This report describes an ex-post cost/benefit analysis undertaken on FRDC project 1994-046, 'Development, Application and Evaluation of the Use of Remote Sensing Data by Australian Fisheries', implemented by CSIRO Marine Research, Hobart.

The project was developed in the context of the expected imminent launching of a new American satellite designed to monitor changes in the concentration of phytoplankton chlorophyll (a measure of biological productivity) in oceanic waters. The availability of such data was expected to substantially advance understanding of the role of the environment on the distribution of many commercial fish species, allow the incorporation of environmental data in stock assessments, and assist fishers identify productive fishing grounds.