Sustainability Loans provide you with finance up to $1,300,000 to cover capital costs to achieve a more productive and sustainable commercial wild-catch fishing enterprise.

Eligible activities to enhance natural resource sustainability may include:

• controlling and dispersing effluent and waste
• installation of equipment to improve environmental outcomes
  • turtle exclusion devices
  • by-catch reduction devices
  • hopper
  • net acoustic alarms (pingers)
  • on-board effluent treatment facilities

Eligible activities to enhance fishing system sustainability may include:

• projects to minimise impacts of climate change and market risk on the commercial wild-catch fishing industry
• improve and maintain water supplies and water use efficiency
• alternative systems of energy generation for example solar energy.
• upgrade vessel and equipment
  • purchase of selective fishing gear, modified or equip to minimise by-catch
  • motor replacement/upgrade
  • new propeller systems for fuel efficiency improvements
  • new monitoring devices

Eligible activities to enhance financial sustainability may include:

• acquiring a new vessel
• buying fishing quota or other authorities to increase fishing effort
• installation or modification of equipment for example, new electronic sea floor mapping echo- sounding equipment
• purpose or upgrade of processing machinery/systems
  • value adding
  • catch waste minimisation
  • catch waste/by product conversion
  • prawn grading machines
  • fish filleting machines scallop sorting machines
  • upgraded refrigeration
  • wet or dry ice rooms and ice makers for keeping fresh fish
  • wet tanks for live fish
• improving operational efficiency
  • motor replacement/upgrade
  • new propeller systems for fuel efficiency improvements
  • new monitoring devices
  • fisheries development
  • proving a developmental fishery (observer, monitoring, stock assessment costs)

Note: QRIDA will consider other activities where it is demonstrated they will enhance your natural resource, fishing system or financial sustainability.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Sustainability Loan at least one person in your commercial wild-catch fishing business needs to be a commercial wild-catch fisher.

You are also required to:

• have operated your commercial wild-catch fishing business for at least two years
• have sound prospects for commercial viability and the ability to service the loan in the long term

For purposes related to financial sustainability you are required to demonstrate:

• concessional finance is needed to secure sound prospects for success in the long term ; and
• the proposal is not simply expanding an already financially sound commercial wild-catchfishing business.

For purposes related to natural resource sustainability or fishing system sustainability:

• you should demonstrate the commercial wild-catchfishing business is not in a financial position to readily support the proposal from cash resources, or a ready capability to service increased commercial lending.

• Phone: 1800 623 946
• Email: contact_us@qrida.qld.gov.au