management Plan or the Act, nor does it expand decision-making powers; it only sets species- and zone-specific catch limits and measurement bases for a defined time period (sections 2–3)."},"complexity_factors":["Number of species listed for whole-fishery TACs (23 distinct species in section 6 table) increases administrative tracking.","Zonal splits and separate part-area TACs (11 items in section 7 table) add geographic complexity to compliance and quota accounting.","Mixed bases of measurement (column 3 in sections 6 and 7: whole weight, trunked, trunked weight, trunked with belly flaps removed) require species-specific measurement rules for reporting and enforcement.","Temporal limitation (section 2 commencement and section 3 cessation to 1 May 2027) makes this a time-limited regulatory instrument requiring annual renewal.","Statutory cross-references (section 4 to subsection 11(1) of the Management Plan and paragraph 17(6)(aa) of the Act; section 5 referencing the Management Plan and the Act) mean interpretation depends on external instruments and definitions.","Simple tabular form reduces legal drafting complexity but shifts operational complexity to fisheries managers and quota holders for record-keeping and monitoring."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument sets the total allowable catch (TAC) in tonnes and the required basis of measurement (for example, whole or trunked weight) for listed quota species in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery for the 2026–27 fishing year, and includes zonal TACs for certain species. It constrains how much quota species may be legally taken, affects quota holders and fishers, and is made by AFMA under the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act, with resulting effects on fishing opportunity, monitoring and compliance obligations."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/f2026l00322","history":"/api/acts/f2026l00322/history","analysis":"/api/acts/f2026l00322/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/f2026l00322/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/f2026l00322/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/f2026l00322/documents"}}