Harvest strategies
The NSW Government is working with commercial, recreational and Aboriginal cultural fishers across the state to develop harvest strategies for key fisheries and species.
Harvest strategies improve how we manage fish stocks and support fishers and communities by providing:
- management objectives, including a defined management target (desired status) and limit (undesirable status)
- a monitoring strategy
- indicators and reference points to monitor fishery performance
- rules to adjust catch or effort levels as stock status changes.
Setting rules and taking action in advance helps prevent stock declines. It supports sustainable fishing and balances environmental, economic, social and cultural needs.
Harvest strategy policies and guidelines
The National Guidelines to Develop Fishery Harvest Strategies - 2nd Edition provide overarching guidance for Australian jurisdictions to support developing consistent and effective harvest strategies.
National Guidelines - Summary
National Guidelines to Develop Fishery Harvest Strategies – 2nd edition – Summary
Download the summary
National Guidelines
National Guidelines to Develop Fishery Harvest Strategies – 2nd edition
Download the guidelines
Listen to the Vodcast
Vodcast on the National Guidelines to Develop Fishery Harvest Strategies
Listen nowThe NSW harvest strategy policy and guidelines provide further guidance to support developing and using harvest strategies in NSW.
NSW Fisheries Harvest Strategy Policy
The Policy facilitates the development of harvest strategies for NSW fisheries, defining what a harvest strategy is, how harvest strategies fit within the current management context.
Download the policy
NSW Fisheries Harvest Strategy Guidelines
The Guidelines provide further explanation of key concepts in the Policy itself and additional consideration of aspects of the Policy that will need to be addressed.
Download the guidelinesThey work together to:
- define the core elements and purpose of a harvest strategy
- support sustainable fisheries management
- highlight key issues and requirements
- support a consistent development process
- provide guidance on key issues
- promote a consistent approach across sectors and jurisdictions.
Australian Harvest Strategy Database
This database allows you to explore all publicly available Australian harvest strategies.
You can:
- search for fisheries and species
- compare approaches across jurisdictions
- access published harvest strategies.
The database can be accessed using the link below, following a free sign-up process:
Australian Harvest Strategy Database
Frequently Asked Questions
Harvest strategies provide a roadmap for managing fisheries sustainably. They define management objectives, and ensure decisions are transparent, evidence-based, and responsive to changing conditions. This supports healthy fish stocks and provides long-term benefits for fishers and the community.
Harvest strategies support the objectives of the Fisheries Management Act 1994 and are a key action under the below strategies.
The NSW Harvest Strategy Policy and the NSW Harvest Strategy Guidelines align with the National Guidelines to Develop Fishery Harvest Strategies. They were developed through public consultation between November 2020 to January 2021.
Individual harvest strategies are developed through working groups appointed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. They are open for public consultation before they are finalised. Harvest strategies are reviewed to ensure they remain up to date and account for changes in available information.
We work with stakeholders when developing harvest strategies.
You can:
- apply to be a member of a working group as they are advertised
- read working group minutes to keep up to date with developments
- take part in consultation by reviewing draft harvest strategies and providing feedback.
Core elements include:
- harvest strategy objectives
- a monitoring and assessment strategy based around fishery indicators and reference points
- evidence-based decision rules.
Harvest strategy objectives define the agreed management outcomes.
Fishery indicators are used to track the performance of a fishery against the operational objectives of a harvest strategy.
Monitoring and assessment components of a harvest strategy define how fishery performance will be examined against scientific evidence to support effective management decisions.
Reference points are benchmarks to assess stock health and performance. They help define desirable and undesirable performance levels, and guide management decisions to ensure the objectives of the harvest strategy are met.
Decision rules provide pre-agreed management actions, with a focus on managing levels of harvest or effort applied to a fishery.
Commercial catch and effort data is key for scientific stock assessments and management decisions.
Recreational catch and effort data is key for scientific stock assessments and management decisions.
Stock assessments play a key role in monitoring and assessing the health and abundance of fish populations.
Catch Per Unit of Effort (CPUE) measures catch relative to fishing effort and is a key data source used in scientific stock assessments and management decisions.
Fishery biomass is a measure of the abundance of fish stocks, and is estimated by analysing data from catch reports, fishery surveys, and stock research.
Fishing mortality is a measure of fishing pressure, which is assessed as an impact on stock recruitment and health.
Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is the maximum amount of fish that can be caught in a specific time period.
