AFMA is committed to bycatch reduction, improved protection for vulnerable and threatened species and minimising any adverse impacts of fishing on the marine environment.
The AFMA Bycatch and Discard Program develops policy and management strategies to manage the impact of commercial fishing on non-target and protected species.
The Bycatch and Discard Program regularly deploys officers in the field to work with industry, trialling and assisting in the development of new bycatch reduction devices and practices.
What is bycatch?
A species that is incidentally either:
- taken in a fishery and returned to the sea
- killed or injured as a result of interacting with fishing equipment in the fishery, but not taken.
Bycatch can include EPBC Act–listed species.
What are discards?
Any part of the catch which is returned to the sea, whether dead or alive. In Commonwealth fisheries, the term is predominantly used to refer to commercial species that are not retained.
Projects and resources
