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This information is provided as a service to LIRS visitors.

It is the Station's interpretation of permitting requirements as they apply to work at Lizard Island. For definitive information about Fisheries permits, contact the authority that issues them:

Fisheries Queensland

which is within

Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
PO Box 2764,
BRISBANE QLD 4001
Phone: (+617) 3087 8812 (Licencing - Jason Lally as at 28 Oct 2013)
Email: jason.lally@daff.qld.gov.au


A General Fisheries Permit is required if you intend to do anything that is NOT allowed by the general public under recreational fishing rules and regulations. This includes:

  • Using scuba to collect "fish" using any method. "Fish" has a broader meaning than teleosts and elasmobranchs - assume that it means any organism unless advised otherwise by Fisheries.
  • Taking organisms in excess of bag limits or outside the legal size range. This applies to temporary capture (e.g. for tag & release or non-lethal experiments) as well as to collecting.
  • Using equipment that is not specifically allowed under the regulations, including certain types of nets, traps, and anaesthetic or poisonous chemicals.

Further information on the recreational fishing regulations. This is based on Fisheries Regulations 2008.

Application for a permit must be made on the appropriate form and accompanied by an application fee. Send a brief research outline with the form and justify the collections in terms of the research. Be specific about the reefs you want to use (e.g. Lizard Island Group, North Direction Island Reef etc). Allow at least three months for processing the application.

Further information about applying for a permit, including the application form

In the link above, the link to the form is currently broken (28 October 2013). The form is provided here temporarily.