Whale entanglements in the western rock lobster (WRL) fishery have increased dramatically with changes in fishing times from a move to a quota. The recent commonwealth Department for the Environment (DE) assessment removed the fishery from five-year export approval, granting a two-year Wildlife Trade Order (WTO) with conditions on whale entanglements. Subsequent correspondence from the Department of Fisheries (DoF) and DE requested information from industry as to what actions will undertaken for the 2014 and 2013 humpback migrations respectively. DoF correspondence indicated a seasonal closure may be implemented ‘in the absence of specific alternative action(s)’. A closure during the humpback migration (1 May-30 Nov) would concentrate fishing into the remaining 5 months resulting in a reduced beach price. Winter beach prices are ~$70/kg, with a move from this high value period into a condensed season reducing GVP by ~$50 million.
TRF project (2013-037) addresses the immediate aspects of the WTO conditions, required by 31 March 2014. Industry groups, while cognizant of the need to address the issue of whale
entanglements are reluctant to proceed with the introduction of gear modifications without a clear scientific rationale behind their testing.
Project 2013-037 is a preliminary study and with its initiations after the 2013 humpback migration has begun, detailed gear testing and migration information was not possible. However it is planned to identify a number of viable mitigation options that are worthy of detailed evaluation in 2014. This project extends on Project 2013-037 addresses the longer term (2014-2015) DE conditions, which would enable year-round market access.