Media Release

For immediate use - 13th August 2002

TASMANIA TO RECEIVE $1.2M FOR FISHERIES R&D

The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) has announced funding of over $1.2 million for new research and development projects in Tasmania.

FRDC Chairman, Mr Denis Byrne, announced details of the FRDC's 2002-2003 funding round today.

"Tasmania's fishing industry and other stakeholders will benefit from funding allocated to 11 new projects to be conducted over the next few years by state government fisheries research institutes, industry groups and other research providers," said Mr Byrne.

"Projects funded this year reflect the industry and governments' commitment to ensuring the sustainability of Australia's fisheries resources, developing leadership within industry and building on previous success to deliver benefits to Tasmania.

"Tasmania has some of Australia's leading researchers working on significant national fisheries R&D projects. Some of the funding allocated to Tasmania includes national projects being conducted by CSIRO Marine Research, based in Hobart.

"An innovative project to develop cost effective data collection methods for fisheries has been funded in an attempt to curb the growing cost of collecting data in small fisheries.

"The threat is that unless cost-effective collection techniques are developed, it will be increasingly difficult for managers to justify continued exploitation in some low-value fisheries.

"Data collection is fundamental to developing adequate fisheries management regimes - after all, if you can't measure it you can't manage it.

"Another exciting project is being conducted to measure the quality of rock lobster shells, which is crucial for the profitability of the $58 million Tasmanian southern rock lobster fishery.

"The decision on whether a southern rock lobster caught after the annual moult has hardened its shell sufficiently for live export is made by buyers, not fishers. If the answer is no, the price reduction to the catcher may be $10/kg or more - an irretrievable loss in quota fisheries.

"Researchers from the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute and the South Australian Research and Development Institute will determine if a standard, reliable measure of shell hardness can be gauged at sea and ashore using a durometer - a hand-held device designed to measure the flexibility of plastic sheeting and recently modified for shell testing in Alaskan crab fisheries.

"The experiments will also allow future research sampling to record more useful measures of moult stages and thus provide more effective stock assessment.

"Once again FRDC will also sponsor Australia's premier aquaculture conference. Aquafest Australia 2002 "Meeting the Challenge" will be held in Hobart September 19-22. Topics include risk management, new technologies, stock health, commercial and regulatory issues, public health and nutrition.

The FRDC is responsible for planning, investing in and overseeing fisheries R&D and facilitating the dissemination, adoption and commercialisation of the results. The FRDC is a statutory authority of the Commonwealth Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry - Australia.

ENDS
Contact: Kylie Paulsen, Communications Manager - Extension, Ph 0438 630 491

Sustainability of data-poor fisheries, Jeremy Lyle, TAFI, phone 03 6227 7277.
Shell hardness in southern rock lobster, Caleb Gardner, TAFI, phone 03 6227 7277.