FishPort

FishPort is just one of the initiatives of the Fisheries Digital Transition Project (FDTP). The FDTP will:

• Develop catch and effort reporting tools for the commercial fishing industry with a focus on the abalone fishery;
• Develop a digital reporting tool for the rock lobster fishery;
• Review legislation to support digital solutions for Tasmania’s commercial wild fisheries; and
• Develop tools to support licence-related applications online (FishPort).​

What can I do on FishPort?

My Profile: Make changes to your personal details in the FILMS (Fisheries Licensing and Management System) database.

Applications: See applications you have started, or applications started by others that require your input. To involve another industry member in a FishPort application, they need to register.

Apply for a licence: Stage 1 allows you to apply for a commercial fishing licence (personal).

My licences: See details of the licences and packages you are associated with. Depending on your role, you can initiate licence-related applications.

Payments: See a summary of payments you have made

Who can use FishPort?

To use FishPort, you must be an existing client of the Commercial Fisheries Licensing Branch or be seeking to become a client. New clients can apply to register for FishPort.

Why has this project been developed?

The Tasmanian Government has committed $5 million to the FDTP.  Stage 1 has developed a web-based licensing portal to allow the commercial fishing industry to conduct online licensing transactions the FishPort website.  This will improve efficiency for the commercial fishing industry.

Do fishers have to use FishPort?

No. For the foreseeable future, both paper-based and digital licensing processes will be available.  Using FishPort will save you time and be more efficient than the current paper-based system.

Do I have to pay to use FishPort?

No. Using FishPort to do your licensing tasks won’t cost any more than it does now.  

What are the advantages of using FishPort?

FishPort will streamline licensing processes for industry by reducing the need for face-to-face interactions with Licensing staff, by providing real-time access to licensing data and pre-filling information as appropriate.

Is my data secure?

Yes - all data is held by NRE Tas in accordance with applicable security and privacy requirements including the Personal Information Protection Act 2004. 

Why haven’t we moved to digital previously?

The FDTP represents a big change for Industry and NRE Tas.  It can only be implemented after the development of a single data repository, the Fisheries Integrated Licensing and Management System (FILMS) and an extensive review of business practices.  These have paved the way for the State Government to implement digital processes for Tasmania’s commercial fisheries.

Can I conduct all transactions online?

FishPort Stage 1 will support a range of licensing applications.  Some of the additional functionality being developed or considered includes:
•    multi-party transfers with either party being able to pay;
•    perform transactions involving multiple licences;
•    re-grants of expired licences;
•    resolution of abalone over catch, and de-assigning abalone quota; and
•    payments exceeding NRE Tas​' $20,000 credit card limit

Why can’t I renew a licence in FishPort after it has expired?

Under the Act a licence that has expired cannot be renewed - it is a re-granting process.  The functionality of the re-grant of a licence has not been included in Stage 1 of FishPort.  Re-granting an expired licence will be built into further developments of FishPort.

In the meantime please apply for a re-grant of an expired licence using the existing paper process.