Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (Total Allowable Catch for Quota Species) Determination 2026

The instrument relies on a compact set of statutory concepts and implements them by tables of species, tonnages and preparation standards. These are the principal concepts and the instrument text that establishes them.

• Total allowable catch (TAC). The instrument determines "the total allowable catch, in tonnes" for each listed species either for the whole fishery (s 6) or for particular parts of the fishery (s 7). The instrument expresses TACs as fixed numeric tonnages (for example, Blue grenadier 14 650 tonnes, s 6 table, Item 4). The instrument does not define TAC within its text; instead it operates by fixing the numerical ceiling that will apply for the relevant fishing year.

• Temporal scope. Both s 6 and s 7 expressly state they apply to the 2026-27 fishing year, defined by commencement on 1 May 2026 and ending on 30 April 2027 (s 6(1); s 7(1)). The instrument as a whole commences the day after registration (s 2) and ceases on 1 May 2027 (s 3). The juxtaposition means the TACs are intended to govern that single, statutory fishing year.

• Geographic scope and zones. Section 6 applies "to the whole fishery" for species listed in its table. Section 7 applies to specified "part, or parts, of the area of the fishery" , the instrument's s 7 table identifies named zones (for example, Gemfish and deepwater shark eastern zone; Cascade Plateau zone; Orange roughy eastern zone) and assigns TACs for those zones (s 7 table). The Management Plan supplies the fishery-area and zone definitions; the instrument imports those definitions by reference (s 5(2)).

• Species identification. The instrument lists species in plain terms (e g, Pink ling, School whiting, Deepwater shark, basket). The list is the operative species list for the determinations. The instrument does not set out scientific names or cross-reference other taxonomic schemes within the text supplied.

• Preparation or measurement basis. For each TAC the instrument prescribes how the fish are to be prepared for measurement against the TAC: examples include "Whole weight", "Trunked weight", and "Trunked, belly flaps removed" (s 6 and s 7 tables). These preparation conventions are part of the legal definition of the TAC for accounting purposes.

• Legal authority and relationship. The instrument is made under the Management Plan and for the purpose of paragraph 17(6)(aa) of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (s 4). It also adopts definitions from the Management Plan and notes terms defined in the Act have the same meanings in the instrument (s 5(2) and Note). Thus the instrument is an implementing instrument within the statutory management-plan framework, setting quantity ceilings and measurement bases consistent with that governing legislation.

• Non-allocation, aggregated limits. The instrument fixes aggregate TACs, not individual entitlements. It does not itself specify quota unit allocations, catch shares, licence conditions, monitoring methods or enforcement procedures. Those matters are to be addressed through the Management Plan and the Act, which supply the wider regulatory framework and the meanings of defined terms used in the instrument (s 4-5).

These core concepts determine the instrument's mechanics: numerical ceilings, temporally bounded, with spatial disaggregation where specified, and with prescriptive measurement/processing bases that feed into catch accounting.

The instrument affects parties who operate, manage, regulate, or hold interests in activities within the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery for the 2026-27 fishing year.

• AFMA and its decision-makers. AFMA is the maker of the instrument (the cover note states "The Australian Fisheries Management Authority makes the following determination" and the instrument is signed by the Chair and Commissioners). AFMA is the decision-maker that sets the aggregate TACs under the Management Plan authority (s 4). Thus AFMA exercises the statutory power to fix fishery-level limits for the specified period.

• Fishers and quota holders operating in the fishery. The TACs set the legal ceiling on total catch for listed species either across the whole fishery (s 6) or within specified zones (s 7). Persons actively fishing those species in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery will be directly affected because total removals for each species are constrained to the tonnages specified. Fishers holding quota entitlements, or parties with contractual interests in quota, are affected because the value and usability of quota entitlements is influenced by the aggregate TAC. The instrument does not itself allocate the TAC among holders, but the aggregate limit is the constraint against which any allocation mechanism within the Management Plan operates (s 5(2) and s 4).

• Processors and supply-chain participants. The preparation requirements in the tables (whole weight, trunked weight, trunked with belly flaps removed) affect how fish must be processed and measured for catch accounting. Processors who receive and prepare fish from the fishery may need to match their processing and reporting practices to the preparation conventions specified for each species to ensure accurate accounting against TACs (s 6, s 7 tables). Any supply contracts and processing flows that rely on predictable volumes will need to reflect the TAC ceilings and the seasonal window set by the fishing year.

• Fisheries managers, observers and compliance staff. The instrument establishes the numerical targets and measurement bases that monitoring and compliance regimes will measure against. Enforcement and monitoring activities under the Management Plan and Act will use these TACs to assess compliance by fishers for the period 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027 (s 6(1); s 7(1)).

• Markets and buyers of seafood. By fixing aggregate supply ceilings for particular species for a defined period, the instrument indirectly affects market supply. Buyers who rely on steady supply of particular species will face the aggregate constraints imposed by the TACs and any subsequent allocation outcomes under the Management Plan.

• Parties with spatial interests. Where TACs are set by zone (s 7 table), fishers operating in those zones, and regional management arrangements, will be affected by zone-specific ceilings for species such as orange roughy and gemfish.

The instrument does not specify obligations for particular named licence-holders or entities; it operates at the aggregate level. It therefore affects the universe of participants in the fishery through the ceiling it imposes, while the Management Plan and Act determine how that ceiling is allocated, monitored and enforced.

The instrument itself imposes a small number of discrete, enumerated duties and identifies, by implication, the rights that follow from the TAC determinations. The principal operative duties and rights are as follows.

Duties created or implied by the instrument

• Observe the TAC ceilings for the 2026-27 fishing year. The instrument determines the total allowable catch in tonnes for each listed species either for the whole fishery (s 6(2) and table) or for named zones (s 7(2) and table). Persons fishing in the fishery must ensure that their collective removals do not cause the aggregate removals to exceed those tonnages during the fishing year. The instrument itself fixes only the aggregate ceilings; compliance duties arise through the broader framework of the Management Plan and the Act, which provide the enforcement mechanisms (s 4 and s 5(2) link the instrument to that framework).

• Prepare fish according to the prescribed measurement basis. For each species the instrument prescribes a preparation/measurement basis (Column 3 in s 6 table; Column 4 in s 7 table). Examples include "Whole weight", "Trunked weight", and a specific format for elephant fish, "Trunked, belly flaps removed" (s 6 table, Item 7). Practically, the duty is to have catch accounted in the form specified so it can be aggregated against the TAC.

• Observe the instrument’s temporal and spatial boundaries. The TACs apply only for the fishing year starting 1 May 2026 and ending 30 April 2027 (s 6(1) and s 7(1)); some TACs are confined to named zones (s 7 table). Persons must account against the correct temporal and spatial limits.

Rights created or implied by the instrument

• Legal ceiling that supports quota rights and allocation. By fixing TACs at the fishery or zone level, the instrument determines the outer boundary of legally permissible catch for the year. Quota holders, as a class, derive their entitlements and the potential market value of quota from these legally set ceilings, though this instrument does not itself create or allocate individual quota shares. Any rights to harvest against quota entitlements will be exercised within the TAC ceilings set by the instrument and under the allocation rules in the Management Plan.

• Predictability for planning. The fixed TACs and the preparation bases provide stakeholders with known quantities for the period, which supports commercial planning, contracting and operational scheduling for fishers and processors for the 2026-27 year.

Limitations and delegation

• Aggregate, not individual, entitlement. The instrument does not specify how the TAC is divided among licence or quota holders. Allocation, transfer, quota unit rules, and licence conditions are governed by the Management Plan and the Act; the instrument establishes the total limits to which those allocation and compliance instruments must conform (s 4-5).

• Enforcement and penalties not specified in this instrument. The instrument contains no penalty clauses or enforcement procedures; those are matters that reside in the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act 1991, which give the enabling statutory framework (s 4 and s 5(2)).

In short, the instrument creates duties centred on not exceeding the aggregate TACs, preparing catch for measurement in the prescribed way, and observing spatial and temporal limits. It creates predictable boundaries that underpin the rights and economic value of quota and harvesting entitlements as administered under the Management Plan.

The determination itself does not set out penalties or discrete enforcement mechanisms. Its text fixes aggregate TACs and preparation conventions but does not include sanctions, monitoring protocols, or specified enforcement pathways. The relevant source provisions to note are the instrument’s statement of authority and incorporation of definitions: it is made under subsection 11(1) of the Management Plan for the purpose of paragraph 17(6)(aa) of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (s 4), and terms defined in the Management Plan have the same meaning in the instrument (s 5(2)). Therefore enforcement and penalties arise from the Act and the Management Plan rather than from this instrument itself.

Consequences for compliance practice

• Enforcement jurisdiction resides in the statutory framework. Because the instrument is an implementing determination made under the Management Plan and the Act (s 4), detection of excess catch, breaches of preparation/measurement specifications, or breaches of zone-specific limits are matters to be handled under the enforcement powers and penalty regime of the Act and the Management Plan. The determination provides the numerical and measurement benchmarks that enforcement agencies will apply when determining whether breaches have occurred.

• Monitoring and measurement issues. The prescribed preparation bases (whole weight, trunked weight, or specific preparation such as "Trunked, belly flaps removed") are material to enforcement because catch accounting will be conducted on those bases (s 6 and s 7 tables). Accurate and consistent measurement is therefore central to successful enforcement. Any dispute about whether a particular landed weight should be converted to the prescribed basis will be resolved under the Act/Management Plan procedures and definitions imported by the instrument (s 5(2)).

• Temporal enforcement window. The TACs apply only for the stated fishing year (s 6(1); s 7(1)); alleged breaches are therefore framed by that temporal boundary.

What is absent and the practical effect

• No new or separate punitive regime in this instrument. The absence of express penalties in the determination means that any sanctions, infringement notices, criminal or civil consequences for exceeding TACs, failing to prepare fish as required, or otherwise offending management rules must be found in the Act and Management Plan. Practitioners, compliance officers, and affected parties must therefore consult the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act 1991 for the specific enforcement powers, offence elements, maximum penalties, and procedural mechanisms that will be used to sanction breaches of the TACs the instrument specifies.

• Implementation requires operational guidance. Although the instrument fixes the targets, operational enforcement will depend on monitoring regimes, observer data, logbooks, electronic reporting, dockside inspection rules, and other compliance tools that sit outside this instrument. These practical enforcement instruments are to be read alongside the Management Plan and the Act, which the instrument expressly imports for definitional and legal effect (s 4-5).

In short, the legal benchmarks for enforcement are the TAC tonnages and preparation bases fixed here; the statutory penalties and enforcement procedures are supplied by the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act 1991 rather than by this determination itself.

The determination is an instrument made within a pre-existing statutory management framework. The instrument identifies its legal parentage and the definitional relationships that govern how it operates with other laws, specifically the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Management Plan 2003 and the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (s 4-5).

Direct statutory relationships

• Made under the Management Plan and Act. Section 4 states the instrument is made under subsection 11(1) of the Management Plan for the purpose of paragraph 17(6)(aa) of the Act. That textual linkage locates the instrument as an implementing measure under the Management Plan regime; it does not create an independent regulatory regime. Any rights, obligations, enforcement powers, and definitions necessary to operationalise the TACs must be sought in the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act 1991 because the determination imports those frameworks (s 4-5).

• Definitions imported. Section 5(2) provides that any term used in the 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." The Note further states that terms defined in the Act have the same meanings in this instrument. As a result, any technical or legal concept that the instrument uses but does not itself define, such as "quota species", "zone", "fishing year", or other management-plan terms, must be interpreted in light of the Management Plan and the Act.

Practical cross-instrument effects

• Allocation and quota mechanics take place elsewhere. Because this determination fixes aggregate TACs, but does not allocate quota among licence holders, the allocation, transfer, trade, or surrender of individual quota units will be governed by the Management Plan and the Act. Practitioners must therefore read the determination alongside allocation provisions in the Management Plan and applicable licence conditions under the Act.

• Measurement, reporting and monitoring protocols. The instrument prescribes preparation bases for measurement (s 6 and s 7 tables). The operational rules for converting landed product into the prescribed measurement bases for reporting and compliance will be contained in complementary instruments, guidance, or provisions in the Management Plan or the Act. The determination sets the targets; other legal instruments supply the metrology and reporting rules.

• Temporal sequencing of instruments. This determination is time-limited: it commences the day after registration (s 2) and ceases 1 May 2027 (s 3). Subsequent determinations or amendments made under the Management Plan and the Act would replace or modify these TACs for later fishing years. The sequencing and validity of successive instruments will therefore depend on the management-plan and Act procedures for making determinations.

Potential overlap or gaps requiring cross-reference

• Zone-specific versus whole-fishery listings. Section 6 lists TACs for the whole fishery, and section 7 lists TACs for parts of the fishery. Where a species appears in section 7 only, its legal ceiling is set for particular zones; where a species appears in section 6, its ceiling is for the whole fishery. The determination does not, within its own text, state how a species that might be listed in both sections would be reconciled, though the two sections are structured to serve different spatial scopes. Determination users must consult the Management Plan definitions for "whole fishery", "part of the area", and zone boundaries to understand the geographic reach and interactions (s 5(2)).

• Enforcement resides in parent legislation. As noted elsewhere, penalties and prosecution pathways are outside this instrument and are to be found in the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act 1991. The instrument must therefore be read in tandem with those instruments for a full understanding of legal consequence.

In short, the determination is a quantity-and-measurement specification that sits within and relies upon the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act 1991 for definitions, allocation, monitoring, enforcement and legal effect. Users must consult those sources for complete legal obligations and mechanisms.

The instrument text provided contains its creation date and effective window but does not record any subsequent amendments. The material facts that can be drawn from the instrument itself are:

• Date and signatories. The determination is dated 11 March 2026 and is presented as made by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, with the Chair and Commissioners named on the instrument heading. That identifies when and by whom the instrument was issued.

• Commencement and cessation dates. The instrument commences the day after registration on the Federal Register of Legislation (s 2) and ceases on 1 May 2027 (s 3). It therefore has a single fishing-year operational life.

• No amendment clauses or recorded history within the instrument text. The instrument does not contain a schedule of amendments, nor does it include any footnote trace of prior versions. There is no express transitional or saving provision within the text that would indicate a prior instrument being modified. The instrument establishes TACs for the 2026-27 fishing year; any prior-year determinations for 2025-26 or earlier years are not included or referenced in the text provided.

Implications for practitioners and record-keeping

• Treat this as the controlling instrument for the stated period until replaced. Because the instrument is time-limited and does not itself record amendments, parties should treat it as the operative TAC determination for the specified year from its commencement date until 1 May 2027. Any adjustment, amendment, or replacement would be reflected in a subsequent determination or an amending instrument, which would itself need to be located on the Federal Register of Legislation or the AFMA register.

• Review subsequent instruments for changes. Given the instrument’s explicit cessation date, those relying on the TACs for commercial, compliance or advisory purposes need to monitor AFMA publications and the Federal Register of Legislation for any substitute determination that takes effect on or after 1 May 2027.

• No in-document legislative amendment procedure. The instrument contains no internal amendment mechanism (for example, no clause indicating that AFMA may change the TACs during the fishing year), so any mid-year adjustments would need to be effected by a separate, duly made instrument under the Management Plan and the Act.

Because the instrument as provided contains no textual history of amendments or prior versions, the only historically verifiable claims in the instrument itself are its date of issue (11 March 2026), its makers (AFMA Chair and Commissioners as listed), and its commencement/cessation rules (s 2-3). For any additional amendment history, practitioners must consult the public register where statutory instruments and any amending instruments are published.

The text of the determination contains no reference to litigation, judicial review, or any adjudicated disputes concerning the instrument. The instrument is framed as a statutory determination made by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and contains the operative TAC tables, but it does not record any legal challenges, court decisions, or tribunal matters.

Consequences for legal research and risk assessment

• No recorded litigation within the instrument. Because the instrument itself does not report litigation, any inquiry into whether it has been subject to judicial review, challenges to AFMA’s exercise of power under the Management Plan, or disputes about measurement and accounting practices, must be pursued by searching external judicial or administrative records. The instrument contains no internal guidance on dispute processes, and it does not describe any past or pending proceedings.

• Potential for review exists in the parent statute. The instrument is made under the Management Plan and for the purposes of a specific paragraph of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 (s 4). Challenges to the validity, reasonableness, procedural fairness, or statutory authority of TAC determinations would logically be framed as challenges to AFMA’s exercise of powers under those statutory instruments; the determination itself makes no mention of dispute resolution avenues or prior cases.

• Practitioners should search authoritative external sources. To determine whether this determination, or its predecessors, have been the subject of litigation, counsel or advisors must consult court records, tribunal decisions, or administrative review records, and also AFMA’s own published material. The instrument provides no litigation lead-ins.

In short, there is no litigation history recorded in the text of the determination. Any litigation or judicial consideration connected to these TACs must be located in external judicial or administrative records; the instrument itself is silent on litigation matters.

The instrument’s concise form contains several detail-level features that create potential implementation traps or compliance friction. These are concrete, source-grounded points that users should read carefully.

Preparation and measurement basis differences

• Different preparation bases for different species. The TAC tables in both s 6 and s 7 do not uniformly use "whole weight". They include "Trunked weight" (for example, Gummy shark and Saw shark in s 6 table), "Trunked, belly flaps removed" (Elephant fish, s 6 table Item 7), and "Whole weight" for many other species (s 6 and s 7 tables). Practically, this requires conversion rules or agreement about how landed product should be weighed and reported. Failure to measure and report catch in the prescribed basis risks miscounting against the TAC.

• Accounting across processing stages. The prescribed preparation may occur at sea, at landing, or at processing. The instrument does not specify when the conversion to the prescribed preparation is to occur or who is responsible for conversion. The Management Plan and the Act supply definitions and procedural rules (s 5(2)), but in practice this gap can cause disputes over whether a landed weight should be reduced to trunked weight at sea or shore-side.

Spatial and temporal specificity

• Zone-based TACs must be reconciled with whole-fishery TACs. Section 7 sets TACs for species in named zones. Users must ensure they apply the correct spatial TAC when aggregating catch. Failure to observe the spatial allocation can produce double-counting errors, or the mistaken belief that a species' whole-fishery TAC is applicable where a zone-specific TAC applies. The instrument’s tables must be read in conjunction with the Management Plan’s zone definitions, which the instrument imports by reference (s 5(2)).

• Short validity window. The instrument ceases on 1 May 2027 (s 3); operators who rely on annual predictability should note that TACs may change year to year and that allocations or operational decisions predicated on these figures must account for the limited duration.

Aggregate-only determinations

• No individual allocation details. This determination sets only aggregate TACs and includes no schedule for allocation among quota holders. Parties should not assume this instrument conveys entitlement to a specific share. Allocation rules, quota unit valuations, tradeability, and enforcement procedures are outside the text and governed by the Management Plan and the Act. Assuming allocations based on simple pro rata application of the TAC may be incorrect.

Measurement and conversion ambiguity

• Conversion factors not provided. The instrument specifies preparation bases but does not provide conversion factors between whole weight and trunked weight. In the absence of conversion methodology within the instrument, stakeholders must rely on the Management Plan or operational guidance for consistent conversion. Disagreements about conversion methodology can affect whether TACs are perceived to be reached or exceeded.

Interplay with separate species names and baskets

• Use of non-scientific names. The instrument lists species using common names (e g, "Deepwater shark, basket" or "Oreo, basket") without scientific names. Where common names might overlap or be interpreted variably, users must rely on the Management Plan definitions to resolve potential identification ambiguity (s 5(2)).

Operational and contractual consequences

• Contracts that reference volumes must be aligned to preparation bases. Commercial contracts that reference volumes of species supplied during 2026-27 will need to account for the preparation basis specified in the instrument; otherwise contracted tonnes may not equate to the legal tonnes counted against the TAC.

Monitoring and compliance risks

• Measurement disputes have enforcement consequences. Because the instrument’s table entries are the legal benchmarks, differences in how catch is measured or recorded can lead to compliance action under the Management Plan and Act. Parties should ensure reporting and weighing procedures are aligned to avoid inadvertent breaches.

In summary, the principal "gotchas" arise from: differing preparation/measurement bases without conversion rules in the instrument; the need to reconcile zone-specific and whole-fishery TACs with Management Plan zone definitions; the instrument’s aggregate-only nature; and the short statutory duration of the determination. Each of those issues requires reading the instrument in tandem with the Management Plan for operational clarity (s 5(2) and s 4).

Compliance with this determination requires practical steps that align operations with the instrument’s numeric, spatial and measurement directives, and with the broader obligations set by the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act 1991. The instrument sets the aggregate TACs and the prescribed preparation bases for the 2026-27 fishing year; it does not set allocation, enforcement details or conversion factors. The following compliance checklist is grounded in the instrument’s provisions.

1. Confirm temporal applicability and planning window

• Note the fishing year. The TACs in s 6 and s 7 apply for the fishing year commencing 1 May 2026 and ending 30 April 2027 (s 6(1); s 7(1)). Ensure harvest plans, quota accounting systems and contractual commitments are aligned to that window.
• Monitor commencement on the Federal Register of Legislation. The instrument commences the day after registration (s 2); confirm the actual commencement date via the register.

2. Identify relevant species and applicable TACs

• Map each species you harvest to the instrument’s species list. Use the s 6 and s 7 tables to find the applicable TAC and the required preparation basis for each species you intend to harvest.
• For species appearing in s 7, determine whether your operations occur within the named zone(s). The s 7 table contains zone-specific TACs; zone boundaries must be checked in the Management Plan (definitions are imported by s 5(2)).

3. Align measurement and processing practices to prescribed preparation bases

• For each caught species, ensure that weighing, processing and reporting follow the preparation specified in the table (whole weight; trunked weight; or trunked with belly flaps removed, as in s 6 table Item 7).
• Establish clear on-board and shore-side procedures for conversion from landed form to the prescribed preparation where necessary. Because the instrument does not define conversion factors, refer to the Management Plan and any AFMA operational guidance to obtain the correct conversion methodology (s 5(2)).

4. Ensure recording and reporting systems are compatible

• Update logbooks, electronic reporting and internal accounting so that recorded catches for each species are captured in the prescribed measurement basis and aggregated against the correct TAC (whole fishery or zone).
• Institute verification steps between the processing stage and reporting stage to reduce measurement errors that could produce compliance action.

5. Reconcile aggregate TACs with individual quota holdings

• Remember that this instrument sets aggregate TACs only. Consult the Management Plan and AFMA’s allocation instruments to determine how the aggregate TAC will be apportioned among quota-holders, licence conditions and quota units.
• Avoid assuming that the aggregate TAC confers any automatic individual entitlement without reference to the Management Plan allocation rules.

6. Manage contracts and supply expectations

• Contracts with buyers should specify the preparation basis and the basis for tonnage measurement so that commercial tonnes correspond to legal tonnes for TAC accounting.
• Include clauses to manage the risk of TAC closure or reallocation over the fishing year, recognising the instrument’s limited duration and the possibility of subsequent determinations.

7. Implement compliance assurance and audits

• Conduct internal audits to compare recorded catch in the prescribed measurement basis to the aggregate TACs and to map projected catch trajectories across the season.
• Engage observers, electronic monitoring, or third-party verification where required by the Management Plan or AFMA rules to support defensible reporting.

8. Consult the Management Plan and the Act for enforcement and definitions

• Because penalties, enforcement powers and many definitions are supplied by the Management Plan and the Fisheries Management Act 1991, make sure regulatory compliance advice, legal counsel and operational procedures reference those instruments (s 4-5).
• If there is any uncertainty about zone boundaries, species identification, conversion factors or enforcement consequences, seek clarification from AFMA or legal counsel, and consult the Management Plan provisions that the instrument imports.

9. Prepare for the instrument’s cessation and renewals

• Note that the instrument ceases on 1 May 2027 (s 3). Systematically track AFMA’s publications and the Federal Register for any replacement determination or amendments that will apply for subsequent fishing years.
• If business planning spans multiple fishing years, include contingency scenarios for TAC changes.

10. Record-keeping and evidence preservation

• Keep contemporaneous data and evidence of weighing and preparation practices, including certificates, weighbridge tickets, observer reports or electronic monitoring data, to support compliance positions if inspections or disputes arise.

Concluding practical point: this determination sets the aggregate numerical and measurement benchmarks for the 2026-27 fishing year. Operational compliance therefore fundamentally requires mapping operations to the tables in s 6 and s 7, implementing measurement practices that conform to the prescribed preparation bases, and liaising with AFMA and the Management Plan framework to determine allocation, reporting protocols and enforcement rules (s 4-5).