Greater Sydney region compliance focusing on marine protected areas

Why is this project important?

DPIRD Fisheries administers fisheries and marine estate laws to manage fisheries resources, aquatic habitats and marine protected areas within NSW.

Fisheries Officers spend many hours on patrol, detecting and preventing illegal fishing and harm to aquatic habitats and marine protected areas.

Illegal activities are serious problems and can reduce the sustainability of fish stocks and the health of marine and estuarine environments across NSW.

The coastline from Newcastle to Wollongong is fringed by the largest urban area in NSW with high numbers of people working in and enjoying the coast.

What are we doing?

This project increases the capacity of Fisheries Officers through patrols, education and coordination of compliance activities across other government agencies, to encourage voluntary compliance as well as detect and prevent illegal activities in the Greater Sydney region.

Marine protected areas in the region are the main focus for this project, including ten aquatic reserves and nine intertidal protected areas.

These areas specifically protect marine biodiversity; however, they are also important to the community for marine education, scientific research, recreation, cultural activities and nature-based tourism.

Compliance action is critical to ensure these areas are sustainable and can be enjoyed by the whole community now and into the future.

What have we achieved so far?

Update March to June 2024

This period the Greater Metropolitan Fisheries Mobile Squad completed 1,072 inspections and interactions with fishers over 500 field patrol hours of marine protected areas within the Hawkesbury bioregion. Officers reported an increased compliance rate of 87% of those fishers inspected this reporting period.

There were 48 penalty infringement notices issued and 1 prosecution heard, with a total value of $14,100 in fines and 61 written cautions issued. A number of these offences were recorded in Boat Harbour Aquatic Reserve, Sydney Harbour Intertidal Protected Area, Long Reef Aquatic Reserve and Towra Point Aquatic Reserve. There were 2,318 fish seized, which were mainly invertebrates collected from the intertidal zone, and returned to the water. The largest apprehension was at Kurnell where 1,715 Molluscs (Nerite Snails) were seized and returned to the water.

The Mobile Squad coordinated compliance activities across the Greater Sydney region from the Central Coast to the Illawarra focusing on marine protected areas, working with Marine Area Command, local councils and NPWS and conducted educational activities with local recreational fishing groups.

An audit of marine protected area signs between Bondi and Cape Banks in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has been completed. Educational materials were provided to bait and tackle shops to support new Eastern Blue Groper fishing rule changes. These changes prohibit the taking of Eastern Blue Groper by any method as part of a 12-month trial, intended to ensure greater protection of this iconic species.

The Greater Metropolitan Mobile Fisheries Squad is now employing the use of drone technology in its compliance operations. The advancements in drone technology with sophisticated positioning systems, high resolution cameras and video recording capabilities, are proving to be an asset in many facets of fisheries compliance and offence detection. The squad has detected numerous offences along the Shell Cove/Bass Point rock platform with the aid of drone technology.

For more information about our achievements in the Marine Estate Management Strategy, please visit our report page.

Coastal locations from Newcastle in the north, to Lake Illawarra in the south with a focus on aquatic reserves and intertidal protected areas of the Greater Sydney region.

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Fisheries

• Local councils
• National Parks & Wildlife Service
• Police and Water Police
• Transport for NSW
• Australian Fisheries Management Authority

Fisheries Officers also work with key community groups such as fishing clubs and environmental groups.