After lengthy closures to allow scallop stocks to rebuild, the Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery (BSCZSF) is once again open.
Virtually no fishing has occurred in the fishery since 1998, and a zero Total Allowable Catch (TAC) has been in place for commercial and doughboy scallop since the beginning of 2006.
As of 1 June 2009, fishing has been allowed in the south eastern area of the BSCZSF, and a TAC of 2,650 tonnes is in place. This includes a 150 tonne research catch allowance to provide continued information about the state of the scallop stocks.
AFMA CEO, Glenn Hurry says "Industry-based research surveys have provided valuable information about the size and extent of the scallop stocks, and indicate that fishing can again be sustained in some areas of the fishery.
"Now the fishery has a harvest strategy in place, which will provide a framework for the sustainable management of the fishery into the future.
There are a number of changes that will apply in the fishery for the 2009 season, including:
• Following consultation with industry, the BSCZSF season dates have changed so it runs from 1 June to 31 December, instead of 1 May to 20 December
• Fishing will be restricted to a part of the south eastern scallop aggregation in Bass Strait
• A number of area closures will be in place for the 2009 fishing season, including designated 'no-transit' areas in closed areas with high scallop abundance
• All vessels will have an operating vessel monitoring system (VMS).
