Compliance & Enforcement

Objectives

To achieve optimal compliance with fisheries regulations that underpins the sustainable utilisation of our fisheries in the Southern District by:

• Encouraging fishers to voluntarily comply with fisheries laws and;
• Ensuring that there is an effective deterrent against non-compliance.

How do we achieve these objectives?

Maximising voluntary compliance

The greatest way to ensure voluntary compliance is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the rules. The Authority does this by:

• Providing education and advice through brochures, signage, land and sea-based patrols, school and fishing club visits
• Involving stakeholders in development of management for fisheries
• Involving stakeholders in compliance planning
• Lowering compliance costs
• Assessment of voluntary compliance

Getting more stakeholders involved in the development of fisheries management and delivery of services allows greater understanding, acceptance and compliance with the rules. It also ensures those rules are appropriate to that fishery.

Through our local management and funding structures, the Authority helps to put local authorities, local communities, local businesses and individual citizens in the driving seat, allowing them to play a bigger part in the protection, management decisions and enhancement of their marine environment.

Ensuring there is an effective deterrent

The greatest way to ensure there is an effective deterrent is to provide incentives for people to comply with the management. The Authority does this by:

• Developing fishing management that penalise fishers for illegal fishing
• Effective monitoring and surveillance through land and sea-based patrols and targeted operations
• Warning, fining (through Financial Administrative Penalties) and prosecuting offenders

Patrols

Southern IFCA officers conduct both land and sea-based patrols across the district. Southern IFCA operates three patrol vessels across the District, each designed with different features to suit the area they are located in. Patrols on board these vessels may take place at any time of day or night, and are used to observe fishing activity, engage with industry, carry out boarding inspections and to target reported illegal activity. On shore, Officers conduct land patrols to engage with industry, carry out inspections, observe activity at sea and in ports, visiting a number of locations across the district including commercial premises, recreational angling hotspots, piers, ports, beaches and quaysides.

Operational standards

Southern IFCA operates using a risk-based, intelligence-led approach, following a number of operational standards, to establish appropriate compliance and enforcement procedures and therefore effective fisheries management across the Southern IFC district.

Engagement