Fisheries Queensland has confirmed it investigated coral harvesting above a species catch limit on the Great Barrier Reef, according to an ABC News report published on 17 October. The agency has not publicly released the inquiry's findings.
The ABC reported that Queensland FishNet data for the 2025-26 fishing season showed the catch of Pocillopora grandis, commonly called antler coral, was about 30 per cent above its prescribed commercial catch limit. We have not independently audited the underlying FishNet figures.
Business Queensland's coral fishery guide explains that the fishery uses overall quota buckets and species-level prescribed commercial catch limits. A competitive species limit being exceeded should not, by itself, be taken as proof that any named fisher broke an individual quota or committed an offence.
The ABC said Fisheries Queensland declined to provide the investigation's outcome. Until findings are released, the reason for the overrun and any enforcement response remain unclear. Read the ABC investigation.
Image disclosure: The accompanying reef image is an AI-generated editorial illustration. It does not depict the reported coral catch, a specific reef site or the inquiry.
