100 results
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-023
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

ESD risk assessment for under-utilised species to facilitate structural reform of South Australia's commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery

South Australia’s Marine Scalefish Fishery (MSF) is facing a number of complex issues that are affecting business profitability and stock sustainability. One particular issue relates to the long-term reliance of the fishery on the three primary finfish species of King George Whiting, Snapper...
ORGANISATION:
SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
TAGS
Underutilised
Sustainability
Stock Assessment
Rac Sa
Profitability
SPECIES
Snapper
King George Whiting
Southern Garfish
Southern Calamari
Whitings
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2023-099
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Development of a temperature monitoring framework for Tasmania's seafood industry during marine heatwaves

Marine heatwaves can have devastating impacts on marine ecosystems, with a strong El Nino event forecast in Australia for the summer/autumn of 2023-24. Forecasts by CSIRO indicated sustained increases in water temperatures down the east coast of Tasmania with potential to significantly affect...
ORGANISATION:
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Hobart
TAGS
Rac Tas
Climate Change
SPECIES
Abalone
Octopuses
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-125
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Evaluation of practical technologies for Perfluoroalkyl (PFA) remediation in marine fish hatcheries

Per- and poly-fluoroalkly substances (PFASs) are now emerging as pollutants with potentially catastrophic impact on aquaculture facilities. Two key research institutes, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute (PSFI) in NSW and Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture Research (ACAAR) in Western Australia...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW)
TAGS
Pollution
Physiology
Innovation
Husbandry
Aquaculture
Industry
Communities
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-016
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Improving data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander marine resource use to inform decision-making

Through two national workshops, Indigenous community and agency representatives and researchers discussed issues around collecting, sharing and ownership of Indigenous fishing data. Challenges and opportunities were shared from all perspectives and expertise, knowledge and information came together...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA)
TAGS
Wild Catch
Survey
Recreational Fishing
Rac Cmwth
Marine Park
SPECIES
Mulloway
Black Bream
Snapper
Australian Herring
Sand Whiting
Environment

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.
Environment
Communities
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-075
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Aquaculture-Community Futures: North West Tasmania

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...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
TAGS
Sustainability
Stakeholder
Community
Aquaculture
SPECIES
Atlantic Salmon
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