AGY-3640 | NSW Fisheries [I]

Full description

NSW Fisheries was established on 1 July 1991 when the Fisheries Division of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries was removed and established as an Administrative Office with the title Office of Fisheries. (1)

The Office became known as NSW Fisheries and was responsible for managing the fisheries resources of New South Wales. The agency was responsible for issuing commercial fishing and fishing boat licences, administers oyster leases, and issues scientific, aquarium, fish farming and fish breeding permits. NSW Fisheries carried out research to assess the state of fisheries resources and the impacts upon them and was also responsible for protecting and restoring fish habitats. (2)

The previous Department of Fisheries and Agriculture had developed its first corporate strategic plan in 1989-1990 seeking to improve the efficiency, productivity, and accountability of the department. One of the cornerstones of this strategy was the transfer of the departmental headquarters to Orange. This decentralisation of all staff was under way when the division of Fisheries became a separate agency in July 1991. At one stage during the moves, Fisheries operated under staffed offices and branches in both Sydney and Orange. (3)

After Fisheries became a separate agency it was realised there was a need to move closer to its clients and in December 1992, NSW Fisheries moved to new headquarters at the Sydney Fish Market at Pyrmont, while the Market itself was privatised. (4) This move was accompanied by the development of a corporate plan which placed "more emphasis on education and less emphasis on enforcement as a means of achieving compliance". (5)

In the 1992-1993 financial year, NSW Fisheries underwent a major change with the implementation of regionalisation. Four regions were created – Northern (centred in Grafton), Central (at Salamander Bay), Southern (at Moruya) and Western (at Narrandera).

The Fisheries Management Act 1994 (Act No.38, 1994) aimed to conserve fish stocks and protect key habitats, promote viable commercial fishing and aquaculture industries, provide quality recreational fishing opportunities, and to promote ecologically sustainable development. (6) The Act introduced the new concept of Commercial Share Management Fisheries which were monitored by a Management Advisory Committee and subject to periodic public review. (7) In 1996 a review of the implementation of Share Management Fisheries, as proposed in the 1994 Act was conducted. Flowing from this only abalone and rock lobster fisheries would become share managed. (8) Management Advisory Committees for commercial fisheries were elected to give the fishing industry greater input into decision-making.

NSW Fisheries established the Office of Conservation in the 1997 financial year to cater for a “rapidly expanding role not only as the guardian of fish stocks and fish habit, but also in the areas of threatened species protection and the creation of a Marine Parks system in New South Wales.” (9) In 1997, the Office of Conservation was one of four Divisions within the Department, the other three being the Fisheries Management Division, Research Division, and Operations Division.

The Fisheries Management Division was primarily located at the Sydney Fish Market Complex at Pyrmont and was responsible for the co-ordination and management of the State’s commercial and recreational fisheries, aquaculture, and the production of propagated fish for stocking. The Division consisted of the following Branches: Commercial Fisheries, Recreational Fisheries, Aquaculture, Conservation, and Licensing. (10)

The Research Division provided information to be used in the management of fisheries resources and their habitats. The Fisheries Research Institute at Cronulla was the largest of the Department’s research establishments and carried out marine, estuarine, and freshwater research. Other major research facilities were located at Port Stephens (aquaculture), Narrandera (freshwater fish research and production), and Grafton (silver perch research and production). (11) The Division consisted of the following Branches: Commercial Fisheries, Commercial Shellfish, Recreational, Aquaculture, Coastal Conservation, Rivers Conservation, and Scientific Services. (12)

The Operations Division provided for enforcement of fisheries regulations and education services, in addition to Corporate Services which included the following Branches: Information and Advisory, Administration and Finance, Employee Relations, Legal Services, and Field Services. (13)

In the 1999-2000 financial year, NSW Fisheries underwent a structural change as it moved towards an integrated program structure based on outcomes. (14) There were now five main Divisions: Policy, Corporate Services, Aquaculture, Fisheries Services, and Conservation. The Department’s core business programs were Conservation, and Aquaculture, Recreational and Commercial fisheries. The new position of Chief Scientist was created to ensure continued focus on key priorities for research and to ensure research was to a high standard. (15)

On 2 April 2003, the group of staff principally involved in the administration of the provisions of Part 7A of the Fisheries Management Act 1994 were removed from NSW Fisheries and added to the Department of Sustainable Natural Resources. (16)

On 1 July 2004 NSW Fisheries was abolished and its branches, along with the branches of the former Departments of Mineral Resources, NSW Agriculture, and State Forests, were transferred to the Department of Primary Industries. (17) NSW Fisheries became part of the Agriculture and Fisheries Division of the newly created Department of Primary Industries but retained its identity as NSW Fisheries. (18)

Endnotes
1. NSW Government Gazette No.101, 28 June 1991, p.5335.
2. NSW Fisheries, Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1994, p.4.
3. Kellow, Aynsley ‘The Environment’ in Laffin, Martin & Painter, Martin (eds), Reform and Reversal: Lessons from the Coalition Government in New South Wales 1988-1995, Melbourne, MacMillan Education, 1995, p.263.
4. The dissolution of the Fish Marketing Authority occurred from the sale date of 31 October 1994 - New South Wales Government Gazette, 28 October 1994, p.6450.
5. NSW Fisheries, Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1993, p.4.
6. NSW Fisheries, Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1997, p.5.
7. Assented to 2 June 1994, New South Wales Government Gazette No.145, 28 October 1994, p.6450.
8.NSW Fisheries, Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1996, p.13.
9. NSW Fisheries, Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 1997, p.3.
10. ibid., p.8.
11. loc. cit.
12. loc. cit.
13. loc. cit.
14. NSW Fisheries, Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2000, p.6.
15. NSW Fisheries, Annual Report for the year ended 30 June 2000, p.7.
16. NSW Government Gazette No.67, Special Supplement, 2 April 2003, p.4333.
17. NSW Government Gazette No.100, Special Supplement, 18 June 2004, p.3816.
18. Department of Primary Industries website, http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/reader/dpi-about-us, accessed 2 February 2005.