The Queensland coral fishery and marine aquarium fish fishery operate in permitted areas of the Great Barrier Reef and support specialised domestic and international aquarium industries.

Fisheries Queensland reviewed these harvest strategies as part of ongoing Commonwealth Wildlife Trade Operation approval conditions to maintain access to international markets.

The review processalso provided an opportunity to modernise management arrangements and better utilise the significant amount of new information now available and improvements in fishery reporting, vessel tracking systems, ecological risk assessments and species vulnerability assessments.

In addition, increasing concern about climate-driven events affecting coral reef ecosystems highlighted the need for a framework to respond to these environmental impacts, so a severe event response plan wasdeveloped for the coral fishery.

Fisheries Queensland sought feedback on the following:

• DRAFT Queensland coral fishery harvest strategy: 2027–2032
• DRAFT Marine aquarium fish fishery harvest strategy: 2027–2032
• DRAFT Severe event response plan: Queensland coral fishery.

Together, they are intended to improve protection of Great Barrier Reef resources, strengthen climate resilience, maintain access to export markets and provide greater transparency and certainty for industry and the wider community.

This consultation has now closed.