COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 DECLARATION OF AN APPROVED WILDLIFE TRADE OPERATION –PQ AQUATICS – VICTORIAN SEADRAGONS AND SEAHORSES, DECEMBER 2024 I, JESSICA HOEY, Director, Sustainable Fisheries Section, as Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water, have considered in accordance with section 303FN of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) the application from the Victorian Fisheries Authority, and advice on the ecological sustainability of the operation. I am satisfied on those matters specified in section 303FN of the EPBC Act. I hereby declare the operations for the harvesting of specimens that are or are derived from fish or invertebrates, taken in the PQ Aquatics – Victorian seadragons and seahorses as defined in the management regime in force under the Fisheries Act 1995 (Vic) and Fisheries Regulations 2019 (Vic), but not including: 1. specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 209 of the EPBC Act (Australia's List of Migratory Species), or 2. specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 248 of the EPBC Act (Australia's List of Marine Species), except for weedy seadragons (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus), short-headed seahorses (Hippocampus breviceps) and pot-bellied seahorses (Hippocampus abdominalis), or 3. specimens that belong to eligible listed threatened species, as defined under section 303BC of the EPBC Act, or 4. specimens that belong to taxa listed under section 303CA of the EPBC Act (Australia's CITES List), except for short-headed seahorses (Hippocampus breviceps) and pot-bellied seahorses (Hippocampus abdominalis). to be an approved wildlife trade operation, in accordance with subsection 303FN(2) and paragraph 303FN(10)(d), for the purposes of the EPBC Act. Unless amended or revoked, this declaration: 1. is valid until 20 December 2027 and; 2. is subject to the conditions applied under section 303FT specified in Schedule 1. Dated this 19 day of December 2024 ………….……SIGNED …………………………… Delegate of the Minister for the Environment and Water Notes: 1. Under the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024, a person whose interests are affected by this decision may apply for a statement of reasons and for independent review of the decision. An application for a statement of reasons may be made in writing to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water within 28 days of the date of the declaration. An application for independent review may be made to the Administrative Review Tribunal on payment of the relevant fee within 28 days of the date of the declaration, or if reasons are sought, within 28 days of receipt of reasons. Further information may be obtained from the Director, Sustainable Fisheries Section, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Email: sustainablefisheries@dcceew.gov.au. 2. Australia's obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are met through Part 13A of the EPBC Act. Specimens of species listed in Appendix II of Australia's CITES list under section 303CA of the EPBC Act may only be exported, under a CITES export permit issued under the EPBC Act, if Australia's CITES Scientific Authority has issued a non-detriment finding for that species. Further information is available from https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/wildlife-trade/cites. Schedule 1 Declaration of the harvest operations of the PQ Aquatics – Victorian seadragons and seahorses as an approved wildlife trade operation, December 2024 Condition 1 The Fishery of the PQ Aquatics - Victorian seadragons and seahorses must be carried out in accordance with Victorian fisheries Authority permit conditions in force under the Fisheries Act 1995 (VIC) and the Fisheries Regulations 2019 (VIC). Condition 2 The Victorian Fisheries Authority must inform the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of any intended material changes to the PQ Aquatics - Victorian seadragons and seahorses management arrangements that may affect the assessment against which Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 decisions are made. Condition 3 The Victorian Fisheries Authority must inform the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water of any intended changes to fisheries legislation that may affect the legislative instruments relevant to this approval. Condition 4 The Victorian Fisheries Authority must produce and present reports on the PQ Aquatics - Victorian seadragons and seahorses to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water by 30 November annually, as per Appendix B of the Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries – 2nd Edition. Condition 5 Wild caught and cultured syngnathids must not be returned to the wild.