PROJECT NUMBER
•
1994-128
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
14 results
Tactical Research Fund: improved line weighting method for tuna longline fishing using live-baiting to mitigate sea bird bycatch and improve worker safety
Project number:
2012-407
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$14,999.00
Organisation:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
Project start/end date:
31 Aug 2012
-
31 Aug 2013
Contact:
FRDC
The Commonwealth has listed the incidental capture of seabirds in oceanic longlining as a key threatening process.
Australia has a Threat Abatement Plan for the incidental catch (of bycatch) of seabirds during oceanic longline fishing operations (TAP). The TAP sets out actions that must be followed to mitigate seabird bycatch, including line weighting, catch rate triggers and management responses.
AFMA requires all Commonwealth longline fisheries to implement line weighting and other seabird bycatch mitigation measures. Despite these, in previous years there has been protracted daylight setting bans in key sub-areas of the ETBF, where live bait is used (and large economic impact), because of seabird bycatch incidents. This demonstrates that the current measures are not fully effective. Live bait increases seabird bycatch risk but are used to maintain target species catch rates.
AFMA is aware of four ‘flyback’ incidents where a crew member was hit by a line weight and hospitalised. An AFMA observer was also recently injured by a ‘flyback’ and is subject to a Comcare claim.
New line weighting regimes trialled in Australia using dead bait in 2010 showed that a ‘sliding’ 40g weight at or near the hook is potentially safer for crew, cheaper, improves sink rates and reduces risks of seabird bycatch, while maintaining fish catch rates. However, a significant proportion of fishers use live baits for which the 40g line weighting regime is insufficient.
Moving the weight to be at or near the hook dramatically increases the sink rate. However, the effects on the life status of live bait (and fish catch rates) have not yet been tested and fishers continue to prefer not to move weights nearer to the hook. This trial will investigate the impact of 60g weights within 1 meter of the hook on bait life status and catch rates.
1. Evaluate the effects of 60g sliding weights placed within 1 m of the hook on the life status of live baits.
Final report
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2009-048
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2014-203
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
SESSF Monitoring and Assessment – Strategic Review
The Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) is a multi-species, multi-gear, multijurisdictional Commonwealth fishery. It is a fishery of substantial economic and social importance to
Australia, as a key provider of high quality fish products to Australian markets. More than 600...
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
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)
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2008-078
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
TAGS
Evaluating the use of onboard cameras in the Shark Gillnet Fishery in South Australia
Project number:
2010-049
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$288,462.00
Principal Investigator:
Josh Davis
Organisation:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
Project start/end date:
23 Sep 2010
-
31 Oct 2011
Contact:
FRDC
Australian Sea Lions (ASL) have been known to interact with the gillnet sector of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) for some time but the nature and extent of these interactions have been poorly understood. On 30 June 2010 AFMA implemented the Australian Sea Lion Management Strategy. A component of this strategy requires that observer coverage in the fishery be increased from approx 2.6% to at least 11% in the South Australian gillnet sector of the SESSF. This increased level of monitoring is designed to detect interactions with Australian sea lions and provide an indication of accuracy of predicted level of interactions suggested in the report by Goldsworthy et al (2010). Given the rare nature of the interactions, significant increases in human observation at or above this level are unlikely to be economically sustainable in the longer term and digital monitoring including cameras have been proposed as a viable alternative. Onboard camera monitoring has the potential to improve fishery management outcomes cost effectively.
AFMA is currently undertaking e-monitoring trial featuring onboard cameras in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery and the Northern Prawn Fishery to assess the capacity of onboard cameras to collect data cost effectively. Early indications from these trials are positive. This project differs from the ETBF as it focuses on an investigation of the equipment to collect a significant proportion of the data currently collected as part of the Independent Scientific Monitoring Program (ISMP) including protected species. In addition the capacity of onboard cameras to capture interactions between fishing operations and Australian sea lions in the Shark gillnet fishery is unknown. The proposed project will be designed to enable a detailed cost benefit analysis of onboard camera monitoring in gillnet and fish trawl fisheries to test this hypothesis.
1. Assess the capacity of electronic monitoring to provide in-season data on interactions with Australian sea lions in shark gillnet fisheries.
2. Improve the level of certainty on the impact of fishing operations Australian sea lions that currently surrounds the Goldsworthy findings.
3. Investigate the use of electronic monitoring for the further collection of data currently collected by observers with a focus on opportunities to improve data integrity and data quality in the ISMP data set.
4. Assess the cost and benefits of utilising electronic monitoring in the shark gillnet fisheries
Final report
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2008-045
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2003-061
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
Evaluation of alternative strategies for management of Commonwealth fisheries in southeastern Australia
In early 2004, when this project commenced, the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) was in a critical situation with respect to its ecological and economic performance, and in the external management environment that it faced. It was clear that, as the prime management tool, the...
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2009-076
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
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