7BOtter trawl net (fish)

7B Otter trawl net (fish)

7B Otter trawl net (fish)

(1) It is lawful for the holder of a fish northern zone endorsement to use an otter trawl net for taking fish (other than prawns, gemfish, abalone and rock lobsters) in the waters specified in the Table to this clause if the net complies with the description set out in relation to those waters in that Table and the following conditions are complied with—

(a) the net is used only by the method of bottom trawling,

(b) no rope, string, wire, cord, netting or other material is fixed to the codend of the net, or to any meshes within 25 meshes of the codend, except as permitted by subclause (2),

(c) mesh of net is constructed of single twine mesh with a diameter of not more than 6 mm, except as permitted by subclause (3),

(d) any rubber discs or rollers (also known as bobbin gear) that are fitted to the net do not exceed 100 mm in diameter,

(e) rubber discs or rollers (also known as bobbin gear) are not fitted to the net while the net is being used in waters north of a line drawn due east from the Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse at Seal Rocks,

(f) mesh of the codend of the net (or the part of the net capable of being used as a codend) does not exceed 100 meshes in circumference (except as permitted by subclause (3)) and, in any case, does not exceed the number of meshes in circumference of that part of the net immediately forward of the codend (or part of the net capable of being used as a codend),

(g) the net is fitted with a bycatch reduction device of a kind approved by the Secretary and that device is fitted in accordance with any specifications approved by the Secretary and published in the Gazette.

(2) An otter trawl net may have attached to it any of the following—

(a) a frill of netting material (skirt), if it is attached to the net not more than 5 meshes from the last row of meshes of the codend,

(b) a draw or closing string that may be inserted either directly into the end of the codend or by means of a secondary string,

(c) a single length of rope, for the purpose of splitting the catch and lifting the codend, but only if the rope is not fitted in any manner so as to reduce the lateral openings of the meshes or the mesh size of the meshes to less than required by this clause.