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Fisheries and the environment
Bycatch
The term bycatch may refer to all non-targeted catch, including by-product, discards and gear interactions. By-product refers to the unintended catch that may be kept or sold by the fisher. Discards refer to the product that is returned to the sea. Over time species may change form being discarded to being by-product to targeted, and vice versa, depending upon, among other things, consumer demand, markets and technology.
Regardless of whether a species is kept or discarded the objectives of the Fisheries Management Act 1991 state that there is a need to have regard to the impact of fishing activities on non-target species and the long term sustainability of the marine environment. A range of mechanisms exist to manage some types of catch, and particular arrangements are in place to manage the take of commercial species, whether targeted or by-product.
The development of the national and Commonwealth bycatch policies demonstrates a commitment to ensure fisheries are ecologically sustainable through bycatch reduction, improved protection for vulnerable/ threatened species and minimising adverse impacts of fishing on the marine environment.
Further information on the management of bycatch
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority
The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts