Fisheries assistance

2025 South-east Marine Park Network Fishing Business Assistance Program

The 2025 South-east Fishing Business Assistance Program (the 2025 Program) will assist eligible commercial fishers transition to new management arrangements established by the 2025-35 South-east Marine Parks Network Management Plan (the Plan).

The Australian Government recognises that some Tasmanian, South Australian and Commonwealth commercial fishers are directly impacted by changes to zoning in the South-east Marine Parks Network. Impacted commercial fishers will be eligible for assistance if they have statutory catch records in areas of the South-east Marine Parks Network they are no longer allowed to fish and have also experienced a net loss of fishing area.

The 2025 Program will be based on the 2019 Fishing Business Assistance Program (the 2019 Program), which was consulted on extensively with industry and delivered $9.47 million in assistance to eligible fishers who were impacted by new marine park management arrangements in 2018. Information on the 2019 Program, including consultation undertaken with the commercial fishing industry, is available below.

The 2025 Program will deliver assistance to eligible operators through a demand-driven grants program in the 2025-26 financial year:

1. Letters of offer and information on how to accept offers will be sent directly to eligible authorisation holders when the grant round opens – eligibility will be determined using statutory fishing records held by relevant fisheries management agencies.
2. Further details on the 2025 program, including information on eligibility, timing and grant calculations will be made available online when the grant round opens.

The affected South-east Network Marine Parks provides a map showing the zone changes in the South-east Marine Parks Network and a list of affected Australian Marine Parks, where certain fishing gear types are now not-allowed due to changes in zoning.

For direct updates on the program register your interest by emailing FishingBusinessGrants@dcceew.gov.au.

2019 Fishing Business Assistance Program

When 5 new management plans covering 44 Australian Marine Parks came into effect in 2018, an additional 2.3 million square kilometres of Australian waters became actively managed in marine parks for the first time.

The management arrangements introduced sought to balance conservation outcomes and help secure the future of Australia’s sustainable fishing and tourism industries.

The 2019 Program provided assistance to affected commercial fishers with a recent history of fishing in Australian Marine Parks as they transitioned their businesses to the new operating environment. It was part of a broader Fisheries Assistance and User Engagement Package that also provided:

• grants to help marine users and industries engage in marine park management
• support to encourage uptake of vessel monitoring systems.

In August 2018, the Director of National Parks consulted with the commercial fishing industry on the design of the 2019 Fishing Business Assistance Program, including by releasing a Position Paper to commercial fishing industry representatives. As a result of this consultation, the Director amended the fishing business assistance program to ensure it more effectively met industry needs. These changes, and responses to issues raised by industry, are set out in the final Fishing Business Assistance Grants – Consultation Report.

The 2019 Fishing Business Assistance Program was delivered through the Community Grants Hub.