Torres Strait Fisheries (Prawn) Management Instrument 2025

The instrument organises regulatory control around a handful of tightly defined legal concepts, each of which carries operational consequences:

• Defined areas and datums. The "prawn fishery", "closed areas" (East of Warrior Reef Closed Areas) and "anchorage zones" are defined by coordinates in Schedules 1 and 2. Section 6 prescribes datum rules: closed-area coordinates in Part 1 of Schedule 1 use AGD66 and take precedence over Part 2 where inconsistent; Part 2 provides WGS84 coordinates for navigational convenience; anchorage zones coordinates use WGS84 (s 6). Practitioners must apply the correct datum when mapping or monitoring vessel locations.

• Prohibition and limited carve outs. The core regulatory unit is a blanket prohibition with defined carve outs. Section 7 imposes prohibitions on taking prawns in the prawn fishery, in the closed areas and in exclusion zones, and also prevents processing or carrying prawns in the prawn fishery and exclusion zones. Section 8 then creates narrowly described exemptions for "prawn licensed persons" who hold "unused fishing days" and who operate during a "fishing season", subject to further limitations for closed-area activity and a defined "closure period". The definitions of "fishing day" and "fishing season" are supplied by the Management Plan (definitions).

• Closure period and seasonal controls. The instrument defines a closure period, 1700 local time 1 February to 1700 local time 31 July in each year, which interacts with exemptions to prevent authorised take in closed areas during that period (definition of closure period; s 8(2)). The temporal design splits year-round restrictions on taking prawns in the prawn fishery (s 7(1)) from seasonal allowances tied to fishing days and the season (s 8).

• Fishing effort control via "unused fishing days". The instrument uses "unused fishing days" as the gating mechanism for lawful take (s 8(1) and (2)). The instrument defines a presumption as to when a fishing day is taken (s 8(3)), which effectively functions as an operational rule linking vessel movement, time-of-day and reporting to depletion of fishing-day entitlements.

• Equipment regulation and possession rules. Section 10 restricts the method of take by forbidding use of any equipment other than prawn trawling equipment as specified in Schedule 3. Section 11 addresses possession or control of equipment capable of taking prawns on board, prohibiting possession by unlicensed persons in the prawn fishery (with the out-of-water exception), and prohibiting all persons from possessing such equipment in closed areas during closure periods and in exclusion zones (subject to the same out-of-water exception).

• Treaty endorsements and licence linkages. A separate exemption track exists for Treaty-endorsed boats and persons (s 9), which permits activity consistent with Treaty endorsement conditions under s 22 of the Act. The instrument repeatedly anchors exemptions to the statutory licence categories created under s 19(1)-(3) of the Act and to management-plan-derived concepts such as "fishing day" and "fishing season" (definitions).

• Technical equipment standards. Schedule 3 specifies the prawn trawling equipment envelope through measurable limits: net length rules for single and multiple nets and try-nets, try-net length caps, rules for spare nets, cod-end mesh minimums and vertical-mesh counts, mesh-size caps for other net parts, ground-chain line limits and link diameter caps, and method rules for measuring net length and mesh size (Schedule 3).

• Repeals and instrument consolidation. Schedules 4 and 5 repeal older Torres Strait Fisheries Management Instruments and the Torres Strait Prawn Fishery Total Allowable Effort Determination 2020 (Schedule 4; Schedule 5). Section 5 confirms that instruments specified in the Schedules are amended or repealed as set out there.

These main concepts are tightly interwoven: licence status, unused fishing days, and fishing-season timing collectively determine who may lawfully take prawns; equipment and possession rules determine how they may take prawns; geographic and datum definitions determine where. The instrument leaves licensing, treaty-endorsing, and fishing-day supply and allocation mechanics to the Act and Management Plan, which are incorporated by reference.

The instrument names several classes of affected persons and entities and allocates rights and constraints accordingly:

• Prawn licensed persons. The primary regulated beneficiaries are "prawn licensed persons", defined as persons granted licences under subsection 19(1), 19(2) or 19(3) of the Act authorising the taking, processing or carrying of prawns in the prawn fishery (definitions). Those licensees are the only group to whom many of the exemptions are given (see s 8(1), s 8(2), s 8(4) and s 12(2)). Licence holders therefore directly bear obligations to hold and manage "unused fishing days", to operate during declared fishing seasons, to comply with gear specifications in Schedule 3, and to avoid restricted conduct in closed areas during closure period.

• Treaty-endorsed operators and boats. Persons taking, processing or carrying prawns on boats for which Treaty endorsements are in force are separately exempted from subsections 7(1), 7(2) and 7(4), provided they operate in accordance with the conditions of the Treaty endorsement and during fishing seasons and outside closure-period activity in closed areas (s 9). This creates a distinct compliance track where Treaty conditions (issued under s 22 of the Act) determine permissable activity.

• All boat operators within the defined geographic areas. The instrument’s geographic prohibitions and possession rules apply to any person or vessel in the prawn fishery, closed areas and exclusion zones. Section 11(3) makes possession of equipment capable of taking prawns on board a boat in closed areas during closure period and in exclusion zones prohibited for all persons unless the equipment is out of the water. Thus transient vessel operators, visiting vessels, charterers, and crew must observe those possession rules.

• Persons who process or carry prawns. Section 7(4) prohibits processing and carrying of prawns in the prawn fishery and exclusion zones. Exemptions to processing and carrying are narrowly framed (s 8(4)). Those in the supply chain, including processors embarking in the regulated area, are affected.

• Fisheries managers and compliance agencies. While not named as the instrument’s enforcement body, AFMA appears in the text as the entity that can grant reporting exemptions (s 8(3)(4)). The PZJA as maker of the instrument, and the Management Plan as the operational plan, are the decision-makers for management settings and for interpretation of several defined terms. Parties seeking reporting exemptions, Treaty endorsements or licence issues must engage with AFMA and the PZJA framework.

• Indigenous traditional inhabitants. The instrument references "traditional inhabitant", "traditional fishing" and the Torres Strait Treaty in the definitions note, and provides a Treaty endorsement pathway (definitions; s 9). The instrument does not itself specify customary or native-title carve-outs, instead leaving such matters to licences, Treaty endorsements and the Management Plan.

• Persons who take Moreton Bay bugs. The instrument treats Moreton Bay bugs as included among "prawns" for many definitions (definitions). However s 12 sets separate rules for Moreton Bay bugs: a prohibition on taking, processing and carrying them in the prawn fishery except by prawn licensed persons, and a minimum carapace measurement of 75 mm for licensed take (s 12).

Operationally, those most affected are prawn licence-holders who must manage fishing days and vessels to the instrument’s movement and reporting tests (s 8(3)), ensure gear conforms to Schedule 3, and avoid closed-area activity in the closure period. Unlicensed vessels and persons face strict possession prohibitions, particularly within closed and exclusion zones (s 11).

This section groups the instrument’s operative obligations and permissive rights, with specific references to the provisions that create them.

Duties imposed by the instrument

• Do not take prawns in the prawn fishery, closed areas or exclusion zones, unless an exemption applies. The instrument’s starting rule is the prohibition on taking prawns in the prawn fishery, in closed areas and in exclusion zones (s 7(1)-(3)). Processing or carrying prawns in the prawn fishery and exclusion zones is also prohibited (s 7(4)).

• Hold and manage unused fishing days if relying on licence exemptions. A prawn licensed person is only exempted from the basic prohibition if the person "holds unused fishing days" and takes prawns only during a fishing season (s 8(1)). For closed-area exemptions, the same holding of unused fishing days is required, plus the additional limitation that take must not occur during the closure period (s 8(2)).

• Avoid conduct that constitutes a used fishing day outside authorised circumstances. The instrument defines circumstances that count as using a fishing day: between 1800 and 0600 local time, being in the prawn fishery and outside anchorage zones, and moving at less than 5 knots while having moved more than 250 metres, or failing to report position without an AFMA reporting-exemption (s 8(3)). The duty here is operational: a licensee must structure vessel activities and reporting to avoid unintentionally consuming fishing days when they intend to reserve them.

• Comply with gear specifications for permitted prawn trawling equipment. Schedule 3 specifies maximum net lengths, combined net-length rules, try-net rules, cod-end mesh minimums, vertical mesh counts, mesh-size caps for other parts of the net, ground-chain line limits and link diameter caps, and measurement methodologies. Operators must ensure their nets and chains meet these specifications at all relevant times.

• Do not possess or control equipment capable of taking prawns in area or at time where possession is prohibited, unless the equipment is out of the water. Section 11 prohibits possession on board a boat of equipment capable of taking prawns in the prawn fishery by any person other than a prawn licensed person or Treaty-endorsed person, unless the equipment is carried out of the water (s 11(1)-(2)). In closed areas during closure periods and in exclusion zones, possession by any person is prohibited unless equipment is out of the water (s 11(3)-(4)).

• Respect Moreton Bay bug size limits. Section 12 prohibits taking, processing or carrying Moreton Bay bugs in the prawn fishery except by prawn licensed persons and prohibits licensed take where carapace width is less than 75 millimetres (s 12).

Rights and permitted activities under the instrument

• Licence-based exemptions to take and to process/carry prawns. Prawn licensed persons who have unused fishing days and who operate only during a fishing season may take prawns in the prawn fishery (s 8(1)). They may also be exempted from the prohibition on taking prawns in closed areas, provided they comply with the unused fishing day requirement and avoid the closure period (s 8(2)). Prawn licensed persons may process or carry prawns between 1700 on 1 February and 0600 on 15 December in the same year (s 8(4)).

• Treaty endorsement exemptions. Persons taking, processing or carrying prawns on Treaty-endorsed boats are exempt from the prohibitions in subsections 7(1), 7(2) and 7(4) if they operate during fishing seasons, avoid closed areas during closure period, and comply with the conditions in the Treaty endorsement issued under s 22 of the Act (s 9). Treaty endorsements therefore provide conditional rights outside the normal licence-track exemptions.

• Use of prawn trawling equipment. Within the prawn fishery, prawn trawling equipment as defined in Schedule 3 is the only class of equipment permitted for taking prawns (s 10). Compliance with Schedule 3 thus functions as the technical right to use that gear.

Delegated decisions and administrative interactions

• AFMA’s reporting-exemption power is referenced. The instrument allows that a boat’s position is not reported where an exemption to report has been granted by AFMA, and that this affects whether a fishing day is taken (s 8(3)(4)). This creates an administrative interaction and a compliance duty to secure any AFMA reporting exemptions sought.

• Licence and Treaty channels under the Act. The instrument relies on licence grants under s 19 of the Act and Treaty endorsement conditions under s 22 of the Act; those statutory channels will determine entitlement creation and conditions, which the instrument then operationalises.

The instrument creates a tightly specified duty-right architecture that links temporal and spatial prohibitions, licence and Treaty-based carve outs, and gear and possession technical standards. Where the instrument is silent on mechanisms such as licence allocation, reporting detail, and enforcement penalties, those matters are left to the Act, the Management Plan and the agencies that implement them.

The instrument creates prohibitions and exemptions but does not itself specify penalty rates, offence labels or enforcement mechanisms within its text. It is made under the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 (s 3), and practitioners must therefore look to the Act and any complementary enforcement instruments for the specifics of criminal, civil or administrative penalties, powers of inspectors, seizure rules, and infringement notices. The instrument references AFMA in relation to reporting exemptions (s 8(3)(4)), which implies an administrative role for AFMA in operational monitoring and conditional reporting relief, but the instrument does not assign or describe enforcement powers.

What is enforceable under the instrument

• Prohibited acts that will be actionable. The instrument identifies concrete prohibited acts: taking prawns in specified areas (s 7(1)-(3)), processing or carrying prawns in specified areas (s 7(4)), use of equipment other than prawn trawling equipment for taking prawns in the prawn fishery (s 10), possession or control of equipment capable of taking prawns on boats in certain areas and times (s 11), and taking, processing or carrying of Moreton Bay bugs in contravention of s 12. Any contravention of these clauses will be a factual basis for enforcement action under the statutory enforcement regime in the Act.

• Evidence-generating provisions. The instrument contains precise operational tests that generate objective evidence for enforcement. For example, the "used a fishing day" test in s 8(3) specifies a time window (1800-0600 local time), a speed threshold (less than 5 knots), and a distance moved (more than 250 metres). Schedule 3 sets measurable gear standards (net lengths, mesh sizes, chain link diameters and so on). Closed-area coordinates and datum rules in s 6 and Schedule 1 are specific. These precise requirements streamline evidentiary collection but also create technical compliance traps.

What the instrument does not set

• It does not set fines, imprisonment terms, administrative penalty amounts, civil remedies, or specific enforcement processes. Those are matters for the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 and any regulations made under that Act; the instrument does not reproduce them.

• It does not describe inspection powers, seizure authority, sample-taking rules, or appeal and review pathways. Practitioners will therefore need to consult the Act and AFMA operational policies for those procedural details.

Practical enforcement implications and agency roles

• AFMA’s operational role appears in reporting-exemption administration (s 8(3)(4)). AFMA is therefore the relevant agency for reporting exemptions, and likely to be the agency that monitors vessel positions and fishing-day consumption where AFMA systems are used.

• The PZJA, as maker of the instrument, is the decision-maker for the regulatory settings. The Management Plan is also PZJA-determined (definition), and it supplies operative terms such as "fishing day" and "fishing season" (definitions). Enforcement agencies will therefore interpret the instrument in tandem with the Management Plan and Act.

Given the instrument’s specificity on prohibited acts and technical standards, the enforcement regime will operate by matching operational evidence (vessel tracks, gear measurements, cargo manifests, Treaty endorsements, licence and fishing-day records) against the instrument’s definitional and operational tests. For penalties and procedure, the Act and any enforcement instruments must be consulted.

This instrument is expressly tied into the statutory framework created by the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 and the Torres Strait Prawn Fishery Management Plan; it also repeals and replaces specific subordinate instruments. The interaction points in the text are the primary source of how this instrument sits within the legal ecology.

Direct statutory links

• Made under the Act. The instrument is made under s 16(1) and s 35(1)(a) of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 (s 3). That link means the instrument is subordinate to the Act and must be read and applied within the powers and limits the Act confers.

• Cross-reference to Act provisions for licences and Treaty endorsements. The instrument’s exemptions refer to licences granted under subsection 19(1), 19(2) and 19(3) of the Act for "prawn licensed person" (definitions). Treaty endorsements are referenced as an exemption pathway under s 22 of the Act (s 9). Therefore, the Act’s provisions concerning licence eligibility, conditions, suspensions, revocations, and Treaty endorsement criteria will materially affect how the instrument operates.

• Reliance on the Management Plan. The instrument incorporates and depends on terms found in the Management Plan. It defines "fishing day" by reference to section 1.3(1) of the Management Plan, and "fishing season" by reference to section 2.3 of the Management Plan (definitions). It also describes the "exclusion zones" as the area in Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Management Plan (definition). This means operational definitions and some spatial controls may be adjusted only via the Management Plan process, which the PZJA administers.

Interaction with prior subordinate instruments

• Repeals prior instruments and a Total Allowable Effort Determination. Schedule 4 repeals named Torres Strait Fisheries Management Instruments Nos 2, 4, 10, 11 and 17 in full. Schedule 5 repeals the Torres Strait Fisheries (Torres Strait Prawn Fishery Total Allowable Effort) Determination 2020 in full. Section 5 confirms that instruments specified in a Schedule are amended or repealed as set out. The practical effect is that prior subordinate instruments governing aspects of the fishery are removed and replaced by the current instrument’s settings; parties must therefore update compliance and entitlement records to reflect these repeals.

Interplay with international or treaty obligations

• Treaty endorsements and the Torres Strait Treaty are part of the instrument’s reference framework (definitions; s 9). The instrument does not itself establish international obligations, but Treaty endorsements under s 22 of the Act are an operative pathway that likely implements bilateral arrangements. The precise conditions of Treaty endorsements are not set in this instrument; they will come from the Act and the endorsement instruments.

Implications for other regulatory regimes

• Affected regulatory regimes include vessel reporting, navigation, registration, fisheries licensing and potentially customs and biosecurity when processing or carrying prawns is involved in the prawn fishery area. The instrument does not directly modify those regimes, but its prohibitions on processing or carrying prawns in certain areas create points of intersection with port and biosecurity rules where processors or carriers operate.

Where to look next

• Practitioners must consult: the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 for licensing, enforcement and Treaty endorsement mechanics; the Torres Strait Prawn Fishery Management Plan (as currently in force) for definitions and operational rules such as fishing day and fishing season; AFMA policies and reporting systems for reporting exemptions and monitoring; and the repealed instruments identified in Schedules 4 and 5 to understand what specific rules have been superseded.

This instrument consolidates and replaces several prior subordinate instruments and a Total Allowable Effort Determination, and it sets its own commencement. The instrument’s direct amendment history is captured within its Schedules and commencement provision.

Commencement and making authority

• Commencement is the day after registration on the Federal Register of Legislation (s 2). The instrument is made by the Protected Zone Joint Authority and executed by named officeholders as evidenced in the instrument header; it is made under s 16(1) and s 35(1)(a) of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 (s 3).

Scheduled repeals

• Schedule 4 repeals the whole of the following instruments:

  • Torres Strait Fisheries Management Instrument No. 10 (item 1);
  • Torres Strait Fisheries Management Instrument No. 11 (item 2);
  • Torres Strait Fisheries Management Instrument No. 2 (item 3);
  • Torres Strait Fisheries Management Instrument No. 4 (item 4);
  • Torres Strait Fisheries Management Instrument No. 17 (item 5).

• Schedule 5 repeals the Torres Strait Fisheries (Torres Strait Prawn Fishery Total Allowable Effort) Determination 2020 in full (Schedule 5, item 1).

Effect of the repeals within the instrument’s framework

• Section 5 provides that each instrument specified in the Schedules is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items, and that any other item in a Schedule has effect according to its terms. That makes the repeals operative as of this instrument’s commencement.

Incorporation of Management Plan and prior instruments

• The instrument expressly depends on the Management Plan for key definitions, and it lists the current Management Plan’s title (Torres Strait Prawn Fishery Management Plan 2009) in the definitions. It does not itself amend the Management Plan text; instead it supplements and interacts with it.

No internal amendment schedule

• The instrument does not contain provisions that schedule future amendments to itself or an internal review clause. It therefore operates as a direct replacement and consolidation of the specified earlier instruments and the TAE Determination, with immediate operational effect on commencement.

Operational consequence for regulated parties

• Regulated parties must consider that obligations and entitlements created under the repealed instruments may no longer be in force; licence-holders and others must therefore reconcile their operational authorisations with the new instrument and with the Management Plan and the Act. The instrument does not provide transitional or grandfathering clauses within its text; any transitional arrangements must be located in the Act, the Management Plan or external administrative guidance.

The instrument itself contains no judicial decisions, statutory appeals, or internal review outcomes, and it does not record any litigation. The text does not cite any cases or judicial interpretations. Because this is a PZJA-made subordinate instrument that appears to consolidate and replace several earlier subordinate instruments, any litigation history relevant to the substantive prohibitions, licence categories, or Management Plan interpretation will be found in external sources such as judicial decisions applying the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984 or the older subordinate instruments.

What the instrument records

• The instrument records the identity of the maker (PZJA, with named Ministers and the TSI Chairperson in the header) and the date it was signed (19 December 2025). It provides no record of prior administrative reviews, disputes, or litigation.

How to approach absence of litigation record

• Practitioners should not assume that absence of litigation in the instrument means absence of relevant judicial authority on the underlying Act or Management Plan matters. The instrument repeatedly depends on the Act (licence and Treaty endorsement mechanics, enforcement powers) and the Management Plan (fishing-day and season definitions; exclusion zones). Any legal disputes about how those external instruments operate or how enforcement powers may be exercised will be resolved under the statutory framework and not within this instrument.

Recommendation for lawyers and compliance officers

• For litigation risk assessment, review decisions and jurisprudence under the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984, and any case law concerning similar instruments or management-plan-derived definitions. Also seek any administrative review determinations or AFMA decisions that interpret terms like "unused fishing days", reporting obligations, or Treaty endorsement conditions. The instrument itself provides no litigation record.

This instrument contains numerous technical features and cross-references that create traps for non-experts. Below are precise, source-grounded "gotchas" that practitioners and operators should note, with the relevant sections cited.

Datum and coordinate precedence

• AGD66 takes precedence for closed-area coordinates in Part 1 of Schedule 1; Part 2 provides WGS84 coordinates for navigational convenience, but if there is any inconsistency, Part 1 (AGD66) prevails (s 6(1)-(3); Schedule 1 notes). Anchorage zones use WGS84 (s 6(4)). Mistaking the datum will shift coordinates and can create material non-compliance exposure when enforcement relies on precise location.

Fishing-day consumption test is operational and non-obvious

• A fishing day is treated as used where, between 1800 and 0600 local time, a nominated boat is in the prawn fishery, outside an anchorage zone, moving at less than 5 knots and has moved more than 250 metres, or where the boat’s position has not been reported and no AFMA reporting exemption exists (s 8(3)). Two practical consequences: first, vessels anchored but drifting or making slow repositioning movements overnight can unintentionally be recorded as using a fishing day; second, failure to report, absent an AFMA exemption, will itself be treated as a fishing-day use trigger, so reporting systems matter.

Closure period and closed-area interplay

• Closed-area take is separately prohibited (s 7(2)). Section 8(2) grants an exemption to prawn licensed persons who hold unused fishing days but clarifies that the person must not take prawns during a closure period. The closure-period definition (1700 1 February to 1700 31 July) therefore acts as a temporal hard stop on closed-area exemptions. Operators must track both fishing-day balances and calendar windows.

Possession vs use; "out of the water" exception

• Section 11 prohibits carrying equipment capable of taking prawns on a boat by unlicensed persons in the prawn fishery unless the equipment is carried so that all of the equipment is out of the water (s 11(1)-(2)). The same out-of-water exception applies to closed areas during closure periods and to exclusion zones, but the instrument does not define what "out of the water" means in detailed practical terms. Operators should be cautious when deck-mounted or davit-mounted nets are tactile to water exposure.

Equipment measurement rules are prescriptive

• Schedule 3 provides specific measurement methods: net length is measured by the combined length of head rope and bottom rope taut between outermost mesh attachment points; mesh size measurement methods vary for knotted and knotless nets; a try-net rigging rule caps try-nets at 10 metres; cod-end mesh minimum is 38 mm or no more than 150 meshes vertically (Schedule 3). Non-standard measuring techniques will not be accepted under the instrument’s own rules.

Processing and carrying time window exceptions are asymmetric

• Section 7(4) prohibits processing or carrying prawns in the prawn fishery and exclusion zones generally, but s 8(4) gives prawn licensed persons an exemption to process or carry prawns between 1700 on 1 February and 0600 on 15 December in the same year. Note the endpoint is 0600 on 15 December which does not align with the closure period end of 1700 on 31 July; the processing/carrying window is a different temporal construct and must be tracked separately.

Moreton Bay bugs are treated as prawns but with a size limit

• The definition includes Moreton Bay bugs as prawns, but s 12 imposes a particular prohibition and a 75 mm carapace size minimum for licensed take (s 12). Measurement is to the widest point of the carapace; failure to apply the correct measuring point could result in non-compliant take being treated as illegal.

Repeals may remove prior entitlement mechanisms

• Schedule 5 repeals the Torres Strait Prawn Fishery Total Allowable Effort Determination 2020 in full. If previous effort allocations or TAE mechanics were implemented under that determination, they are no longer in force as of the instrument’s commencement. Operators should confirm how "unused fishing days" and effort accounting are now administered under the Management Plan or the Act.

Anchorage zones are "safe harbour" for fishing-day counting

• The "used a fishing day" test excludes a boat that is within an anchorage zone from that counting test (s 8(3)(b)). Anchorage zones are therefore operationally meaningful and are listed in Schedule 2. Mis-labelling or mis-navigation out of anchorage zones at the wrong times could consume fishing days unintentionally.

AFMA reporting exemptions change the fishing-day calculus

• If AFMA grants a reporting exemption, a failure to report will not be treated as a fishing day (s 8(3)(4)). Therefore obtaining and documenting AFMA exemptions is strategically important for behaviour that otherwise would consume fishing days.

No penalty text in the instrument

• The instrument does not detail penalties or enforcement procedure; practitioners must consult the Act for how contraventions are penalised. This creates a procedural gap that requires cross-reference work.

This section provides practical, source-grounded compliance steps and a checklist tied to the instrument’s operative provisions. All references are to the instrument’s sections or Schedules.

Administrative and entitlement checks

1. Licence status and Treaty endorsements. Ensure the operator or entity is a "prawn licensed person" under s 19(1)-(3) of the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984, or holds a Treaty endorsement for the nominated boat under s 22 of the Act if relying on s 9 exemptions (definitions; s 9). Maintain current copies of licence documents and Treaty endorsements on board and in management records.

2. Fishing-day inventory and season dates. Obtain the Management Plan’s definition of "fishing day" (section 1.3(1) of the Management Plan) and "fishing season" (section 2.3 of the Management Plan). Reconcile vessel operations against the fishery’s current fishing-season dates and ensure you hold "unused fishing days" if you intend to fish (s 8(1)-(2); definitions).

Operational navigation and location compliance

3. Use correct datums for geo-fencing. For closed areas (East of Warrior Reef Closed Areas), use AGD66 coordinates in Part 1 of Schedule 1 as the authoritative coordinates; use Part 2 (WGS84) only for navigational convenience and never to resolve an inconsistency (s 6(1)-(3); Schedule 1). For anchorage zones, use WGS84 as provided (s 6(4); Schedule 2). Configure vessel navigation systems and geofencing tools to these datums.

4. Avoid taking prawns in exclusion zones and during closure period in closed areas. The closure period runs from 1700 local time on 1 February to 1700 local time on 31 July (definition). Do not take prawns in closed areas during that time, regardless of other entitlements (s 7(2); s 8(2)).

Fishing-day preservation and reporting

5. Prevent unintended consumption of fishing days. The instrument specifies that a fishing day is taken where, between 1800 and 0600 local time, a nominated boat is in the prawn fishery, not within an anchorage zone, and at any time has moved at less than 5 knots and moved more than 250 metres, or where the boat’s position has not been reported and AFMA has not granted an exemption (s 8(3)). To preserve fishing days:
   • Consider remaining within an anchorage zone during the 1800-0600 window when not fishing (Schedule 2);
   • Avoid slow overnight drift movements that meet the <5 knots and >250 metres movement test;
   • Ensure position-reporting obligations are satisfied, or secure an AFMA reporting exemption in advance (s 8(3)(4)).

Gear and vessel equipment compliance

6. Ensure nets and trawl gear meet Schedule 3 technical limits. For example, single-net length must be 88 metres or shorter, combined nets when rigged for fishing must total 88 metres or shorter, try-net length capped at 10 metres, cod-end mesh of 38 mm or more or alternatively 150 meshes or less vertically, other net parts mesh 45 mm or less, limit of 1 line of ground chain across the mouth, ground chain links not larger than 10 mm, and prohibition on using chain with weights other than joining attachments (Schedule 3). Adopt standard operating procedures to measure nets in accord with the Schedule’s measurement definitions (Schedule 3 measurement rules).

7. Implement an "out of the water" protocol for possession exceptions. If carrying equipment capable of taking prawns without a licence or in prohibited areas, ensure the equipment is stowed so that "all of the equipment is out of the water" (s 11(2), s 11(4)). Define and document what constitutes "out of the water" in operational manuals and ensure physical stowage practices and photos support that status.

Processing, carrying and catch-handling

8. Observe processing and carrying time windows for licensed persons. Prawn licensed persons are exempted to process or carry prawns only during the period commencing 1700 on 1 February and ending 0600 on 15 December in the same year for s 7(4) purposes (s 8(4)). Maintain manifest, landing and processing logs showing timestamps aligned to those windows.

Moreton Bay bug handling

9. Enforce the 75 mm carapace minimum. For any Moreton Bay bugs taken by prawn licensed persons, measure the carapace at its widest point and do not retain or process specimens under 75 mm (s 12(3)). Keep measurement protocols, measuring devices and photographic records.

Record keeping, monitoring and evidence

10. Maintain robust records to prove compliance:

• Licence documentation, Treaty endorsements and status of unused fishing days;
• GPS tracks and AIS logs with datum identification for coordinates, demonstrating location relative to closed areas and anchorage zones;
• Vessel logbooks noting times between 1800 and 0600, vessel speed profiles and distance moved for fishing-day accounting;
• Reporting records to AFMA, and copies of any AFMA reporting exemptions;
• Gear measurement certificates, net specifications and maintenance logs consistent with Schedule 3 measurement rules;
• Landing and processing manifests with timestamps and measurement records for Moreton Bay bugs.

11. Pre-season audit and crew training. Run a pre-season compliance audit of gear dimensions, navigation datum settings, fishing-day balances and reporting system connectivity. Train masters and crew on the fishing-day test (s 8(3)), the out-of-water possession rule (s 11(2)), and the closure-period restrictions.

Administrative engagement

12. Liaise with AFMA and PZJA. For any uncertainty about reporting exemptions, fishing-day accounting, or Treaty endorsement conditions, deal directly with AFMA as the referenced agency for reporting exemptions (s 8(3)(4)) and with the PZJA regarding Management Plan queries and licence/Treaty endorsement administration (s 3; definitions).

13. Reconcile entitlements post-repeal. Confirm whether any authorisations you previously relied upon under the repealed instruments or under the repealed TAE Determination remain valid, have been replaced by licence conditions or are now extinguished; Schedule 4 and Schedule 5 identify instruments repealed in full.

Operational checklist summary

• Verify licence/Treaty endorsement and hold documentary proof (s 8; s 9).
• Check fishing-day balance and plan trips to avoid inadvertent fishing-day consumption per s 8(3).
• Navigate using AGD66 for closed areas and WGS84 for anchorage zones; set GPS accordingly (s 6; Schedule 1; Schedule 2).
• Ensure nets, meshes and ground chains meet Schedule 3 technical standards and measurement protocols.
• Keep equipment out of the water where possession exceptions are relied upon (s 11).
• Time processing and carrying activities to the permitted window where applicable (s 8(4)).
• Measure Moreton Bay bugs at the widest carapace point; do not retain under 75 mm (s 12).
• Secure and record AFMA reporting exemptions where required (s 8(3)(4)).
• Maintain GPS, logbook and photographic audit trail for enforcement scrutiny.

Following these concrete, source-based steps will align vessel behaviour and administrative records with the instrument’s operational tests and minimise exposure to enforcement actions that arise from the instrument’s precise, technical requirements.