Torres Strait Protected Zone Joint Authority

The Torres Strait Protected Zone Joint Authority (PZJA) has responsibility for the management of commercial and traditional fishing in the Australian area of the Torres Strait Protected Zone (TSPZ) and designated adjacent Torres Strait waters. Some of the fisheries include: - Torres Strait Finfish (Reef Line) Fishery - Torres Strait Prawn Fishery - Torres Strait Pearl Shell Fishery - Torres Strait Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery - Torres Strait Spanish Mackerel Fishery - Torres Strait Pearl Shell Fishery - Torres Strait Beche-de-mer Fishery - Torres Strait Trochus Fishery - Torres Strait Crab Fishery. Fisheries management for commercial and traditional fishing in the Torres Strait Protected Zone is governed by the provisions of the Torres Strait Treaty and the Torres Strait Fisheries Act 1984. Members include the Commonwealth and Queensland ministers with portfolio responsibilities for fisheries, and the chair of the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA). The members are supported by a number of Government agencies – the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry as agent for the PZJA manages fisheries and licensing of commercial fishers operating in the Torres Strait, and the TSRA that aims to improve the well-being of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal peoples living in the region by implementing programmes that address their socio-economic and health status.