Policy on the Allocation and Management of Commercial Fishing Rights in the Demersal Shark Longline Fishery: 2021

This Policy on the allocation and management of fishing rights in the Demersal Shark Longline Fishery is issued by the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, and must be read in conjunction with the General Policy on the allocation of commercial fishing rights: 2021. This Policy recognises the need to determine and implement harvesting strategies in compliance with the principles of biological sustainability, attained through scientifically based management and consistent with a Precautionary Approach. The Policy provides for: description of the fisheries; research and monitoring on shark activities; history of the fishery; identification of rights holders and resource users. The general objectives defined concern: ensuring the optimal, long-term and justifiable use of marine living resources in order to obtain sustainable development of the fishing sector and to achieve inclusive economic growth; protecting the ecosystem and marine biodiversity, including species not targeted for exploitation and minimising marine pollution. This Policy also defines the following objectives, specifically related to demersal shark fishery: 1) recovery and ecologically sustainable use of the demersal shark resource and consequent reduction in catches as per stock assessment results; 2) improvement of the quality of jobs through permanent employment, promotion of transformation and broaden meaningful participation; 3) promotion of the interest of applicants who rely heavily on the demersal shark sector as their main source of income.
Matters covered by this Policy include: granting of rights; form of rights holder; duration and transfer of rights; multi-sectoral involvement of applicants; evaluation and exclusionary criteria, including suitable vessels; new entrant and conditions for application; payment of application and grant of fees; management measures; monitoring and evaluation of the Policy; contraventions.