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Role of marine reserves in sustainable management of Australia's ocean estate - review of the Heard Island and McDonald Islands bioregion

Project number: 2023-205
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $119,200.00
Principal Investigator: Travis J. Baulch
Organisation: TJB Management Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 23 Jun 2024 - 29 Sep 2024
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
Patagonian Toothfish

Need

The HIMI bioregion supports significant marine conservation values as well as a highly sustainable, and valuable commercial fishing industry. Typically, marine parks/reserve development processes are tasked with developing marine spatial planning arrangements that achieve a balance between preserving conservation values of the area and maintaining/promoting human activities through the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). However, key uncertainties remain regarding the policy priorities and how the final design of marine parks are objectively determined.

This project will provide an independent assessment of the framework used for original design of the HIMI Marine Reserve in 2002, the review in 2014, and the current review to provide recommendations for future development. The project will also explore how/if the policy objectives have been achieved since inception . Furthermore, this project will explore the potential of a quantitative risk-based approach to provide for minimising the uncertainties in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) development processes and deliver an objective framework.

In addition, the project will explore the current HIMI marine reserve framework, the associated commercial fishing industry arrangements and how they intersect with regard to:

Regulation
• Regulatory processes to minimise impacts of commercial fishing
• Legislative framework currently in place for Ecological Risk Assessment/ESD, Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management, bycatch policy strategic research plans
• Marine Protected Areas review processes
• Statutory Fishing Rights (SFRs)

Economic impacts
• Commercial fishing viability
• Statutory fishing rights
• Permitted fishing gear types – (e.g. potential removal of MSC certified trawl fisheries with additional implications on research activity)

Biological impacts
• Impact on juvenile toothfish index of abundance and icefish estimates – accuracy of tracking stock will be significantly reduced if ability to trawl is removed (i.e. random stratified trawl survey impacted)
• Stock assessment model ability to consider toothfish population structure if longline fishery further constrained
• Climate change and effects of population shift
• Increasing policy position of MPAs as fisheries management tools
• Increased localised depletion and constrained ability to distribute commercial fishing effort

Social Impacts
• Market access
• Community sentiment

Objectives

1. Evaluate the technical approach used in the design of the HIMI marine reserve with specific reference to scientific and policy objectives
2. Examine management plan frameworks in regard to research outcomes since plan implementation
3. Provide recommendations in relation to review of the HIMI marine reserve

Final report

Authors: Travis Baulch Colin D. Buxton Rick Fletcher and Alistair J. Hobday
Final Report • 2024-11-01 • 2.10 MB
2023-205-DLD.pdf

Summary

The statutory requirement to undertake a 10-year review of the Heard and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Marine Reserve led to a proposal to expand the HIMI marine reserve and include new National Park Zones (IUCN II) and Habitat Protection Zone (IUCN IV) arrangements. Subsequently, the total area of the HIMI Marine Reserve has been increased to 379,070 square kilometres, a 400% increase over the previous marine reserve. This report aims to assess how current (and proposed) management frameworks relate to the National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas (NRSMPA) objectives, but also the extent to which they meet the overarching principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) which requires holistic consideration of all relevant environment, social and economic objectives, as well as meeting obligations under various international legislation and conventions. As the expansion incorporates the area within which Australia’s Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery operates, this report explores the basis of the expansion with particular reference to the implications for future fishery arrangements, management frameworks and longer-term fishery viability. 
Adoption
Industry

Community Sentiment Survey

Project number: 2023-200
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $15,000.00
Principal Investigator: Michael Sparks
Organisation: Intuitive Solutions
Project start/end date: 28 Jul 2024 - 13 Oct 2024
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Survey

Need

There is currently no available data which provides insight into community expectations and sentiment. Canvassing and reporting on the perceptions, views and likely behaviors of seafood consumers in particular will provide a fuller understanding of the impact of any change to the current fishery and marine park areas.

Objectives

1. To collect and report on community perceptions, sentiment and likely purchasing and consumption behaviors relevant to the issues identified in this application.

Survey

Author: Michael Sparks
Survey • 2024-05-01 • 741.01 KB
2023-200-DLD.pdf

Summary

Australia’s Commonwealth, state and territory governments together with regulatory bodies and local authorities have worked in partnership with the fishing industry, scientists, economists, environmental non-government organisations to establish 
management frameworks for fishing in and around Australia. These management processes implement controls, such as limits on catch or effort levels, and regulation of fishing methods to manage Australia’s fisheries in a sustainable way. It also includes the definition and description of different fishing zones and areas. Nominated Australian fisheries and marine park areas are two critical foundations for the description of some of the areas in and around Australia.

A need to understand the Australian community’s awareness and understanding of these zones has been identified. A measure of the support for commercial fishers to operate in these areas was also seen as an important measures to collect 
and describe. These measures will provide Governments and industry the opportunity to plan for their communications and engagement with the Australian community on these two key zones. This research was designed to provide a snapshot of the community’s awareness, knowledge and perceptions of Australian fisheries, marine parks and commercial fishers who may operate in these designated areas. A representative sample of n = 1,000 adult Australians was captured in this community sentiment survey. A more detailed 
explanation of the research design is provided in the attachments to this report. 

 
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