Home›Questions on Notice›QoN 2133

❓ Mr Leary requests detailed VMS data and fishing activity information for Southwestern Fresh Fish from DPIRD. The Minister declined to provide the data citing confidentiality provisions of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994.

AnsweredQoN 2133Legislative Assembly

Asked

14 April 2026

Member

Mr Scott Leary

Portfolio

Fisheries

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to data collected through the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and I ask:(a) For the commercial fishing operator Southwestern Fresh Fish, please provide VMS data for the period 1 January to 31 March 2026, including:(i) vessel locations (GPS coordinates or mapped outputs);(ii) dates and times of recorded movements; and(iii) any available indicators of fishing activity as distinct from vessel transit.;(b) Please advise whether DPIRD holds or utilises any additional data sources to identify net deployment locations or active fishing effort for this operator during this period, and if so, provide those locations.; and(c) Does DPIRD review or assess net placement and fishing activity for commercial operators to ensure compliance with licence conditions, and if so:(i) how is this undertaken; and(ii) was such a review conducted for Southwestern Fresh Fish during the period 1 January to 31 March 2026?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

14 May 2026

Responded by

Minister representing the Minister for Fisheries

Response time

6 days

(a-b) VMS data collected is confidential under section 250 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 and is not able to be provided without the consent of the person who was required to submit the information.
(c) DPIRD routinely uses a range of compliance strategies and tools to monitor commercial fishing activities including VMS where applicable, intelligence analysis, surveillance, patrols, inspections and audits.

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