50Obligations relating to interactions with certain species and marine communities

50 Obligations relating to interactions with certain species and marine communities

(1) The holder of an SFR must take all reasonable steps to ensure that by‑catch and the impact of fishing operations on the marine environment are kept to a minimum.

(2) In particular, the holder must take all reasonable steps to:

(a) avoid interactions with the following:

(i) cetaceans;

(ii) marine species listed for section 248 of the EPBC Act;

(iii) migratory species listed for section 209 of the EPBC Act;

(iv) threatened ecological communities listed for section 181 of the EPBC Act;

(v) threatened species listed for section 178 of the EPBC Act; and

(b) ensure that anything that may harm the marine environment (especially an object used to hold a light‑emitting chemical) is not disposed of at sea.

(3) If the activities of the nominated boat for an SFR result in an interaction with a species or community mentioned in subsection (2), the holder of the SFR must:

(a) record details of the interaction in a logbook kept for that purpose; and

(b) if there is an observer on the boat:

(i) immediately tell the observer about the interaction, and allow the observer to observe its consequences; and

(ii) give whatever assistance is necessary for the observer to collect any data, or make any observations, requested by AFMA; and

(c) if the interaction results in an injury to a member of the species or community, do everything that can practicably be done to give aid to it; and

(d) if the interaction results in the death of a member of the species or community, and it is necessary to discharge its carcass from the boat, do so in a way that does not attract birds or mammals to the boat; and

(e) if the interaction results in the death of, or an injury to, a member of the species or community, report the interaction in accordance with regulations made for the purposes of this section.