60 results

Tackle Box - Fishing at home during Covid 19

Project number: 2019-213
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $70,000.00
Principal Investigator: Adam J. Martin
Organisation: Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF)
Project start/end date: 14 Oct 2020 - 31 Aug 2021
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The ARFF Tackle Box project is funded through the ‘our marine parks’ grants funded by Parks Australia. The project aims to develop a recreational fishing app to collect data from scheduled recreational fishing competitions around Australia with the aim of being able to provide data on the interactions of recreational fishers with Australia’s Commonwealth Marine Parks. So far, the application has 1049 unique users, used for 9 fishing events, and has had data input for 1905 fish and 85 Photo only competition entries.
A real and meaningful opportunity exists for ARFF to lead the national recreational fishing community by introducing some simple retooling of the ARFF Tackle Box app and get on the front foot. There will be a push from some groups to keep people fishing but the reality is we need to be responsible right now. At this point, I think this is a moment FRDC can shine as well by supporting with funding as I am told there is considerable funds still available with the Rec Fish Research budget. Also, the government has subtly announced fiscal stimulus packages for sports and arts soon to keep the population engaged and there maybe potential to tap into both sporting/recreation and mental health funding. We have received offers of help to apply for these funding opportunities by professionals in these fields when they become available.
The proposal is to revise the current model and focus on the stash of data that exists already on people’s phones and keeping people engaged at home so that when the crisis passes, they are ready to go on our network. Capitalising on the low hanging fruit without fishers actively fishing and easily reach a user target of ten thousand people in a matter of weeks and potentially One hundred thousand users within 6 months without leaving home. This consists of 5 key elements:

• Fantasy/Photo only competition where people submit what they have on their phones from previous fishing trips before ARFF’s “quarantine at home/fish within the rules” policy came into effect.
• Community voting, engagement rather than “scoreboards”. It actively engages the community without the need to leave home.
• Keeping people connected with regular briefings and interactions with the states and regio

Objectives

1. To further develop the Tackle box project/application (funded by Parks Australia) to connect recreational fishers during the COVID-19 situation
2. To use the extended platform to educated recreational fishers on the relevance of Government measures to recreational fishing, ensuring those that should not be fishing don’t and those that can know under what conditions they can.
3. To extend FRDC information through the new platform including advertising of the current national social and economic survey and extending of results and information relevant as they become available. Extend other relevant project information in this time such as Tuna Champions, fish handling practices, habitat rehabilitation, safety etc.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-6484281-1-4
Authors: Adam Martin Stefan Sawynok and Bill Sawynok
Final Report • 1.79 MB
2019-213-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project examined the impact of Covid-19 on recreational fishing using a citizen science approach. The Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF) teamed up with Infofish Australia Pty Ltd to use recaptures of tagged fish in Queensland and fishing competitions around Australia in novel ways to assess the impact by comparing data from 2020 with 2019.
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-011
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Optimising Compliance Outcomes in Recreational Fisheries

This study investigated strategies to enhance compliant participation among recreational fishers, using the Peel-Harvey Blue Swimmer Crab fishery in Western Australia (WA) and the Blue Swimmer Crab fishery in South Australia (SA) as case studies. 
ORGANISATION:
University of Western Australia (UWA)

Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation National Recreational Fishing Conference 2019

Project number: 2018-204
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $70,000.00
Principal Investigator: Mark J. Nikolai
Organisation: Tasmanian Association for Recreational Fishing Inc (TARFish)
Project start/end date: 30 Jun 2019 - 30 Mar 2020
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The 2012/2015 & 2017 National Recreational Fishing Conferences were highly successful, enabling the recreational fishing community to gather and discuss issues of national importance. These events also catalysed four initiatives to advance fishing in Australia: development of a charter for the sector, a national fish habitat rehabilitation plan, and renewed commitment to communicating social benefits of fishing, and delivering leadership development initiatives.

The value of regular fishing sector conferences is recognised among the fishing community, and supported by FRDC, to facilitate continued progress, coordination and recognition of achievements. The next national event for the recreational fishing community is planned for 2019.

The primary aim of this event will be to engage the largest cross-section of Australia's recreational fishing community possible in discussing key issues of relevance to their sector, developing a shared vision for the future and agreeing upon strategic actions to pursue this vision. The 2019 event will be re-focused to more directly benefit grassroots recreational fishers, involving a new format, lower cost to participants, higher levels of involvement of well-known fishing personalities in the program, a focus on increased levels of participant interaction in discussions, and a series of events designed to be both informative and entertaining. The revised approach and program of this event will seek to deliver engagement of the broader recreational fishing community on a scale not previously achieved in Australia.

Objectives

1. Deliver a National Recreational Fishing Conference which increases the level of meaningful engagement with the recreational fishing community in national issues of importance.
2. Engage with participants at the National Conference to identify priority actions to be progressed.
3. Acknowledgement of recreational fishing community achievements.
4. Publication of extension products from the event.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-646-81627-2
Author: Brett Cleary
Final Report • 2020-01-17 • 970.44 KB
2018-204-DLD.pdf

Summary

Following on from the success of the 2012, 2015 & 2017 National Recreational Fishing Conferences, the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation was successful in securing a funding grant from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) to deliver a National Recreational Fishing Conference in 2019. Holding a National Conference every two years allows sufficient time for issues, concerns and suggestions to proceed in a considered way and for actionable items to commence. The National Conference sought input from multi-jurisdictional and internationally recognised speakers and developed a forum to question the current, and drive the future, direction of recreational fishing in Australia. A regular National Conference also provides the opportunity for peer networks to meet, discuss and learn from other jurisdictions about how the challenges that the recreational fishing sector faces are being addressed.
The 2019 National Conference was held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Hobart, Tasmania on the 10th & 11th December 2019. The theme of the conference was focused on Citizen Science: Our Fishing. Our Research. Our Recreational Future. 127 people attended the 2-day conference which included a broad spread of people from peak bodies, state and federal government agencies, key industry stakeholders and grass roots fishers. Conference attendees also received entrance to a special screening of Al McGlashen’s film Life On The Line: The story of the Southern Bluefin Tuna.
Recfishing Research extended an invitation to all recreational fishers to apply for their bursary program to attend the 2019 National Recreational Fishing Conference. Recfishing Research aimed to send two representatives from each state in Australia to the Conference and all interested recreational fishers across Australia were invited to apply. The bursary program included a half-day introductory workshop for bursary recipients and Recfishing Research committee members, Networking opportunities with leaders in the recreational fishing community during the 2 days of the conference and half-day closing workshop to share lessons learned and future plans. The program was the continuation of an emerging leaders program for the rec sector which has been in place for a number of years. Identifying and developing people as part of a structured ongoing program will ensure continued positive engagement with rec sector representatives in a challenging and constantly changing 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

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.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-019
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Freshwater fish attracting structures (FAS): Evaluating a new tool to improve fishing quality and access to fisheries resources in Australian impoundments

This document has been compiled from various sources and, to the authors’ knowledge, represents the best advice currently available regarding the use of fish attracting structures to improve recreational angling in Australian impoundments. Although the principles outlined in this document may...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-062
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Knowledge to improve the assessment and management of Giant Mud Crabs (Scylla serrata) in Queensland

Researchers from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Queensland, CQUniversity (CQU) and the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) NSW Fisheries are collaborating on a Fisheries Research and Development (FRDC) co-funded research project on mud crab populations in Queensland. The...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
SPECIES
Communities
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-098
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Southern Bluefin Tuna: Changing The Trajectory

Life on the Line is the true story of the Southern Bluefin Tuna, its biological traits and its history of exploitation and most recently its recovery. This documentary covers how research, managers and the fishing industry - commercial and recreational have contributed to the recovering status of...
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
Industry
Industry
View Filter

Organisation