Queensland East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery Hopper Program

Overview

The Queensland East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery Hopper Program will run over 3 financial years from 2024-25 to 2026-27. The program is a part of the Reef Trust and contributes to protecting the value of the reef through strong partnership and stewardship by reducing the impact of fishing. The objectives of the program are to: facilitate the uptake and assessment of hoppers in order to increase the survivability of bycatch, particularly listed species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 observe, monitor and gather data on catch and bycatch within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area support the development and uptake of improved sustainable fishing practices. The intended outcomes of the program are: an increased number of east coast otter trawler vessels with installed hoppers improved onboard catch processing practices and reduced environmental impacts from trawl operations.