Abalone Harvest Strategy

​​​The Tasmanian Abalone Fishery Harvest Strategy establishes arrangements to manage the catch at levels that prevent overfishing and ensure that Tasmanians can enjoy plentiful resources for generations to come.

Background

Following public consultation and advice from the Abalone Fishery Advisory Committee (AbFAC) and the Recreational Fishery Advisory Committee (RecFAC), a Harvest Strategy to guide management of the Abalone Fishery was first approved by the Minister in 2018 and is still in use today.

 Abalone Harvest Strategy

The harvest strategy identifies objectives for fisheries management, including ensuring abalone are sustainably harvested, seeking to achieve those objectives through monitoring of fishery performance, with performance indicators linked to management actions.

Review of the 2018 Strategy

The Abalone Harvest Strategy was reviewed by the CSIRO in 2021. While the present strategy is working well, 20 recommendations were made for potential improvements.

 CSIRO - Review of the Tasmanian Abalone Harvest Strategy (PDF 902Kb)

A second iteration of the current harvest strategy will be developed.  A Technical Reference Group (TRG) was formed in July 2022 to review the CSIRO report and build the technical elements of the strategy in line with outcomes from the futures workshop.​ A consultation program will be conducted to obtain stakeholder feedback on the proposed changes before implementation.

Implementation is expected to occur on 1 January 2024.

Abalone Futures Workshop

The need to develop a second iteration of the Harvest Strategy was discussed at the Abalone Futures Workshop attended by government and industry stakeholders from all fishing sectors in early 2022.

 Abalone Futures Workshop Report 2022 (PDF 6Mb)

Timeline

​	​ABALONE HARVEST STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE	​
	​Review of existing harvest strategy ​Dr Richard Little, CSIRO Report​	​ COMPLETED
	​Preliminary engagement with stakeholder groups Abalone Futures Workshop	​​ COMPLETED
	​Acquire resources Establish Technical Reference Group (TRG) Establish Internal Working Group (IWG)	​​ COMPLETED
	​Initial consultation Targeted stakeholder consultations to guide development of strategy	​ Late 2022 - Early 2023
	​Develop strategy Build and test technical components with TRG Draft new harvest strategy	​ Early 2023
	​Public consultation Broader stakeholder consultations seeking feedback on draft harvest strategy	​ Mid-Late 2023
	​Refine strategy Refine draft harvest strategy with consultation outcomes IWG to review and endorse draft harvest strategy	​ Late 2023
	​Implementation Minister approves use of revised harvest strategy	​ 1 January 2024
	​Monitor and report TRG formally responds to CSIRO report Monitor implementation of revised harvest strategy	​ 2024-2025

Application

The Abalone Tasmanian Harvest Strategy applies to commercial and non-commercial fishing in state waters relating to the take of Blacklip Abalone (Haliotis rubra) or Greenlip Abalone (Haliotis laevigata).

The commercial sector includes Aboriginal people engaged in commercial fishing activities. The non-commercial sector includes Aboriginal cultural fishing, recreational fishing and charter fishing activities.

The harvest strategy does not apply to the abalone aquaculture industry.​​