33 results
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2014-028
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Mud cockle (Katelysia spp.) stock enhancement/restoration: practical implementation and policy evaluation

This study was conducted to restore the Mud Cockle population in the Section Bank of Port River, South Australia, which had drastically decreased due to commercial fishing. Mud Cockles are important not only for commercial purposes but also for stabilizing sediment and reducing turbidity in the...
ORGANISATION:
SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
TAGS
Stock Assessment
Recreational Fishing
Rac Sa
Policy
Fisheries Management
SPECIES
Cockles

Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics 2016

Project number: 2017-095
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $88,000.00
Principal Investigator: Robert Curtotti
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 27 Jul 2017 - 29 Jun 2018
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Trade
Stock Assessment
Stakeholder
Policy
Market Opportunities

Need

Statistics on Australian fisheries production and trade provides a source of information for a range of
purposes. The information can be used to meet the needs of the fishing and aquaculture industry, fisheries
managers, policymakers and researchers. It can assist in policy decisions, industry marketing strategies and
the allocation of research funding or priorities. The gross value of production for specific fisheries are used for
determining the research and development levies collected by government. The neutrality and integrity of
GVP estimates is therefore important due to their forming the basis for research levies for each fishery. At the
international level, the Department of Agriculture through Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource
Economics and Sciences (ABARES) contributes to a number of international databases. These include
databases managed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD). Information at the international level can assist in international
negotiations on issues such as transboundary fisheries and analysis of trade opportunities.

Objectives

1. To maintain and improve the data base of production, gross value of production and trade statistics forthe Australian fishing industry, including aquaculture
2. To provide these data in an accessible form

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-74323-354-2
Authors: Curtotti R
Final Report • 2018-04-01 • 1.22 MB
2017-095-DLD.pdf

Summary

Since 1991 ABARES has annually published detailed production and trade data in Australian Fisheries Statistics (now Australian fisheries and aquaculture statistics) to meet the needs of the fishing and aquaculture industries, fisheries managers, policy makers and researchers. The research undertaken in this project (2017/095) produced data on the volume and value of production from Commonwealth, state and Northern Territory fisheries, and the volume and value of Australian fisheries trade, by destination, source and product, covering the years 2005-06 to 2015-16. The report also contained industry structure profiles of Commonwealth, state and Northern Territory fisheries.
An important aspect of this project is the requirement to undertake continuous improvement for each subsequent published edition. Improvements should build on each other and are aimed at enhancing the coverage of fisheries so that all commercial fishing activities are included, incorporating industry employment data where available, maintaining the relevance of the data presented in both the production and trade tables, and refining fishery divisions and important species categories. This is achived by publishing the most up to date data available for production statistics and a set of trade data for the same production year.

Project products

Report • 2017-12-01 • 8.68 MB
2017-095 AustFishAquacStats_2016_v1.0.0.pdf

Summary

The Australian fisheries and aquaculture statistics report is a comprehensive source of information for the commercial fishing and aquaculture industry, fisheries managers, policymakers and researchers. Since 1991 the report has presented annual updates of fisheries production and trade data and from 2013 it has included data on Australian seafood consumption. Estimates of the gross value of production provided in the report are used for a range of purposes, including to determine Commonwealth, state and territory fisheries research funding arrangements each year.
 
The report contains data on the volume and value of production from state and Commonwealth commercial fisheries and on the volume and value of Australian fisheries trade by destination, source and product. Profiles of Australian commercial and aquaculture fisheries in 2014–15 and 2015–16 are also provided. These profiles display the number of licence holders by selected species and fishing methods for all Commonwealth, state and territory fisheries. The publication is primarily focused on providing statistics for production volumes and the landings / farmgate value of the commercial fishing and aquaculture sectors of the Australian fishing industry, which also includes the recreational and Indigenous fishing sectors. While information on recreational and customary wild-caught fishing is also included, statistics on the volumes of wild-caught product by these sectors is not provided. As a result, the publication gives only a partial estimate of the total volume of wild-caught production.
People
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-021
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Review of approaches for determining commercial fisheries compensation

The report discusses challenges in compensating fishers for giving up their fishing rights, particularly in small-scale commercial fisheries. These challenges include lack of transparency, data issues, timing problems, and mistrust. Based on past experiences, the report recommends several...
ORGANISATION:
Synergies Economic Consulting
TAGS
Rac Wa
Human Dimensions Research
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-040
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Aquatic animal welfare – a review of guidance documents and legislation

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...
ORGANISATION:
Panaquatic Health Solutions Pty Ltd
TAGS
Policy
Fisheries Management
Aquaculture
Animal Welfare
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-122
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Review of fishery resource access and allocation arrangements across Australian jurisdictions

In 2010, the Australian Fisheries Managers Forum listed access and allocation as one of the top priority policy issues to be addressed in Australian fisheries. Subsequently, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) formed a working group to examine possible approaches to access...
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
TAGS
Values & Ethics
Sustainability
Stakeholder
Resource Sharing
Resource Sharing

Enhancing the understanding of the value provided to fisheries by man-made aquatic structures

Project number: 2018-053
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $376,840.06
Principal Investigator: Euan S. Harvey
Organisation: Curtin University
Project start/end date: 29 Apr 2019 - 19 Mar 2020
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Social Science
Social Science
Recreational Fishing
Rac Wa
Policy

Need

The north west of Western Australia has productive commercial and recreational fisheries and extensive offshore oil and gas (O&G) infrastructure. These man-made structures support a range of demersal and pelagic fishes which are targeted by recreational and commercial fishers. As this O&G infrastructure reaches the end of its productive life, decisions on the best practice option for decommissioning must be made. The current policy for decommissioning requires complete removal. Regulators may support alternative strategies, such as leaving infrastructure in place, if risks and impacts are minimised and there are clear environmental, social and economic benefits to do so. It is thought that removal of infrastructure will decrease catch rates and have negative ecological, economic (direct and downstream) and social consequences.

At the same time as the discussion is occurring about removing O&G infrastructure, there have been large investments in constructing and installing purpose built man-made aquatic structures on the seafloor for the express purpose of enhancing the experience of recreational fishers and SCUBA divers.

There is a need to deliver critical information on: 1) the ecological, economic and social value of these man-made structures to recreational and commercial fishers and other stakeholders; 2) the attitudes of stakeholders to man-made structures; and 3) the opportunities and risks of decommissioning strategies to fishers and other groups (e.g. tourism).

Policy regarding the removal of decommissioned structures will benefit from the increased clarity that this project will provide in regards to data requirements for socio-economic models and stakeholder consultation methods. Comparative assessments of decommissioning options rely on the existence of appropriate socio-economic data, a knowledge gap this project aims to fill. An understanding of the impact of man-made aquatic structures on recreational and commercial fisheries is a global priority, and as such this project has strong international importance and relevance.

Objectives

1. To develop conceptual qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative models for describing the socio-economic values and decide what information is needed to give stakeholders an understanding of the value of manmade aquatic structures in the marine environment.
2. To collate a list and description of the manmade aquatic structures in the marine environment in Western Australian and the associated social, economic and biodiversity data.
3. To collect and collate data on four manmade aquatic structures in the marine environment and develop and compare the costs and benefits of qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative models.
4. To develop a decision support system or framework for undertaking socio-economic evaluations of manmade aquatic structures which can be used throughout Australia and guide end users on how to develop qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative models depending on their information requirements.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-646-84171-7
Author: Euan Harvey
Final Report • 20.59 MB
2018-053-DLD.pdf

Summary

In 2018, the state’s recreational and commercial fishers (represented by the peak bodies Recfishwest and WAFIC) commissioned a program of research as part of a Fisheries Research Development Corporation project aimed at documenting the social and economic values and benefits that stakeholders obtain from MMS in Western Australia. These structures include shipwrecks, artificial reefs, break walls, structures associated with harbours, jetties, marine navigation markers, and O&G infrastructure such as platforms, wells, and pipelines.
During 2019 and 2020 the researchers undertook seven online surveys which focussed on understanding the social and economic benefits and values that recreational and commercial fishers, divers and other users gained from using MMS in Western Australia. This was complemented by eleven focus groups which included representatives from the commercial and recreational fishers, but also the Oil and Gas (O&G) sector, regulators (state and federal), conservation, non-government organisations (NGOs), scientific sectors, and the general community. The researchers used data to develop five case studies representing a range of different structures and end users. These case studies focussed on inshore Thevenard Island subsea O&G infrastructure (incorporating recreational fishing), Woodside’s Echo Yodel offshore subsea O&G infrastructure (incorporating commercial fishing), the Exmouth Integrated Artificial Reef (recreational fishing), the Exmouth Navy Pier (diving tourism), and the iconic Busselton Jetty in Southwestern Australia, which is used for tourism, by recreational fishers, divers, swimmers and many other stakeholders. A guidebook was produced outlining the different methods of identifying social and economic values, along with the types of data required, and the approaches to collecting this data. The guidebook also outlines the advantages, disadvantages and resource needs for each method. A database of the MMS in Western Australia was also compiled and made accessible online.
People
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-093
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics 2018

Since 1991 ABARES has published detailed production and trade data annually in Australian fisheries statistics, now renamed Australian fisheries and aquaculture statistics. The publication is designed to meet the needs of the fishing and aquaculture industries, fisheries managers, policymakers and...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
TAGS
Workforce
Wild Catch
Trade
Stakeholder
Policy
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-049
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

A Better Way to Fish: testing the feasibility of tunnel net ‘fish trap’ gear in North Queensland

This study found that tunnel nets are technically feasible in this location. In spite of the weather conditions, the fishing gear remained intact and successfully captured significant numbers of marketable fishes. Importantly, SOCI species were released alive and in excellent condition, as were...
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)
TAGS
Threatened Endangered Protected Species
Sustainability
Stakeholder
Rac Qld
Policy
SPECIES
King Threadfin
Blue Threadfin
Diamondscale Mullet
Sea Mullet
Striped Perches
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