Fisheries Management Act 1991

The following objectives must be pursued by the Minister in the administration of this Act and by AFMA in the performance of its functions:

implementing efficient and cost‑effective fisheries management on behalf of the Commonwealth; and

ensuring that the exploitation of fisheries resources and the carrying on of any related activities are conducted in a manner consistent with the principles of ecologically sustainable development (which include the exercise of the precautionary principle), in particular the need to have regard to the impact of fishing activities on non‑target species and the long term sustainability of the marine environment; and

maximising the net economic returns to the Australian community from the management of Australian fisheries; and

ensuring accountability to the fishing industry and to the Australian community in AFMA’s management of fisheries resources; and

achieving government targets in relation to the recovery of the costs of AFMA.

In addition to the objectives mentioned in subsection (1), or in section 78 of this Act, the Minister, AFMA and Joint Authorities are to have regard to the objectives of:

ensuring, through proper conservation and management measures, that the living resources of the AFZ are not endangered by over‑exploitation; and

achieving the optimum utilisation of the living resources of the AFZ; and

ensuring that conservation and management measures in the AFZ and the high seas implement Australia’s obligations under international agreements that deal with fish stocks; and

to the extent that Australia has obligations:

under international law; or

under the Compliance Agreement or any other international agreement;

ensuring that the interests of commercial, recreational and Indigenous fishers are taken into account;