Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

TORRES STRAIT FISHERIES ACT 1984 - SECT 8

    In the administration of this Act, regard shall be had to the rights and obligations conferred on Australia by the Torres Strait Treaty and in particular to the following management priorities:

  (a)   to acknowledge and protect the traditional way of life and livelihood of traditional inhabitants, including their rights in relation to traditional fishing;

  (b)   to protect and preserve the marine environment and indigenous fauna and flora in and in the vicinity of the Protected Zone;

  (c)   to adopt conservation measures necessary for the conservation of a species in such a way as to minimise any restrictive effects of the measures on traditional fishing;

  (d)   to administer the provisions of Part   5 of the Torres Strait Treaty (relating to commercial fisheries) so as not to prejudice the achievement of the purposes of Part   4 of the Torres Strait Treaty in regard to traditional fishing;

  (e)   to manage commercial fisheries for optimum utilisation;

  (f)   to share the allowable catch of relevant Protected Zone commercial fisheries with Papua New Guinea in accordance with the Torres Strait Treaty;

  (g)   to have regard, in developing and implementing licensing policy, to the desirability of promoting economic development in the Torres Strait area and employment opportunities for traditional inhabitants.