Recreational rock lobster catch reporting

• You must report your catch using either the Fishing Tas app or telephone reporting service (1300 720 647).
• You must always make a catch report immediately after fishing for rock lobster, even if you did not catch anything. This means you must make your catch report:

• Immediately after tail-marking your last lobster or, if no catch, immediately after pulling your pot, checking your ring or finishing your dive; and,
• Before moving further than 250m from where you fished (or attempted to fish).
• You must make your catch report at this time, even if there is no reception or you do not have a phone with you (see 'Temporary Reports' below).

• If you have finished a rock lobster fishing activity (e.g. pulling a pot) but intend to continue fishing for rock lobster within 250m of where you fished (e.g. starting a dive for rock lobster), you do not have to make your Catch Report until after you finish the new fishing activity (either after the last lobster is taken or after the last pot or ring was hauled or dive was completed).

​Report your catch using the Fishing Tas app Click on one of the icons below to download today.

What's included in a catch report?

A Catch Report includes:

• the date your fishing was undertaken;
  
• the fishing method you used;
  
• the general location where you fished;
• how many rock lobster you kept (even if 0); and,
• how many rock lobster you released (even if 0)
  

 Non-Commercial Rock Lobste​r Reporting

Voluntary data

Temporary Reports

There may be some circumstances in which you are unable to submit a Catch Report. For example, you may not have access to a phone or there may be no reception.

If this occurs, you must make a catch report by either:

• Entering your catch report as usual using the Fishing Tas app and then submitting the report as soon as practical on return to reception, or 
• If you do not have access to the Fishing Tas app, writing the details of your report on paper and then submit the report as soon as practical on return to reception via the Fishing Tas app or telephone reporting service (1300 720 647).​
  

Using the Fishing Tas app

If you have access to the Fishing Tas app but there is no reception, you can enter your Catch Report as usual, and it will save as an unsent report. You can submit this report when you return to reception by opening the app and tapping the catch reporting tab. See How to report your rock lobster catch using the Fishing Tas app for more information on how to submit unsent reports.

Please note: You need to have the latest version of the Fishing Tas app to receive alerts about unsent reports. Update your app through the App Store or Google Play.

When you have an unsent report, a number badge (red dot) will appear on the catch reporting tab and a warning will display on your catch reporting homescreen.

Temporary written reports

You can also maintain a temporary report by writing down the details of your Catch Report on paper. Your temporary report must include all details required in a Catch Report. A helpful template for written temporary reports can be found on page 56 of the 2024-25 Recreational Sea Fishing Guide.

As soon as possible you must submit your temporary report via the Fishing Tas app or telephone reporting service. You have not fulfilled the legal requirement for a Catch Report if the report is not submitted as soon as practical.

Tip: If you know you will need to make a temporary paper report on an upcoming fishing trip, leave yourself a reminder in a helpful location (like a Measure, Mark, Report sticker or a sticky note in your car) so you remember to submit your temporary report as soon as practical after fishing.

Catch reporting results

2024-25 Season

Last updated: 24/03/2025​

​Number of fishers who reported at least once	8,898
Total number of reports	42,204
Number of lobster kept	51,531
​Number of lobster released	40,105
​Number of zero catch reports	12,799

2023-24 Season

Last updated: 24/03/2025

Number of fishers who reported at least once	7,793
​Total number of reports	​34,510
​Number of lobster kept	​43,239
​Number of lobster released	​34,368
​Number of zero catch reports	​10,055
​​93% of catch reports were made via the Fishing Tas app, while 7% of reports were made using the telephone reporting service.

Important

The 2023-24 season was the first implementation of mandatory recreational rock lobster catch reporting in Tasmania. When viewing catch reporting statistics for this season, it is important to note that:

• Rock lobster catch reporting was not compulsory until 2 December, so early season catch for many fishers was not reported.
  
• Only 7,793 of 13,148 active rock lobster fishers (58.5%) made at least one catch report in 2023-24, leaving a significant amount of unreported fishing activity and catch (estimated number of active rock lobster fishers from Tasmanian Recreational Rock Lobster and Abalone Fisheries: 2023/24 Fishing Season).

Low reporting rates from the 2023-24 season were not unexpected. Catch reporting was a new system and so fishers needed time to familiarise themselves with the requirements. Some fishers may also have forgotten to report. Unexpected technical issues early in the season (which were later resolved) may have also impacted catch reporting rates.

We want to be confident that catch reporting data accurately reflects what is happening in the recreational rock lobster fishery before we use it to inform fisheries management. Until the majority of fishers are reporting their catch and the reliability and accuracy​ of data received through catch reporting can be verified, results from the annual IMAS telephone survey will continue to be used as the primary measure of recreational rock lobster catch.

Thank you to all the fishers who took the time provide feedback on the first season of catch reporting.

Why do we have to report our catch?

Rock lobster is a valuable species for recreational and commercial fishers, but to manage it well we need to understand how much is being caught each year and where. By requiring every recreational fisher to report their catch, we can improve our understanding of what recreational rock lobster fishing looks like around the state and more equitably manage the fishery into the future.

Catch reporting has the potential to bring lots of benefits to the fishery and recreational fishers, including:

• providing cost efficient and timely information about recreational catch,
• allowing IMAS to produce more accurate stock assessments to inform sustainable fishery management,
• providing better data to support initiatives that improve fishing experience, like rock lobster translocation, and
• ensuring recreational catch is adequately measured and represented in any future catch sharing discussions.

Why an app?

An app was chosen for catch reporting because it allows real-time data collection, is cost-effective and requires little effort from fishers in comparison to other catch reporting methods. More information on the range of options that were considered is available in the report below.

 Options to effectively monitor and regulate recreational catch in the Tasmanian rock lobster fishery

A trial catch reporting app was available for recreational rock lobster fishers to use during the 2021/22 and 2022/23 rock lobster seasons. Feedback from users helped inform the design of the catch reporting component of the Fishing Tas app.

How will the data be used?