Community interest in the sustainability of Queensland’s fishing activities, including the status of the state’s fish stocks, is growing. Commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishers can legally harvest Queensland’s fisheries resources. The Queensland’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-27 sets the reform agenda over a ten-year period to ensure a world class sustainable fisheries management system. The strategy included 33 actions across 10 reform areas.
Fish stocks are assessed in Queensland approximately every two years. We combine catch, effort and biological data to assign a status to each stock using nationally accepted protocols described in the Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports.
Status of key fish stocks
In 2023, we assessed 76 fish species across 114 of Queensland's key fish stocks and:
- 69 were classified as sustainable
- 31 were undefined but not considered problematic
- six were negligible catch
- three fish stocks were not assessed
- eight were of sustainability concern for depleted or depleting fish stock
The fish stock of concern are:
- Snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) (Queensland)
- Pearl Perch (Glaucosoma scapulare) (Eastern Australia)
- King Threadfin (Polydactylus macrochir) (Gulf of Carpentaria)
- Ballot’s Saucer Scallop (Ylistrum balloti) (East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery)
- Grey Morwong (Nemadactylus douglasii) (Eastern Australia)
- John Dory (Zeus faber) (South Eastern Australia)
- Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) (Gulf of Carpentaria)
- Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) (East Coast).
