Shared science and Indigenous knowledge to support fisheries capacity building in Torres Strait
Revisiting biological parameters and information used in the assessment of Commonwealth fisheries: a reality check and work plan for future proofing
Forecasting spatial distribution of Southern Bluefin Tuna habitat in the Great Australian Bight – updating and improving habitat and forecast models
Blue carbon and the Australian seafood industry: workshop
Cumulative impacts across fisheries in Australia's marine environment
Storm Bay Biogeochemical Modelling & Information System: Supporting sustainable aquaculture expansion in Tasmania
Comparative evaluation of Integrated Coastal Marine Management in Australia - Workshop
Retrospective assessment of ITQs to inform research needs and to improve their future design and performance
As stated in the call for proposals, the implementation of individual tradeable quota (ITQ) in Australian fisheries has brought about many demonstrable gains (e.g. increased capacity utilisation and profit). At the same time, there have been some social, economic and environmental consequences associated with the move to tradeable fishing rights that, even if predictable, may have been unintended. For example, ITQ markets have not always operated as envisaged; thin markets (few buyers and sellers), high transactions costs and the de-coupling of the ownership of quota from fishing practice may have undermined the performance of some ITQ systems. Ownership of quota by processors, exporters and others further along the value chain has also distorted the price incentives in some fisheries. In others, non-fisher quota ownership has resulted in a lease-dependent component of the fishery that are not capturing the benefits generated by the ITQ system. Changing quota ownership characteristics also have an impact on the configuration of industry representatives on co-management committees. It is not yet clear what the longer term impact of this is on stewardship and the decision making process and ultimately on management outcomes. As the extension of ITQs in Australia to a greater number of commercial fisheries, and potentially to support inter-sectoral allocations, is contemplated there is a need to learn from experience of ITQs both in Australia and internationally
ITQs globally have come under intense scrutiny in the fisheries management and economics literature. Synthesising and critically analysing learnings from these studies, as well as relevant knowledge from individuals/groups/organisations involved in the administration of, or affected by, existing ITQ systems will help identify key issues and, where possible, reforms that through adaptive management can improve the performance of existing markets and inform the design of new tradable rights markets.
Final report
The use of transferable fishing rights has increased internationally over recent decades with most industrialised countries now using some form of individual transferable catch quota (ITQ) or individual transferable effort (ITE) system for at least some of their fisheries. Australia also has considerable experience in the use of ITQs and ITEs, with examples of ITQ or ITE management in each State and also Commonwealth fisheries.