Topical rock lobster (kaiar) season opens on 1 December 2025
The Torres Strait tropical rock lobster (kaiar) fishing season for 2025–26 opens on Monday, 1 December, for free diving and lamp fishing only.
The kaiar season will be open until 30 September 2026, or until available quota units have been caught.
Commercial fishers and fish receivers must have a current licence to participate.
Find out if your licence is current – and how to renew it if you need to – by calling the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) Canberra office on 02 6225 5555 or the Thursday Island office on 07 4069 1990.
The start of season total allowable catch (TAC) for 2025–26 will be 200 tonnes.
- The Traditional Inhabitant sector TAC is set at 132.4 tonnes.
- The Transferrable Vessel Holder sector TAC is set at 67.6 tonnes.
It is expected that the TAC will be increased once the outcomes of the scientific assessment processes and the TAC-sharing arrangements under the treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea have been taken into account. Any increase in the TAC is expected to be determined by the end of February 2026.
Hookah gear
Fishers participating in the Torres Strait Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery must not use hookah gear before 31 January 2026 or during moontide hookah closures.
The first moontide hookah closure for the 2025–26 fishing season starts on 1 February 2026.
More information
- See the 2025–26 Moontide Hookah Closure Calendar.
- Find full details on the Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery page.
- Call AFMA’s Thursday Island office on 07 4069 1990 if you have any questions.