Management of recreational fishing in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

Abstract

There is an economically important, substantial and growing reef fish fishery in the Great Barrier Reef Region. Seventy to eighty per cent of the catch is taken by recreational fishermen, including some who dispose of their catch through commercial channels. Management of the fishery under Great Barrier Reef Marine Park legislation does not generally distinguish between commercial and recreational fishermen but operates on a “protected area and a few protected species” approach. Regulations under Queensland fisheries legislation include minimum size limits and some gear restrictions. With increased leisure and disposable incomes, recreational fishing effort is likely to increase (at a minimum of an estimated 7% a year) and catch is expected to almost double to about 12,000 tonnes p.a. by about 1990.