Australian Fisheries Management Authority
Encyclopedia
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) is the Australian Government statutory agency responsible for the management and sustainable use of fisheries resources and for combating illegal fishing activities in Australian waters (Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone
).
The agency is a sub-agency to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
.
The agency is also responsible for combating illegal fishing in Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone
including the waters between Australia and Indonesia
and in the Southern Ocean
and the Australian territories of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
and Heard Island and McDonald Islands
. This activity is conducted with the assistance of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Australian Navy.
The Commission is responsible for domestic fisheries management while the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for foreign fisheries compliance, under direction from the Australian Government
All Commissioners, apart from the CEO, are appointed on a remunerated, part-time basis. The current Chair of the Commission is former NSW Treasurer, Michael Egan
.
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
).
History
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority was established in February 1992 and its operations are governed by the Australian Fisheries Administration Act 1991 and Fisheries Management Act 1991. These laws created a statutory authority model for fisheries management.The agency is a sub-agency to the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Australia)
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is an Australian government department. The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s role is to develop and implement policies and programs that ensure Australia's agricultural, fisheries, food and forestry industries...
.
Current responsibilities
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority manages fisheries within the 200 nautical miles (370.4 km) Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ), on the high seas, and, in some cases, by agreement with other Australian States to the low water mark.The agency is also responsible for combating illegal fishing in Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
including the waters between Australia and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and in the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
and the Australian territories of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
The Territory of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands is an external territory of Australia consisting of two groups of small low-lying uninhabited tropical islands in the Indian Ocean situated on the edge of the continental shelf north-west of Australia and south of the Indonesian island of...
and Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
The Heard Island and McDonald Islands are an Australian external territory and volcanic group of barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall size is in area and it has of coastline...
. This activity is conducted with the assistance of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and the Australian Navy.
Agency structure
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority operates under the direction of a Commission and a Chief Executive Officer, who is also a Commissioner.The Commission is responsible for domestic fisheries management while the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for foreign fisheries compliance, under direction from the Australian Government
All Commissioners, apart from the CEO, are appointed on a remunerated, part-time basis. The current Chair of the Commission is former NSW Treasurer, Michael Egan
Michael Egan (Australian politician)
Michael Rueben Egan , a former union official and former Australian politician, served as Treasurer of New South Wales between 1995 and 2005...
.
See also
- Seafood in AustraliaSeafood in AustraliaAustralia's GDP in year 2007-2008 amounted to $ 1,084,146 million, while in the same year the sector of Agriculture, forestry and fishing was worth $24,744 million...
- Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
- Fisheries managementFisheries managementFisheries management draws on fisheries science in order to find ways to protect fishery resources so sustainable exploitation is possible. Modern fisheries management is often referred to as a governmental system of appropriate management rules based on defined objectives and a mix of management...