44 results
Environment

A study of the sand crab (Portunus pelagicus) and its exploitation in a sub-tropical multi-sector fishery

Project number: 1984-023
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Mike Potter
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 28 Dec 1986 - 31 Dec 1986
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. Compare, contrast life history parameters of sand crab in sub-tropical sth Qld vs. Gulf of Carpentaria & temperate waters.
2. Assess Moreton Bay sand crab stocks
relative impact of recreational, otterboard trawl & commercial crab pot fisheries
effectiveness existing mgt strategies & alternatives

Final report

Author: M.A. Potter W.D. Sumpton
Final Report • 1986-12-31 • 1.77 MB
1984-023-DLD.pdf

Summary

Based on logbook records the sand crab commercial pot fishery in Moreton Bay is worth in the vicinity of $2 million wholesale annually. Sand crabs are also taken as an incidental by-catch by otter trawlers and in addition Moreton Bay supports a substantial recreational fishery.

Sand crabs are caught throughout the year but fishing effort is greatest from October to June. Peak catches in the pot fishery occur during March and April when daily catch rates may exceed 3 legal males per pot. Gravid females are present throughout the year but the highest proportion of egg bearing females is found in the population during August and September. Peaks in mating activity occur in autumn and spring with recruitment of juvenile crabs commencing in November. The parasitic barnacle Sacculina granifera infects 3% of all sand crabs in Moreton Bay and a previously unreported microsporidian parasite is found in 0.7% of the population.

Tagging studies show that fishing effort and mortality of sand crabs is highly variable throughout the Bay. Recapture rates for different areas vary from 1% to 65% with an overall return rate of 14%. The pattern of tag returns does not indicate any ordered directional movement of crabs either into or out of the Bay.

Male and female sand crabs exhibit differences in preferred habitat. Large males are generally more abundant in deeper water, whereas females predominate in shallower water, particularly on the top of sand banks.

Management recommendations arising from the project work include a change in the method of sand crab measurement to the width at the base of the antero-lateral spines, lowering of the existing size limit, the introduction of a bag 1 limit for recreational fishermen and an abolition of the prohibition on taking females provided that suitable management conditions can be maintained.

Industry
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 1992-125.30
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Making the most of the catch: a forum for Industry

The papers published in this book were all presented at the Symposium "Making the Most of the Catch..." held in Brisbane, Australia, 25-27 July 1996. The contributors came from many countries and from many different institutions. They were selected in an endeavour to present a broad spectrum of...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1992-144
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Fisheries biology and interaction in the northern Australian small mackerel fishery

The small mackerels comprising school mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus), spotted mackerel (S. munroi) and grey mackerel (S. semifasciatus) are important and valued species to recreational and commercial fishers in northern Australia. Prior to this project very little was known about the basic...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 1992-125.02
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Value added beche-de-mer products

In recent years, increased interest has been shown in the Queensland beche-de-mer industry. As a consequence, there has been a number of initiatives taken to ensure the industry will have a sustainable future. The industry, traditionally a 'cottage' industry in the past, has not been able to access...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)

Hooking into Asian seafood markets: commercial development of selected under-utilised Australian fisheries resources for Asian markets

Project number: 1997-342
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $278,809.65
Principal Investigator: Kevin Smith
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 9 Aug 1997 - 19 Dec 2003
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The proposed project addresses the FRDC program "Industry Development" and its key areas of "market development" and "value adding". There is a need for improved market development by the Australian seafood industry. With the limited future growth of the wild catch and the increasing demand for fish and seafood, there is a need for improved resource utilisation.

Previous research by Agribusiness Marketing Services in Taiwan has indicated that certain importers may demand fish species presently unavailable commercially for export from Australia. In the words of one importer "there are many fish available in Australia which the Taiwanese like, which in Australia they only use for bait".

The value added mullet roe market provides an example of how identification of market requirements can create a new valuable export opportunity from a previously under-utilised and under-valued product.

This highlights the need for both market research to identify potential market opportunities of seafood species which are currently under-utilised and the need for technical support to enable commercial development of these markets.

The provision of marketing and technical expertise combined with the development of value adding processes will encourage the harvesting of species which are currently not commercially viable in Australia. It is vital that the chosen species represent a sustainable fisheries resource.

Objectives

1. To carry out market research in Asia
to identify product opportunity and customer needs.
2. To identify and select certain sustainable Australian fisheries resources that will meet the product criteria as identified by the market research in stage one and develop a decision matrix linking species with most suitable Asian markets.
3. To produce product prototypes (eg smoked, dried, frozen, chilled, whole, live etc.) and identify suitable commercial partners capable of producing the export product from the identified under-utilised species.
4. Carry out market evlauation of these prototypes in Asia.
5. To document a model for future commercialisation of other species by industry.

Final report

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