Wildlife trade

Wildlife trade operations

If you want to export for commercial purposes an Australian native wildlife specimen (unless exempt) and/or CITES-listed specimen, it must come from an approved program such as a wildlife trade operation. You can seek an export permit from the federal environment department (applicants still have to apply and be assessed as suitable under national environment law).

A wildlife trade operation is an operation taking specimens that meets legal requirements, such as a market testing operation, a small-scale operation, a developmental operation, a commercial fishery, a provisional operation or an existing stocks operation.

Wildlife trade operations are made through an instrument signed by the Australian Government environment minister and published in the Australian Government Gazette. The minister may specify the period, the circumstances or the conditions under which the operation will be subject in the declaration.  Approval is for a maximum of three years. A declaration may be varied by specifying additional or new conditions or revoking or varying existing conditions by a subsequent instrument published in the Gazette.

Approved wildlife trade operations

The table below lists the types of wildlife trade operations that are currently approved under national environment law. Conditions of approval, additional to the species covered and period of approval, are specified in the individual declarations.

Existing stocks
State Program name Species Organisation Approval period Declarations and variations
From To
NT Collection of broodstock for the Northern Territory Department of Resources "Giant Clam Aquaculture Trial" Tridacna squamosa Special Permit No 2007-2008/S17/2441 9 November 2011
Collection of broodstock for the Northern Territory Department of Resources "Giant Clam Aquaculture Trial"
Vic Commercial export of taxidermied specimens of native Australian wildlife   South Pacific Taxidermy 29 June 2011 28 June 2014 South Pacific Taxidermy
Small scale
State Program name Species Organisation Approval period Declarations and variations
From To
NSW MDS Australia Pty Ltd Various avian species MDS Australia Pty Ltd 26 September 2010 25 September 2013 MDS Australia Pty Ltd
NSW David Cassat Various invertebrate species David Cassat 26 September 2010 25 September 2013 David Cassat
Qld Export of marine specimens for biodiscovery research and development Marine Phyla Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS) 21 September 2011 20 September 2014 AIMS Bioresources Library
Qld Export of Australian Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) Australian Lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) Jindalee International Pty Ltd 1 June 2011 31 May 2014 Jindalee International Pty Ltd
Qld Invertebrates Various invertebrate species Australian Insect Farm 1 January 2013 31 December 2015 Australian Insect Farm
Qld Soul Home Various invertebrate species Soul Home 12 October 2011 11 October 2014 Soul Home
SA Venom, venom products and other products derived from venomous snakes Native Snakes (excluding threatened species) Venom Supplies 31 August 2011 30 August 2014 SA snake
SA Seahorse Marine Services syngnathids Seahorse Marine Services 16 August 2010 4 August 2013 Seahorse Marine Services
Tas Tasmanian Native Flora and Fillers Various native species Tasmanian Native Flora and Fillers 21 September 2011 20 September 2014 Tasmanian Native Flora and Fillers
Tas Bennett's Wallaby skins Macropus rufogriseus Lenah Game Meats 15 January 2013 31 October 2015 Lenah Game Meats
Vic Commercial export of taxidermied specimens of native Australian wildlife   South Pacific Taxidermy 29 June 2011 28 June 2014 South Pacific Taxidermy
Vic Rich River Cut Flower Suppliers Calocephalus sonderi (Pale Beauty Heads) and Pycnosorus globosus (Billy Buttons) Rich River Cut Flower Suppliers 11 November 2009 10 November 2012
Vic Mr Fern - Victorian tree ferns Dicksonia antarctica and Cyathea australis Mr Fern Nurseries 27 January 2010 26 January 2013 Mr Fern
Vic M & K Cole Ferns Dicksonia antarctica M & K Cole Ferns 30 May 2012 29 May 2015 M & K Cole Ferns
Vic PQ Aquatics Syngnathids PQ Aquatics 20 December 2012 17 December 2015 PQ Aquatics
WA Merv Cooper's Crazy Crabs Coenobita variabilis (Land Hermit Crabs) Merv Cooper's Crazy Crabs 28 November 2012 28 November 2015 Merv Cooper's Crazy Crabs
WA Tycraft Pty Ltd Giant Clams Tridacna maxima Tycraft Pty Ltd 14 October 2011 13 July 2013 Tycraft Pty Ltd
Commercial fisheries
State/territory Program name Species Organisation Approval period Declarations and variations
From To
Commonwealth Coral Sea Fishery Various Australian Fisheries Management Authority 19 November 2010 19 November 2013 Coral Sea Fishery
Commonwealth Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery Various Australian Fisheries Management Authority 1 March 2011 26 February 2014 Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery
Commonwealth North West Slope Trawl Fishery and Western Deepwater Trawl Fishery Various Australian Fisheries Management Authority 12 December 2012 11 December 2015 Western Trawl Fisheries
Commonwealth Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery Various Australian Fisheries Management Authority 28 February 2013 25 February 2016 Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery
Commonwealth Southern Bluefin Tuna fishery Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) Australian Fisheries Management Authority 21 October 2010 24 July 2013 Southern Bluefin Tuna fishery
Commonwealth Torres Strait Beche-de-mer Fishery Various Australian Fisheries Management Authority 20 June 2011 20 June 2014 Torres Strait Beche-de-mer Fishery
Commonwealth Torres Strait Prawn Fishery Brown tiger prawn (Penaeus esculentus) Blue endeavour prawn (Metapenaeus endeavouri) Australian Fisheries Management Authority 20 March 2013 18 March 2016 Torres Strait Prawn Fishery
Commonwealth Torres Strait Trochus Fishery Trochus niloticus Australian Fisheries Management Authority 17 October 2012 16 October 2015 Torres Strait Trochus Fishery
Commonwealth Torres Strait Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery Various Australian Fisheries Management Authority 25 January 2011 23 November 2013 Torres Strait Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery
NSW Abalone Fishery Blacklip abalone (Haliotis rubra) New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 12 August 2011 8 August 2014 Abalone Fishery
NSW Estuary Prawn Trawl Fishery Various New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 30 November 2011 27 November 2014 Estuary Prawn Trawl Fishery
NSW Ocean Trap and Line Fishery Various New South Wales Department of Primary Industries 16 December 2010 11 November 2013 Ocean Trap and Line Fishery
NT Aquarium Fishery Various Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries 13 December 2012 30 May 2014 Aquarium Fishery
NT Offshore Net and Line Fishery Grey mackerel (Scomberomorus semifasciatus) and blacktip sharks (Carcharhinus spp.) Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries 25 September 2012 24 September 2015 Offshore Net and Line Fishery
NT Trepang Fishery sandfish (Holothuria scabra) Northern Territory Department of Resources - Fisheries 3 August 2011 30 July 2014 Northern Territory Trepang Fishery
Qld Coral Fishery Various Fisheries Queensland 29 June 2012 26 June 2015 Coral Fishery
Qld East Coast Beche-de-mer Fishery Various Fisheries Queensland 22 July 2011 17 July 2014 East Coast Beche-de-mer Fishery
Qld East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery Various Fisheries Queensland 28 February 2012 27 February 2015 East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery
Qld East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery Various Fisheries Queensland 21 December 2010 27 November 2013 East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery
Qld Fin Fish (Stout Whiting) Trawl Fishery stout whiting (Sillago robusta) and red spot whiting (Sillago flindersi) Fisheries Queensland 19 August 2011 15 August 2014 Fin Fish (Stout Whiting) Trawl Fishery
Qld Gulf of Carpentaria Line Fishery Various Fisheries Queensland 26 August 2010 25 August 2013 Gulf of Carpentaria Line Fishery
Qld Marine Aquarium Fish Fishery Various Fisheries Queensland 28 November 2011 21 November 2014 Marine Aquarium Fish Fishery
Qld River and Inshore Beam Trawl Fishery Various Fisheries Queensland 12 April 2012 10 April 2015 River and Inshore Beam Trawl Fishery
SA Lakes and Coorong Fishery Various Primary Industries and Resources South Australia 25 May 2011 21 May 2014 South Australian Lakes and Coorong Fishery
SA Marine Scalefish Fishery Various Primary Industries and Resources South Australia 1 February 2012 28 January 2015 South Australian Marine Scalefish Fishery
Vic Scallop Fishery commercial scallops (Pecten fumatus) Victorian Department of Primary Industries 30 January 2012 23 January 2015 Scallop Fishery
WA Beche-de-mer Fishery Various Western Australian Department of Fisheries 7 September 2011 29 August 2014 Beche-de-mer Fishery
WA Marine Aquarium Fish Managed Fishery Various Western Australian Department of Fisheries 4 January 2013 31 December 2013 Marine Aquarium Fish Managed Fishery
WA Northern Developmental Blue Swimmer Crab Fishery blue swimmer crab (Portunus pelagicus) Western Australian Department of Fisheries 15 July 2009 8 July 2012 Northern Developmental Blue Swimmer Crab Fishery
WA Pilbara Fish Trawl Interim Managed Fishery Various Department of Fisheries Western Australia 30 March 2011 30 June 2013 Pilbara Fish Trawl Interim Managed Fishery
WA South Coast Crustacean Fishery Various Department of Fisheries Western Australia 18 November 2011 11 November 2014 South Coast Crustacean Fishery
WA Temperate Shark Fisheries Various Department of Fisheries Western Australia 31 August 2012 28 August 2015 Temperate Shark Fisheries
Development
Currently no wildlife trade operations under this heading
Market testing
Currently no wildlife trade operations under this heading

Application form and guidelines

Applying for approval of a wildlife trade operation

If you would like your operation to be included in the list of approved wildlife trade operation (to be assessed as suitable under national environment law), complete the:

Commercial trade

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Last updated: Thursday, 11-Apr-2013 15:00:46 EST