18 results
Environment
Adoption
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2013-225
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Tactical Research Fund: Developing a management framework and harvest strategies for small scale multi-species, multi-method community based fisheries, using the South Australian Lakes and Coorong Fishery as a case study

The commercial Lakes and Coorong Fishery (LCF) operates at the end of the Murray-Darling Basin where the river system meets the Southern Ocean, encompassing a diverse range of freshwater, estuarine and marine habitats and communities. This multi-gear fishery targets a range of species...
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2014-207
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

The social drivers and implications of conducting an ecological risk assessment of both recreational and commercial fishing - a case study from Port Phillip Bay

This project assessed the social and ecological issues associated with fishing (commercial and recreational) in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria. Port Phillip Bay (including Corio Bay) is a large (1,950 km2), semi-enclosed, tidal marine embayment with a narrow entrance (Anon, 1973). Much of the...
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
People
PROJECT NUMBER • 2009-300
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Empowering Industry R&D: Developing an industry driven R&D model for the Australian fishing and seafood industry - partnerships to improve efficiency, profitability and performance

'Empowering II' sought to develop an ongoing, cost-effective and transparent process, whereby the best industry RD&E ideas, on a national or regional scale, could be obtained, linked with the most suitable RD&E providers, and developed into successful projects with valuable industry outcomes...
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2016-146
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Understanding factors influencing undercaught TACs, declining catch rates and failure to recover for many quota species in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery

Concerns about the ecological and economic sustainability of Australia’s Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) prompted major structural readjustment of the fishery in 2006 that significantly reduced the number of operators in demersal trawl, Danish seine and gill net...
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd

Design of a fishery independent longline survey for chondrichthyans in Northern Australia

Project number: 2023-063
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $82,125.00
Principal Investigator: Ian Knuckey
Organisation: Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 4 Feb 2024 - 29 Aug 2024
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) from commercial logbooks is often used as an index of abundance in stock assessments. However, the use of commercial CPUE as an indicator of relative abundance can be problematic as the underlying assumption that commercial catch rates change linearly with abundance is often compromised. Although some factors that are reported in logbooks can be used to standardise CPUE, there are other sources of variation including:
• Modified fishing practices to target or avoid species to suit quota availability, meet market demands, or to comply with management arrangements.
• Differences in selectivity of fishing gear and use of bycatch-reduction devices.
• The combined impacts of multiple management restrictions on a fishery.
For example, gillnet operations in what was once the Northern Territory’s Shark Fishery now almost exclusively target Grey Mackerel. This change in practice has resulted in an index that is losing its relevance in assessing shark species.

Over 140 elasmobranchs are listed on CITES Appendix II, with the likely-hood that more species will be added in the future. Of the 11,082t of shark landed by the fishery since 2000, CITES listed Hammerheads comprise 17.25% of the shark catch. Other sharks caught by the fishery that were recently added to CITES Appendix II at the Nineteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties Panama City (Panama), 14 – 25 November 2022 include: Grey Reef Shark, Dusky Whaler, Sandbar Shark, Lemon Shark, Whitecheek shark and all other members of the family Carcharhinidae (which include the Blacktip Shark complex that is the main shark species caught by the fishery - 4688t or 42% since 2000). These species will require a positive Non-Detriment Finding (NDF) and CITES export permit in order to be exported following the 12-month delay in implementation (i.e., December 2023). The fishery also catches Threatened, Endangered and Protected Elasmobranchs, some of which are also CITES listed.

Gillnet and longline effort has decreased since 2000 and there is significant latent effort in the fishery. There is a desire to utilise this latent effort, however, the CITES listing of the majority of sharks species caught in the fishery will increase scrutiny from State, Commonwealth and International environmental agencies, as well as NGOs. This heightened scrutiny will provide greater impetus to demonstrate that shark stocks are at sustainable levels and that fishing is being undertaken sustainably.

There is a strong need for independent survey methods to gain a better understanding of the abundance patterns of shark species over time that can contribute to the development of appropriate management of these species that meets environmental, fisheries, and conservation needs.

Surveying Northern Australia using longlining methods would provide a fishery independent estimate of relative abundance for sharks that would improve economic security and public confidence in sustainability. However, to make an informed decision of the feasibility of a survey a full understanding of the scope of work and cost required is needed. There is a need to look at existing long line surveys undertaken worldwide (e.g. in the USA and Bahamas), to understanding the methods undertaken and the time period required to develop accurate abundance estimates.

Objectives

1. Analysis of commercial logbook data to inform fishery independent survey design
2. Conduct a literature review to determine potential design of longline fishery independent survey
3. Hold a workshop to discuss options for a NT shark longline survey
4. Develop final design and costs for a NT shark longline survey
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-072
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Multiple - Before After Control Impact analysis of the effect of a 3D marine seismic survey on Danish Seine catch rates

The project is a four phase research program being conducted in the Danish seine commercial fishery off Lakes Entrance that looks to: 1. Examine effect of seismic testing on Danish seine catch rates of Tiger Flathead 2. Examine effect of seismic testing on Danish seine catch rates...
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
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