As noted in Chapter 5, the FMCU has established a structured process to

ANAO Report No.3 2015–16 Regulation of Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Permits and Approvals 99 Information System CMIS and considered by the FMCU for potential investigation and enforcement action which is examined in Chapter 7.

6.18 The patrol reports prepared typically contain statistics such as the

number of vessel sightings and boardingsinspections by activity type and a summary of each observed non-compliance incident. Some patrol reports—such as those related to two patrols observed by the ANAO one vessel and one aerial—also contain further details, such as information on each vessel sighted. GBRMPA raised incident reports for all seven non-compliance matters detected none of which were permit-related on the patrols observed by the ANAO, which were recorded in CMIS. One of the patrols observed by the ANAO is illustrated in Figure 6.1 on the following page. Effectiveness of patrols to monitor permit compliance

6.19 Patrols can be an effective means of detecting some forms of

permit-related non-compliance such as, vessels that do not retain copies of their permits on-board, vessels operating in excluded areas, exceeding species collection limits, unattended and unmarked fishing nets and moorings not clearly marked. However, there are numerous permit conditions where vessel, aerial and land-based patrols are not suited to observing compliance or detecting non-compliance, including: • the condition of sub-surface infrastructure, such as mooring chains, jettymarina pylons, snorkel trail equipment, scientific research equipment, pipelines, and cables 111 ; and • the operation and condition of land-based facilities that require specialist botanical or engineering input such as sewage treatment plants.

6.20 While compliance with some permit conditions could be determined via

desk-based monitoring such as insurance requirements, specialist skills andor qualifications would need to be acquired by Joint Field Management Program officers to be in a position to monitor compliance with other conditions such as the condition of sub-surface infrastructure, which may require diving and engineering certifications. 111 GBRMPA records indicate that there are over 100 wholly or partially submerged structures in the Marine Park.