Torres Strait Bêche-de-mer Fishery

The Torres Strait Bêche-de-mer Fishery (BDM Fishery) is an important commercial fishery to Torres Strait Islanders. Historically, the main species of sea cucumbers harvested have been black teatfish, prickly redfish, sandfish, white teatfish, surf redfish, deepwater redfish, and blackfish species, with recent increases in the catches of curryfish species. Fishing for sandfish was closed in 1998 due to sustainability concerns following a considerable decline in abundance. This was followed by the closure of fishing for black teatfish and surf redfish in 2003. Since those closures, there have been four trial openings of fishing for black teatfish in 2014, 2015, 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the Protected Zone Joint Authority agreed to open the fishery for black teatfish on an annual basis, based on the success of the 2021 and 2022 trial openings which demonstrated that there are sufficient management, monitoring and compliance tools in place to manage black teatfish sustainably. 

Fishing for sea cucumbers in the BDM Fishery is by hand collection only and undertaken mainly by free diving from dinghies crewed by 2–3 fishers or along reefs at low tide. Once collected, the animal is gutted, graded, cleaned, boiled, smoked, and dried. This is a labour-intensive process usually carried out on processing vessels or at shore-based facilities. 

All commercial fishing licences in the BDM Fishery are either held by or in trust for Traditional Inhabitants. The number of commercial fishing licences that may be granted is currently unlimited, however, eligibility for and operations under these licences are limited to Traditional Inhabitants.

Map showing area of the Torres Strait Bêche-de-mer Fishery (2006).

Read the final Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) report for the Torres Strait Bêche-de-mer Fishery.

Find the Final report from CSIRO.

The black teatfish industry workshop was held for fishers from the Kemer Kemer Meriam and Kulkalgal Nations. Participants discussed the timing for the proposed reopening of black teatfish in 2021, heard the detailed requirements for daily catch landing and reporting that would apply to the reopening and had the opportunity to discuss cultural protocols. 

The workshop was chaired and facilitated by PZJA Hand Collectables Working Group (HCWG) Traditional Inhabitant (TI) member Mr Michael Passi, with assistance from PZJA HCWG TI member and Malu Lamar Chair Mr Maluwap Nona, PZJA Finfish Working Group TI member Mr Rocky Stephen and AFMA.

• Read the black teatfish industry workshop outcomes
• View the Black teatfish industry workshop presentation
• View the CSIRO sea cucumber survey results February 2021

The Bêche-de-mer Harvest Strategy (BDM HS) was adopted by the PZJA at their meeting on 19 November 2019. Read more on the announcement.

Download a copy of the Torres Strait Bêche-de-mer Harvest Strategy 2019.

The updated guide now includes information on Bêche-de-mer breeding season, species distributions and the ecological role of sea cucumbers.

Download the Torres Strait Bêche-de-mer (Sea cucumber) species ID guide.

View the latest Bêche-de-mer Fishery Catch Watch Report.

The PZJA agreed at its meeting on 1 April 2019 to release the draft harvest strategy for the Torres Strait Protected Zone Bêche-de-mer (BDM) Fishery for public comment. The period for submissions closed on 31 May 2019. To facilitate consultation on the draft harvest strategy, AFMA undertook a round of community visits across the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area. A copy of the report from the community visits is below.

Report from Torres Strait Community Visits, April - May 2019 (PDF)

Sea cucumbers are susceptible to overfishing because they are large, easily seen and collected, and do not require sophisticated fishing techniques. As a result, the BDM Fishery is subject to a suite of input and output controls: 

• Input controls include limited entry and vessel length, gear and method restrictions.
• Output controls include minimum size limits and total allowable catch (TAC) limits. 

These controls have the objective of sustainable fishing and providing for Traditional Inhabitants to benefit from the use of sea cucumber stocks. 

The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) produces annual status reports for Commonwealth fisheries based on Australian and regional data and stock assessments. These reports are an independent evaluation of the biological and economic status of fish stocks managed solely or jointly by the Australian Government. The results of the most recent reports can be found on the ABARES website. 

The Harvest Strategy for the BDM Fishery was adopted by the PJZA on 19 November 2019 and implemented for the 2020 fishing season (commencing 1 January 2020). The Harvest Strategy provides a framework for making evidence-based, precautionary, and transparent decisions about the amount of sea cucumbers from the BDM Fishery that can be caught in a fishing season. It sets out the objectives for the fishery, how the fishery is monitored, and what data should be collected to determine sustainable catch limits for the commercial sea cucumber species caught in the fishery. 

The objectives of the Harvest Strategy are:

• to provide for the sustainable use of all bêche-de-mer in the Torres Strait to take account of long-term sustainability for future generations
• to develop bêche-de-mer populations for the benefit of Australian Traditional Inhabitants (as defined by the Torres Strait Treaty) and accommodating commercial considerations
• to acknowledge area-specific issues
• where possible, to consider an ecosystem approach to management that reduces impacts on, or optimises interactions with, other harvested and dependent species and acknowledges the important ecological role of sea cucumbers, and
• to develop long-term recovery strategies for species, where appropriate.

Download the BDM Fishery management arrangements booklet for the 2025 fishing season.

The Torres Strait BDM Fishery is managed through a suite of input and output controls:

• Input controls include limited entry and vessel length, gear and method restrictions.
• Output controls include minimum size limits and total allowable catch (TAC) limits. 

These are implemented through a range of legislative instruments, licence conditions and policies, including, but not limited to:

• Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984
• Torres Strait Fisheries Regulations 1985
• Torres Strait Fisheries (Bêche-de-mer) Management Instrument 2022
• Torres Strait Bêche-de-mer Fishery Harvest Strategy
• Licence conditions
• Guide to Licensing Arrangements in the Torres Strait. 

Copies of all Commonwealth legislation, including that detailed above, can be found on the Federal Register of Legislation website. 

Key rules that apply in the BDM Fishery, include:

• Fishing season runs from 1 January until 31 December each year, except for black teatfish.
• Collection only by hand.
• Underwater breathing apparatus (e.g. hookah, SCUBA) and underwater propulsion is prohibited.
• Annual TAC limits apply to all species.
• A limited opening period and additional rules apply to fishing for black teatfish, these are notified prior to each opening.
• Fishing for sandfish and surf redfish is prohibited.
• Minimum size limits apply to most species.
• All commercial catch must be landed to a licensed fish receiver.
• Sea cucumbers can be processed prior to weighing by a fish receiver. How catch is processed must be reported by the fish receiver
• Fishing boats must be 7 metres or less in length.
• Each licensed boat must display its unique boat mark. 

Download the BDM Fishery management arrangements booklet for full details of the 2025 fishing season management arrangements.