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Proposed Standards and Guidelines for Bycatch Management in Commonwealth Fisheries

Project number: 2010-046
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $179,551.00
Principal Investigator: Peter Ward
Organisation: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) ABARES
Project start/end date: 31 Jul 2010 - 14 Dec 2011
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Through its policy on fisheries bycatch, the Commonwealth acknowledges that ecological sustainable development must be based on a strategic approach to addressing bycatch interactions. There is a need to mitigate fishery interactions with non-target species, particularly threatened, endangered and protected (TEP) species, consistent with AFMA’s aim of promoting the sustainable use of fisheries resources by conserving marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Industry, AFMA and researchers have previously collaborated to address bycatch issues in Commonwealth fisheries, with outputs including the implementation of mitigation devices in specific fisheries, the development of bycatch action plans, bycatch workplans and the ecological risk management (ERM) process. In many cases, however, industry cannot readily demonstrate the benefits of these activities, which is critical for differentiating Australian seafood products from those of less environmentally-friendly competitors.

There is a need for an overarching approach to bycatch mitigation to ensure consistent standards across fisheries and transparent indicators of performance. Bycatch issues are often fisheries specific, but the development of mitigation strategies in individual fisheries needs to address the same core elements, e.g. stakeholder consultation, performance testing, monitoring and compliance. Standards are required to ensure that each of these core elements are adequately addressed in response to the emergence of a bycatch issue.

Standards will also assist the fishing industry in fostering positive public perception and meeting legislative requirements, e.g. strategic assessments under the EPBC Act . Standards are particularly important to fisheries seeking to move to co-management where there is a need for greater transparency and accountability.

Objectives

1. Develop standards for mitigating bycatch in Commonwealth fisheries, including an accompanying set of guidelines for establishing technical criteria for assessing the performance, ongoing monitoring and review of bycatch mitigation measures.
2. Test the proposed standards and guidelines on a bycatch issue in a key Commonwealth fishery.
People
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2003-059
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Developing and implementing measures of economic efficiency in Commonwealth fisheries

Given the problems with open access resources and the effectiveness of modern fishing technology, there are few fisheries, if any, which will not be both biologically over-exploited and unprofitable unless they are managed effectively. For a fishery to be economically efficient requires setting...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) ABARES
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2015-200
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Guidelines on a tiered, risk-based approach to bycatch management

The 2018 Commonwealth Fisheries Bycatch Policy (Bycatch Policy) establishes the requirement for bycatch management in Commonwealth-managed fisheries. The Guidelines for the Implementation of the Commonwealth Fisheries Bycatch Policy aim to provide assistance to Australian Government entities...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) ABARES

Australian fisheries statistics

Project number: 2001-227
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $117,919.00
Principal Investigator: Graham Love
Organisation: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) ABARES
Project start/end date: 22 Jul 2001 - 30 Oct 2004
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The development of statistics on Australian fisheries production and gross value of production (GVP) is required to meet a wide range of demands.

First: The data are extensively used by the fishing industry and by providers of services to the fishing industry in making investment decisions and in longer term planning of marketing strategies. The importance of the information provided by this project was highlighted at the 1997 FRDC Australian Fisheries Economics Statistics Workshop and the Seafood Directions Conference in 1999. Also the information is used extensively in FRDC's publication "From Antarctica to the tropics: a snapshot of the Australian fishing industry".

Second: The existence of these data in a readily accessible form provides the basis for a range of other activities, including the setting of research priorities by fisheries managers, industry and research organisations and the selection of a research portfolio by funding agencies. The Commonwealth government through ABARE, contributes to a number of international databases including databases managed by FAO and OECD. Information at the international level can be important in relation to international negotiations on issues such as transboundary fisheries, in analysing trade opportunities and threats and is essential for participating in fora such as APEC and WTO.

Third: The gross value of production for specific fisheries are used for determining research and development levies for Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and for determining industry contributions to research. Because the estimates form the basis for research levies for each fishery, it is important for the system to be independent from those involved in the management and marketing processes to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the estimates.

Fourth: There are significant economies in centralising the collection, collation and dissemination of the gross value of production data. In the absence of this project the workload of a range of organsations involved with fisheries management would be substantially increased.

Objectives

1. To maintain and improve the data base of production, gross value of production and trade statistics for the Australian fishing industry, including aquaculture.
2. To provide these data in an accessible form.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 1983-045
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Economic study of the north New South Wales and southern Queensland prawn fisheries

The East Coast Prawn Fishery extends along the east coast of Australia from Torres Straight in the north to Barrenjoey Point in New South Wales. A limited entry policy was recently introduced to the fishery and a task force comprising industry and government representatives is currently deliberating...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) ABARES
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