Bottom Fishery Impact Assessment Standard (BFIAS)

Download the current Bottom Fishery Impact Assessment Standard (BIAFS, 2019)

The current BFIAS was approved by the 7th meeting of the SPRFMO Scientific Committee (SC7) in October 2019. CMM 03 requires that the Scientific Committee shall review the SPRFMO BFIAS every 5 years, starting in 2025, to ensure that it reflects, as appropriate, best practice.

Bottom Fishery Impact Assessments (BFIA)

• Cumulative Bottom Fishery Impact Assessment for Australian and New Zealand bottom fisheries, 2023 (SC11-DW01_rev1)

The 11th meeting of the Scientific Committee agreed that the cumulative BFIA provided by Australia and New Zealand represents:

• the best science available to the SC at the current time;
• provides a sound basis for formulating management advice to the Commission;
• meets international standards (such as the FAO Deep-Seas Guidelines) and
• complies with the SPRFMO BFIAS

and, consequently, the SC accepted the BFIA.

CMM 03 requires Members and CNCPs to ensure that an assessment meeting the BFIA requirements is submitted to the Scientific Committee at least every 3 years, and also when a substantial change in the fishery has occurred, such that it is likely that the risk or impact of the fishery may have changed.

Consultations

Pursuant to paragraph 22 a) of Conservation and Management Measure 03 (Bottom Fishing), each Member or CNCP proposing to participate in bottom fishing activities shall submit a proposed assessment that meets the SPRFMO BFIAS. The Secretariat shall make publicly available all such assessments and shall invite public comment for 30 days from the date of publication. The Secretariat shall also make the Scientific Committee’s review of such assessments public in accordance with its usual procedures.

• Current assessment(s) for which public comment is invited: nil
• Scientific Committee’s review of most recent assessment: refer to paragraphs 138 to 150 of the SC11 meeting report.