The Australian Marine Conservation Society has expressed concern over the Queensland government's decision to only close Spanish mackerel fishing for six weeks during the Great Barrier Reef's spawning season, as the east coast population of the fish is at an historic low of 17% of unfished levels. The conservation group argues that the decision is not science-based and will not help the depleting stock, calling for a complete fishing ban during spawning season and a new stock assessment to be completed before 2026/27. They also criticize the government for not adhering to their own Sustainable Fisheries Strategy and not setting targets that can be met with the current decision.