Framework for valuing fisheries resource use
All the situations mentioned above involve issues of resource-sharing between competing uses of the marine environment (commercial versus recreational fishing, fishing versus preservation, traditional fishing versus other uses, and so on).
If there is no agreed approach (methodology) to the measurement of economic value of various potential uses, there will be a major public disputes, considerable waste of resources by all parties and the tax-payers (through government expenditure), and the very real prospect of serious misallocation of fisheries resources.
The Workshop, the Steering Committee and representatives of the major sectors have identified the need to address these issues as a very high priority. If not addressed, there will be a continuation of fruitless and unresolvable disputes between the sectors.
The issues of allocation of marine resources both within and between sectors is an important plank of the Oceans Policy currently in development. The objective of the National Oceans Policy is to provide a framework for the planning, management and ecologically sustainable development of Australia's ocean resources. This project responds directly to the needs identified by the policy.
In the context of the Oceans Policy, the Marine Science and Technology Plan, presently in draft stage, has identified the need for much improved economic statistics and data for fisheries management and to properly compare uses for the marine environment. This proposal has been formulated to meet these objectives.
The Steering Commitee has identified issues associated with valuation as a high priority area,
requiring immediate attention if Australian Fisheries Statistics are to be improved. This work is essential to identifying the gaps in economic data on the seafood industry and to ensure consistency in valuation techniques across the different uses of fisheries resources.
A related need, which underpins debates in relation to the valuation of alternative use of fisheries resources is that many fisheries economists work in isolation from others in the field. As a consequence, there is often not the level of intellectual rigour in development of analysis and in interpretation of results that exists in other, similar areas, such as fish biology, where peer review is provided through the Australian Society of Fish Biologists, underpinned by an annual conference.
- To address the issues in relation to research quality management and consistency of approach it is also necessary to address the issue of developing appropriate peer review structures for such analysis in Australia.
.. There is an international organisation, the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET) which can potentially provide such support. It holds conferences biennially and has Australian representation.
Final report
Distribution, abundance and population dynamics of beachworms (Onuphidae) in Queensland/NSW and the impact of commercial and recreational fishing
1. Demand for baitworms presently exceeds supply.
2. The number of worm gathering licences is currently frozen. However potential wormers can set themselves up to earn an apparently good income with only a relatively small capital investment. In combination 2. will probably lead to substantial future pressure for allocation of new worm gathering licences. Without any real knowledge of what might be a sustainable harvest, such allocations should be resisted.
3. No estimates of the recreational beachworm fishery have been made. Anecdotal evidence indicates that this fishery is very substantial and is largely unregulated. No good management protocols can be set in place unless valid estimates of professional and recreational fishing effort have been made and related to the worm populations and their ability to sustain harvesting.
Final report
Symposium on parasitic diseases of aquatic animals: 10th International Congress of Protozoology
QX disease (Martellia sydneyi) of the sydney rock oyster (Saccostrea commercialis) on the central coast of NSW
Final report
Bioeconomic analysis of the Qld beam trawl fishery
Final report
The study estimates the benefits and costs of the beam trawl fishery to the Queensland economy in each of four study areas. Benefits are values of catches and costs include catching costs and costs imposed on the recreational and otter trawl fisheries, through by-catch, congestion and habitat disturbance in the case of the recreational fishery, and through competition for prawn stocks in the case of the otter trawl fishery. Chapter 2 of the study provides a comprehensive review of the beam trawl fishery. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with the interactions between the beam trawl fishery and the recreational fishery. Chapter 5 models these interactions together with the interaction with the otter trawl fishery. Chapter 6 summarises the study and presents the conclusions.
Three surveys were conducted of the beam trawl and related fisheries: a survey of the recreational boat and shore fishery in areas nominated by the Project Steering Committee; a beam trawl by-catch survey; and an income, costs and returns survey of beam and otter trawl vessels. Using the results of these surveys, together with those of previous surveys, information about the prawn fisheries available in published articles and reports, and vessel logbook data, a simulation model of the beam trawl fishery and its interactions with the recreational and otter trawl fisheries was constructed. The model was used to estimate the net contribution of the beam trawl fishery to the economy in each of four study areas: Area 1 between 27°S and the NSW border, and Areas 2, 3 and 5. The net contribution is measured as prawn revenues less all variable, annual and capital costs, and less the costs imposed by beam trawling on the recreational and otter trawl fisheries.