506 results
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-049
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Monitoring and mitigating interactions between small pelagic fisheries and dolphins: literature review and analysis of fishery data

This review compares approaches taken to monitor and mitigate common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) interactions with the South Australian Sardine Fishery (SASF) with those taken for protected species interactions with other fisheries for small pelagic species, including Australia’s Commonwealth...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide
TAGS
Threatened Endangered Protected Species
Remote Sensing
Rac Sa
Policy
Fishing Gear
SPECIES
Pilchards
Environment

Aquatic animal welfare – a review of guidance documents and legislation

Project number: 2020-040
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $209,420.00
Principal Investigator: Paul Hardy-Smith
Organisation: Panaquatic Health Solutions Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 14 Jan 2021 - 29 Nov 2023
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Policy
Fisheries Management
Aquaculture
Animal Welfare

Need

The aquaculture, commercial and recreational fisheries sectors along with the FRDC have recognised the need to continue the work of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (AAWS) Aquatic Animal Working Group (AAWG) (2005-2013). In September 2018, the FRDC funded a workshop to review the activities of the AAWS-AAWG and for the industry peak bodies to prioritize knowledge gaps for future R&D. One of the recommendations from the workshop funded by FRDC 2017-221 was to conduct a stocktake of the current industry processes and legislation that relate to aquatic animal welfare.

The initial stocktake was completed in 2006 by Dr Paul Hardy-Smith and colleagues. The aquatic animal welfare landscape has significantly changed since 2006. States and Territories are developing animal welfare legislation and guidelines that either specifically addresses aquatic animal welfare considerations and/or includes aquatic animals (e.g. fish, crustaceans) under the definition of “animal” in the legislation. This changing landscape has implications for “in-field” practices (e.g. methods used to kill aquatic animals) and other practices (e.g. transportation of live aquatic animals).

It is critically important that the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishing sectors understand the implications of this changing landscape. These sectors need to ensure their own guidelines or codes of conduct are addressing the regional requirements and if they are not, then it is important that they are assisted in addressing changes to protect themselves. It is important that aquatic animal welfare requirements in no way place human welfare at risk. There is a need to promote the changes to industry practice that have positive outcomes for aquatic animal welfare and to ensure industry practices are keeping within the welfare requirements of that State or Territory.

Our project will comprehensively document and analyse the legislative framework as it applies to aquatic animal welfare in each State and Territory. The project will identify key areas of concern for commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational sectors which will be used to assist in developing priority case studies.

Objectives

1. To conduct a contemporary stocktake of Australia's current aquatic animal welfare policies, programs, and procedures as expressed in legislation, Codes of Practice, Standards or other relevant guidance documents as applicable to the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishery sectors.
2. To develop case studies to assess the suitability and practicality of the all Codes of Practice, Standards or other relevant guidance documents to align with industry practice and the legislative animal welfare requirements in the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishery sectors.
3. Make recommendations to improve the alignment of industry practice with legislation for improved outcomes for aquatic animal welfare in the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishery sectors.

Report

ISBN: 978-0-9756047-6-2
Authors: Dr Paul Hardy-Smith Dr Joy A. Becker and Dr Robert Jones
Report • 2023-03-01 • 3.07 MB
2020-040-DLD.pdf

Summary

This report provides a contemporary review of aquatic animal welfare in Australia, focussing on fish, crustaceans and cephalopods that are captured or farmed in the commercial wild capture, aquaculture and recreational fishing sectors in Australia. It also reviews the welfare of aquatic animals used in teaching or research.
Aquatic animals, like all animals, play an important role in maintaining a healthy environment. Many aquatic animals are valuable sources of nutrition for humans and other animals and contribute significantly to Australia’s primary industry in both domestic and international trade. Other aquatic animals have cultural and economic importance to our tourism and recreational industries. For aquatic animals, as with other animals, better health through improved welfare can increase productivity and can have beneficial impacts on sustainability.
The last review of aquatic animal welfare arrangements in Australia was conducted in 2006. Community understanding of animal welfare, including aquatic animal welfare, has increased since then. Having a sound understanding of animal welfare laws and any changes that may be happening to those laws is important to industries that work with aquatic animals.

Identifying population connectivity of shark bycatch species in NT waters

Project number: 2020-036
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $66,430.00
Principal Investigator: Sam Banks
Organisation: Charles Darwin University (CDU)
Project start/end date: 3 Dec 2020 - 9 Dec 2021
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Stock Assessment
Rac Nt
Offshore
Modelling
Harvest Strategy

Need

This project is needed for three main reasons:

1. It directly addresses a NT RAC priority in the 2019 call for funding applications relating to improving sustainable yield estimates to inform stock assessment programs for undefined target species and protected species in the Offshore Net and Line Fishery. The project will support sustainable fishing practices for important commercial fisheries in the NT and the development of new commercial opportunities within these fisheries: The impacts of fishery activities on these species, either through bycatch or targeted harvest, are difficult to assess in the absence of information on population connectivity and stock structure.

2. The project will develop capacity for fisheries research and monitoring in NT waters. Genetics methods are widely applied to fisheries research and monitoring and training of an early career fisheries scientist in the application and interpretation of genetic data will be a key outcome of this project.

3. The project will provide key information to support the transition of these species from bycatch to a harvested byproduct species, including an evaluation of leading-edge genetic techniques in fisheries assessment and monitoring.

Objectives

1. To develop population connectivity model for Whitecheek and Milk Shark
2. To develop capacity for research and monitoring of shark species within the Northern Territory
3. To evaluate the utility of genetic techniques in fisheries monitoring

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-922684-78-3 (Print), 978-1-922684-79-0 (Web)
Authors: Sam Banks Amy Kirke Fernanda Alves Grant Johnson and David Crook
Final Report • 2024-10-01 • 1.08 MB
2020-036-DLD.pdf

Summary

Charles Darwin University and the Northern Territory (NT) Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT) Fisheries Division used genetic data to investigate the population structure of two small tropical shark species (Milk Shark [Rhizoprionodon acutus] and Australian Blackspot Shark [Carcharhinus coatesi]), which are caught as bycatch from commercial fisheries in the NT. 
 
The aim of this study was to gain information on the genetic stock structure to inform the future management of these two species in the NT. This project was conducted in parallel with a PhD project investigating the biology and ecology of both species for applications to fisheries management. There is motivation by the NT Government to develop these two shark species into a commercial product. This project used genetic analysis to understand the patterns of connectivity of populations of these two shark species in NT waters and adjacent regions, including northern Western Australia and Papua New Guinea.
 
These two shark species that are captured as bycatch in the NT Demersal Fishery have the potential to be developed into a byproduct to add value to that fishery. A sustainable commercial harvest of these two species could greatly reduce the waste from fisheries, where they are currently abundant and caught in relatively large numbers. We address current knowledge gaps in biological information about populations of R. acutus and C. coatesi to inform the potential development of a byproduct fishery for these two species in the NT.
 
Genetic data from R. acutus and C. coatesi strongly suggest that each species exists as a single, highly connected population in the NT. Genetic differentiation among the sampling locations for each species was low, and genetic clustering analyses provided strong support for a single population of each species in the region. Sharks of both species captured within a single location (within 50 km of one another) were more genetically related than those further apart; however, this does not constitute evidence for multiple, spatially discrete populations of either species in NT waters. Preliminary applications of effective population size estimators were used, but further work is needed to determine if these can be used to indicate trends in abundance. 
 
The immediate implications of our research are for fisheries scientists and managers. Our results indicate that these two shark species can be monitored and managed in the NT under the assumption that each species occurs as a single population in this region. Parasite and vertebral chemistry data collected as part of a PhD project conducted in parallel with this project suggest that, for C. coatesi, individuals may be resident within certain regions (eastern versus western NT waters) but the genetic data collected here suggest that, on a generational timescale, both species occur as highly-connected populations across in the NT region. 
 
Our research has potential implications for commercial fishers, particularly from the NT Demersal Fishery. The information from our research will flow through to the industry by contributing to the information required to develop a byproduct fishery for the two species, by utilising bycatch and increasing economic return. 
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-029
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Improving performance of ITQ fisheries - Project activity paused

Following the Improving performance of ITQ fisheries Forum on September 28, 2023, decisions were made regarding the project's direction. Instead of proceeding to case studies, stakeholders acknowledged the importance of focusing on future research priorities for rights-based fisheries approaches....
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania
TAGS
Social Science
Social Science
Individual Transferable Quota
Human Dimensions Research
Fisheries Management
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-020
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Determining the spatial distribution and abundance indices for Moreton Bay Bugs, Thenus parindicus and Thenus australiensis in Queensland to improve stock assessment and management

We report on the first comprehensive investigation into the spatial distribution of Moreton Bay Bugs within the Queensland East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery. This research was a collaboration between the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and James Cook University, applying...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
TAGS
Wild Catch
Survey
Stock Assessment
Rac Qld
Fishing Gear
SPECIES
Bugs
Environment
Environment
Environment
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-003
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Understanding the stock structure of Rock Flathead and the role of movement dynamics in influencing the performance of the Corner Inlet fishery

Rock Flathead (Platycephalus laevigatus) is a marine fish that inhabits shallow seagrass habitats across southern Australia, with a distribution extending from Greenwell Point in New South Wales to Geographe Bay in Western Australia, including Tasmania. The species supports recreational fisheries...
ORGANISATION:
Deakin University Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus
TAGS
Sustainability
Stock Assessment
Rac Vic
Migration
Fishing Gear
SPECIES
Rock Flathead
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