Fishery Management

The Tasmanian Marine Plant Fishery is managed by NRE Tas under the provisions of the Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995 and the Fisheries (Marine Plant) Rules 2017. It is supported by the Marine Plant Fishery Policy. The fishery involves two sectors: the beach-cast Bull Kelp collection and the dive collection of the invasive Undaria pinnatifida.

Undaria is a ‘declared plant pest/weed’ under the Tasmanian Biosecurity Act 2019. The primary management concern for the Undaria fishery is maintaining biosecurity and relevant licence conditions apply. Undaria harvest comes from the east coast of Tasmania and different licence conditions allow access to the two fishing zones: the Undaria Zone and the Restricted Undaria Zone. The two zones have different restrictions to balance environmental protection with economic use. In the Restricted Undaria Zone, stricter controls are in place, to minimise the risk of Undaria spreading and impacting local ecosystems. The Undaria Zone, where Undaria is already well established, allows for more flexible commercial harvesting to manage its invasive presence and promote economic benefits from the fishery. These zones help protect vulnerable areas while enabling sustainable harvesting where feasible.

Details on the current management controls for the Tasmanian Marine Plant Fishery are provided on the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE, Tas) website at the link: