PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-163
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
14 results
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-031
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2023-011
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Research to support the development of a Tasmanian Sardine Fishery
Project number:
2023-005
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure:
$447,000.00
Principal Investigator:
Timothy M. Ward
Organisation:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date:
14 Jun 2023
-
27 Feb 2025
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
This project is needed to facilitate the development of a Tasmanian Sardine Fishery. To date, information available on the South-eastern Sardine stock has been cobbled together from surveys targeting other species (i.e., Jack Mackerel) that did not cover the entire spawning area of Sardine. This project will address this knowledge gap by providing robust information about the size, distribution and potential productivity of the South-eastern Sardine stock that is needed by NRE Tas to develop management arrangements for the new fishery. The FRDC-funded component of this project (Attachment 1, Figure 1) is designed to complement and utilize data from a concurrent AFMA-funded survey of Jack Mackerel that covers the eastern component of the South-eastern Sardine stock (Attachment 2). This proposal was developed at the request of NRE Tas and has been endorsed by SPF RAG (Attachment 1). The methods that will be used in the project are consistent with those that have been used to underpin the development and management of the SASF (Ward et al. 2021a; Grammer and Ivey 2022; Grammer et al. 2021) and SPF (e.g. Grammer et al 2022a, b; Ward et al. 2020, 2021c).
1. To investigate the size, distribution and potential productivity of the South-eastern stock of Australian Sardine.
2. To provide advice to the Department of Natural Resources & Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) to inform the establishment of management arrangements for the new Tasmanian Sardine Fishery.
Final report
Authors:
Tim Ward
Katerina Charitonidou
Tom Alderson
Alex Shute
Gretchen Grammer and Gary Carlos
Final Report
•
2024-10-27
•
2.16 MB
2023-005-DLD.pdf
This study documents the first comprehensive evaluation of the spawning biomass of the South Eastern Stock of Australian Sardine (Sardinops sagax). This stock occupies continental shelf waters from the Victorian-South Australian border, east through Bass Strait and along the north-western and north-eastern coasts of Tasmania and north to around Jervis Bay off southern New South Wales. The study applied the Daily Egg Production Method (DEPM, see Parker 1980) using the modified approach established for the adjacent Southern Sardine Stock by Ward et al. (2021). This study combined i) information from a targeted ichthyoplankton survey of the western component of this stock undertaken in December 2023 as part of FRDC Project 2023-005 with ii) data obtained opportunistically from the eastern component of the stock from a Jack Mackerel (Trachurus declivis) survey conducted in January 2024 and funded by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA). The combined survey covered a total area of almost 150,000 km2. More than 8,500 live Sardine eggs were collected. Sardine eggs were widespread and abundant in Bass Strait and off the coast of western Victoria. The total spawning area was almost 90,000 km2. Adult parameters used to calculate spawning biomass were obtained from the adjacent Southern Sardine Stock. This approach is robust because these parameters are consistent for Sardinops sagax and other species and genera of sardine worldwide. The spawning biomass of the South Eastern Sardine Stock was estimated to be more than 200,000 tonnes. This study demonstrates that this stock has the potential to support a large fishery. We provide recommendations to inform the development of an ecologically sustainable Tasmanian Sardine Fishery.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2020-005
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
SPECIES
Aquaculture-Community Futures: North West Tasmania
Project number:
2018-075
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$172,996.00
Principal Investigator:
Karen A. Alexander
Organisation:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date:
31 Mar 2019
-
30 Mar 2021
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
To secure the future of Australian aquaculture, building and maintaining a sufficient level of support and trust from interested and affected communities is vital. Worldwide, there have been several examples of where aquaculture operations have been threatened because of a lack of societal acceptability. In Australia, a recent example of this has been the environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGOs) campaigns against proposed fish farm operations in Okehampton Bay on Tasmania’s east coast (Murphy-Gregory, 2017). In the Tasmanian context, attitudes toward the commercial exploitation/use of natural resources involve multi-dimensional, often conflicting, values often with a spatial dimension (see Evans, Kirkpatrick & Bridle 2018).
FRDC Project 2017-158 ‘Determinates of socially-supported wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries in Australia’ has revealed that several factors contribute towards achieving community acceptance: the perception that a company offers benefits; that it contributes to the well-being of the region and respects the local way of life; that it listens, responds and exhibits reciprocity; and that relations are based on an enduring regard for each other’s interests. These factors are often based on understanding and contributing towards achieving a certain state or condition of that which is valued by local and regional communities (e.g. a certain level of local employment, or of threatened habitat protection). Indeed, a lack of social acceptance for the aquaculture industry has often resulted in part from their practices being seen to, or in some cases actually, compromising the condition or state of what communities ‘value’ (feel is very important).
This project has been designed to examine the mix of community interests and values, and to identify how the aquaculture industry and regional communities can participate in processes of negotiation, to contribute towards the achievement of desired conditions or states of community values, using NW Tasmania as a case study.
1. Identify what the NW communities and Tasmanian residents value (“community values”) in relation to the NW Tasmanian coastal and marine region
2. Establish which of these values future aquaculture in NW Tasmanian can contribute to (“shared values”)
3. Ascertain community preferences for how salmonid farming in NW Tasmania could contribute to these shared values, and how this should be tracked and benchmarked
5. Determine preferences of NW communities and Tasmanian residents for community-industry engagement, communication and partnership models (social engagement strategies)
Final report
ISBN:
978-1-922352-94-1
Authors:
Karen A. Alexander
Maree Fudge
Emily Ogier
Final Report
•
2022-06-01
•
1.81 MB
2018-075-DLD.pdf
This report discusses a study conducted by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania on marine and costal wellbeing and how it can be considered in regional marine and coastal development decision making. The need for this project arose from a desire by selected Tasmanian aquaculture industry members to better understand levels of community acceptability of their operations (or ‘social license to operate’). The study used a mixed methods approach that combined participatory mapping, qualitative and quantitative primary data, and desk-top research to develop this framework. Wellbeing was found to be comprised of three dimensions: material, relational and subjective. The material relates to welfare or standards of living. The relational is about social relations, personal relationships, and access to the resources we need. The subjective is about how we perceive our individual experience of life. Specific marine and coastal places matter to well-being. Considering wellbeing in the decision-making process is challenging because some aspects are difficult to measure.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2018-067
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Determinates of socially-supported wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries in Australia
Project number:
2017-158
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$66,868.94
Principal Investigator:
Karen A. Alexander
Organisation:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date:
14 Feb 2018
-
30 Jul 2018
Contact:
FRDC
In order to secure the future of Australian wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries, it is increasingly clear that, alongside effective and responsible management and production, building and maintaining societal support is vital.
There are a number of recent examples in Australia where wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries have been threatened, even shut down, as a result of not having a ‘social license to operate’. This is despite having good ecological, economic and management credentials. Examples include: the 2016 closure of the Victorian small scale Port Phillip Bay net fishery as a result of pressure from the recreational fishing sector; the environmental controversy over mid-water trawling (‘super trawlers’) for small pelagic species despite scientifically-determined healthy stock status; and environmental non-governmental organisations (eNGOs) campaigns against Tassal’s proposed fish farm operations in Okehampton Bay on Tasmania’s east coast.
The wild-catch and aquaculture industries are increasingly and acutely aware of the need to garner societal support. But, they are unsure of how to address poor societal support at its root, who needs to be involved to address the problem, and effective pathways to improving societal support. From an industry perspective, there are gaps in knowledge in terms of 1) identifying the determinants of poor/high societal support; 2) identifying stakeholder groups to target who determine societal support and outcomes for wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries (e.g. other resource user groups, eNGOs, decision-makers and government, consumers, other publics); and 3) appropriate, effective and innovative pathways to improve societal support through engagement strategies and interventions.
However, there is a wealth of information available that is not directly or easily transferable currently. It requires collation and synthesis to address the knowledge gaps, including learnings from other industries, international wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries, as well as historical case studies of successes and failures within Australia. This project will draw together knowledge from existing literature and documentation and also use key informant interviews to address the above gaps.
1. To provide a nuanced definition of societal support for wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries in Australia
2. To identify determining factors (social, economic, environmental and political) affecting societal support for wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries in Australia
3. To identify means by which to detect, assess and monitor societal support for wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries in Australia using a risk-based approach
Final report
ISBN:
978-1-925646-82-5
Author:
Karen A. Alexander & Kirsten E. Abernethy
Final Report
•
2019-08-31
•
1.21 MB
2017-158-DLD-final.pdf
Australia’s wild-catch fisheries and aquaculture are increasingly attentive to the importance of having support from communities and stakeholders to ensure their future sustainability and prosperity. This project aimed to identify determinants of socially-supported wild-catch fisheries and aquaculture in Australia. This project was developed collaboratively with the Human Dimensions Research Subprogram and relevant industry stakeholders and extends previous FRDC projects by examining differential definitions and assessments of social acceptability.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2017-101
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
SPECIES
Ensuring monitoring and management of bycatch in Southern Rock Lobster fisheries is best practice
Project number:
2017-082
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$225,282.00
Principal Investigator:
Rafael I. Leon
Organisation:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date:
31 Dec 2017
-
27 Feb 2019
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
Documenting and assessing the impact of fishing on bycatch is required for all rock lobster fisheries to enable the appropriate management of ecosystem interactions. This includes the requirements for EPBC Act reporting and jurisdictional reporting obligations. Bycatch information is currently collected in all Southern Rock Lobster Fisheries (SRLF), but improvements are required if the fisheries are to meet the standards required for rigorous certification such as by MSC. Aside from certification, performing below best practice represents a risk for these fisheries in community acceptance. Problem are not severe but there is nonetheless need for improvement, especially in valuable fisheries of this size.
Problems include poor quality of byproduct reporting in logbooks, a lack of combined assessments of bycatch risks across jurisdictions (in addition to cumulative impacts), reporting systems not consistent with standard and/or best practice (e.g. numbers vs weights), different risk-based assessment methods being used across jurisdictions, and no agreed / implemented approach for monitoring the status of species that are at moderate risk. Bycatch management ideally requires integration into the harvest strategy and this will be pursued through this project including by the development of reference points for relevant species. Additionally, there is a need for transparent reporting of bycatch and threatened, endangered and protected species (TEPS) to wider community stakeholders to communicate sustainable management of Southern Rock Lobster Fisheries.
1. To define consistent data collection methodology of bycatch and TEPS that is best practice and can be verified across South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.
2. To do a risk assessment pooled across all jurisdictions which will comprise all current information on bycatch and TEPS in SRLF.
3. To develop best practice ongoing reporting for SRLF emphasising the high risk species identified from objective 2.
4. To do stock assessments of selected byproduct species ranked at high risk in objective 2, using data-poor stock assessment methods.
5. To provide guidance around establishment of appropriate performance indicators for moderate and high risk bycatch and associated management strategies.
Final report
ISBN:
978-1-925983-58-6
Authors:
Rafael León
Nicholas Perkins
Lachlan McLeay
David Reilly
Steven Kennelly
Final Report
•
2020-05-07
•
6.17 MB
2017-082-DLD.pdf
Bycatch is an important issue in fisheries worldwide, with the impacts of fishing activities on non-targeted species and the wider marine environment receiving increasing public attention. Issues such as the potential wastage of resources through discarding of unwanted catch, ecological impacts on non-targeted species and the possibility of negative impacts on Threatened Endangered and Protected Species (TEPS) have led to an expectation that government and other managers will report on the status and impacts on these species. In order to do this effectively, well designed monitoring programs need to be in place. Effective bycatch monitoring programs allow researchers to understand which species are important as bycatch across a fishery, how the quantity of bycatch is changing through time, and any potential risks to bycatch species.
This report provides the most in-depth analysis of bycatch across the entire Southern Rock Lobster Fishery (SRLF) to date, involving researchers, stakeholders and managers across South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. We use information from independent scientific observer programs and scientific research cruises collected over a period of greater than 15 years to:
- Explore the important bycatch species in each state and management zone;
- Conduct a critical appraisal of the current monitoring programs by comparing them to international best practice;
- Help inform a risk assessment for all bycatch species through workshops held in each state involving key stakeholders including researchers, fishers, fisheries managers, scientific observers involved in the monitoring programs, scientific experts and ecologists.;
- Explore quantities and trends in bycatch for species deemed to be at moderate risk from fishing activities.
Important bycatch species in terms of frequency, total number and weight varied across the states and management zones but generally included wrasse, leatherjackets, perch, octopus, crabs (hermit, velvet and giant) and sharks (Draughtboard Sharks in Tasmania and Eastern Victoria, and Port Jackson Sharks in Western Victoria and South Australia). Undersized Rock Lobsters, which are also considered bycatch, formed a large component of the overall bycatch particularly in Tasmania.
The current bycatch monitoring program was assessed against international best standards defined under the United States Tier Classification Scheme developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service. We found that each state managed program fell into a Tier 2 classification out of five possible tiers ranging from 0 to 5. This score was reasonable when comparing the programs in other fisheries given the size of the SRLF. However, areas for improvement in the observer programs were identified and recommendations on how to improve the ongoing monitoring program are made in light of our findings.
The risk assessment found that no bycatch species was at high risk from fishery operations of the SRLF. Species that were identified as having a medium potential risk were a subset of those that are kept as byproduct either for consumption, sale or bait. Barotrauma was also identified as a risk factor for some finfish species with swim bladders as these species when brought up from depth may suffer injury or be unable to descend and thus more susceptible to predation. Also, missing life history information for a number of species meant that precautionary higher risk scores were assigned to these species until more information is obtained. Rates of encounter with gear of Threatened, Endangered and Protected Species (TEPS) were found to be low, and consequently direct threats from fishery operations likely to be low; however, ongoing monitoring of TEPS interactions is a necessary component of best practice.
A short list of ten species identified as being more susceptible to risk from the SRLF were given further analyses. These ten species included Draughtboard Shark, a number of leatherjacket species, Ocean Perch, Blue-throat Wrasse and Conger Eel. Analysis of these species and groups allowed for estimates of total catch of these species and trends in catch through time. These estimates provide a baseline for ongoing monitoring and the setting of reference points for management action for these species.
Based on the findings of this report, it is recommended that:
- Improvements are made to the observer programs including increasing the number of vessels participating, creation of consistent reporting methods, improved species identification
- Information is collected for bycatch species with missing life history parameters to allow increased confidence in future risk assessments
- Species identified in this report as being of primary or secondary importance as bycatch in the SRLF are prioritised for ongoing reporting and monitoring, with a periodic census of all bycatch species (perhaps every 5 years) used to detect any trends in overall bycatch composition
- Due to the considerable noise in bycatch data, longer-term trends are used as management trigger points
- Further research is conducted into reducing the amount of undersized Rock Lobster
View Filter
