10 results

Trials of oceanographic data collection on commercial fishing vessels in SE Australia

Project number: 2022-007
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $347,802.00
Principal Investigator: Ian Knuckey
Organisation: Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 31 Jul 2022 - 30 May 2025
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Australia’s fisheries span a large area of ocean. Australia has the world’s third largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with an area of over 8 million km2. This zone contains mainly Commonwealth managed fisheries, with State jurisdictions mainly in coastal waters up to the 3 nautical mile limit. Australia's total wild-catch fisheries gross value of production is $1.6 billion, of which 28% is from Commonwealth fisheries and 72% from the smaller coastal inshore fisheries managed by state jurisdictions. The wildcatch fisheries sector employs about 10,000 people across Australia (https://www.awe.gov.au/abares/research-topics/fisheries/fisheries-and-aquaculture-statistics/employment).

The commercial fishing industry has a network of thousands of vessels working mainly in inshore waters around Australia. They can supply a potential platform for extensive and fine scale spatial and temporal monitoring of the waters of the continental shelf (0-1200m), from the surface to the ocean floor. Given that their livelihoods depend on it, they have a keen understanding of oceanographic conditions with respect to fish behaviour, feeding and spawning and the various oceanographic factors that may influence this. In some fisheries (e.g. surface tuna longlining), fishers eagerly seek and use readily available fine-scale oceanographic data such as sea surface temperature and sea level, to improve their targeting and achieve higher resultant catch rates. For many other fisheries, however, it is the fine-scale sub-surface oceanographic conditions (feed layers, thermoclines, temperature at depth etc) that have a critical influence on their fishing dynamics. Unfortunately, this type of oceanographic data is far less readily available. Although fishers and scientists know these factors are important, the time series of fine scale spatial and temporal data relevant to fishery operations is not available to include in stock assessments. As a result, it is often assumed that variations in catch rates reflect changing stock abundance, when it may simply be a result of changing oceanographic conditions.

Marine scientists collect a vast range of oceanographic data using satellites, subsurface drones, and static and drifting buoys. Sea surface data, however, is much easier and more cost-effective to collect at high spatial and temporal resolutions than sub-surface data. Hence, understanding of sub-surface oceanographic conditions tends to be derived from modelling more than actual measurement. This may be sufficient at a wide-scale global or continental level, but it is not adequate at the fine-scale spatial and temporal resolution required for fisheries management.

The use of commercial fishing gear as a research data platform has been increasing in popularity internationally (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.485512/full). A number of groups in Europe have been doing this for a decade (e.g Martinelli et al 2016), and New Zealand are also now involved (https://www.moanaproject.org/te-tiro-moana). However, this approach has yet to be implemented in Australia in a coordinated way. In particular, our approach dictates open access data served through the IMOS Australian Ocean Data Network (www.aodn.org.au) that can be collected once and used many times.

In this project we intend to instrument seafood sector assets (e.g Trawl Nets, longlines, pots) with fit-for- purpose quality-controlled (QC'd) temperature/pressure sensors to increase the sub-surface temperature data coverage around Australia’s shelf and upper slope regions (0-800m) at low cost. Not only will this assist in the collection of data at relevant spatial and temporal scales for use by fishers, but it will also provide a far more extensive level of QC’d data to oceanographers in near real time (NRT) for evaluation and ingestion into data-assimilating coastal models that will provide improved analysis and forecasts of oceanic conditions. In turn, this will also be of value to the fishing sector when used to standardise stock assessments.

Martinelli, M., Guicciardi, S., Penna, P., Belardinelli, A., Croci, C., Domenichetti, F., et al. (2016). Evaluation of the oceanographic measurement accuracy of different commercial sensors to be used on fishing gears. Ocean Eng. 111, 22–33. doi: 10.1016/J.OCEANENG.2015.10.037

Objectives

1. Effective installation and operation of oceanographic data collection equipment on network of commercial fishing vessels using a range of common fishing gear
2. To provide QC’d data direct to fishers in near real-time to assist in habitat characterisation and the targeting of effort
3. To cost-effectively increase the spatial resolution of sub-surface physical data collected in Australia’s inshore, shelf, upper-slope, and offshore waters by fitting commercial fishing equipment from a variety of gear types with low-cost temperature/pressure sensors
4. To make the QC’d temperature depth data publicly available through the IMOS-AODN portal for uptake and use in ways that support safe maritime operations the sustainable management of marine resources, and improves understanding of drivers of change.

Article

Final Report • 2024-11-07 • 7.45 MB
2022-007-DLD.pdf

Summary

Working with IMOS and oceanographers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Fishwell Consulting engaged its established networks across the Australian commercial fishing community to harness the capacity of commercial fishing vessels in environmental data acquisition. Deployment of temperature/depth sensors on commercial fishing vessels was shown to augmentand complement more expensive data collection platforms (e.g. ocean gliders, remote operated vehicles, Argo floats, dedicated research vessels) to provide much needed sub-surface temperature data to improve ocean circulation models and forecasting capacity. In proof-of-concept trials conducted over twelve months (from May 2023), more than 30 fishing vessels and their fishing gear were equipped with temperature sensors and data transmission equipment. These trials yielded more than 2.8 million data points from the sea surface to 1,214m depth considerably expanding existing data records. In particular, waters previously poorly observed, including the Great Australian Bight, Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, and the Gulf of Carpentaria, yielded valuable sub-surface temperature data.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2016-116
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Development of a 5-year sector and NT Strategic Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) Plan for Northern Territory fisheries and aquaculture based on priority needs of major stakeholder sectors

The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation’s (FRDC) Northern Territory Research Advisory Committee (NT RAC) recognised that a 5-year Research Development and Extension (RD&E) Plan was a major strategic need of the NT but acknowledged that there was limited capacity among sectors to...
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
Industry

Review of structural and funding options for a peak body for the Queensland seafood industry

Project number: 2012-512
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $66,132.10
Principal Investigator: Ian Knuckey
Organisation: Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 17 Sep 2013 - 17 Jun 2014
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The Queensland Fishing Industry is at a critical point where, due to a number of circumstances, it no longer has an effective peak organisation to represent the interests of industry at large. The situation has become untenable from the viewpoint of industry trying to deal with ever increasing changes in the regulatory and marketing arenas.

Furthermore, industry needs a body to respond to increasing demands from various NGOs continually raising sustainability issues.
It is considered that the creation of a peak body to represent all sectors of the fishing industry within the State would be an effective method for industry to achieve positive outcomes through a consultative approach with fishery policy makers and other NGOs.
It should be noted that the current State Government is supportive of the concept as they are experiencing great difficulty in discussing issues with industry stakeholders whilst it remains in its current disjointed form.

To commence the process of forming a peak industry body, there is a need to get input from a wide range of industry to discuss potential peak body structures and funding options and consider possible strategies/processes in creating a peak body. It is proposed that an independent consultant (with background industry knowledge) be used to liaise with stakeholders throughout the State regarding the concept of a peak body.

Objectives

1. Prepare a short review of structure and funding models used for other industry associations
2. Conduct an initial workshop to develop a preferred option for a Queensland peak body structure and funding
3. Liaise with key fishing and seafood industry members throughout regional Queensland to discuss the preferred option
4. Conduct a final workshop to agree on peak body structure and funding process and develop an implementation plan and working group

Final report

ISBN: 78-0-9941559-1-7
Authors: Ian Knuckey Chris Calogeras and Ewan Colquhoun Michael Gardner Marshal Betzel Scott Wiseman James Fogarty and Eric Perez
Final Report • 2015-01-01 • 15.10 MB
2012-512-DLD.pdf

Summary

Queensland’s commercial fisheries produce about $250 million of seafood annually, and contribute more than 10% of Australia’s seafood production in both quantity and value.  The fishing industry is diverse in species targeted, methods used and areas fished. There are around 1,500 licenced fishing boats operating in Queensland’s waters, comprised of 60 different fishery / gear.
The Queensland fishing industry currently lacks a peak organisation that adequately represents the majority of these licences.  While the Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) has undertaken this role in the past, a range of circumstances resulted in reduced representation and effectiveness.  Ongoing changes in the regulatory and marketing arenas, as well as increasing demands from NGOs continually raising sustainability issues have prompted QSIA and the Queensland Seafood Marketers Association (QSMA) to initiate this project to scope potential options, processes, funding models and structures for a peak body that can best meet the needs of today's seafood industry and represent the majority of licences.
 
The structure and funding models of other primary industry were reviewed to assist developing options for a future Queensland peak body (herein titled “Seafood Queensland” for simplicity).  These options were presented at an initial workshop with industry members, where they were refined and presented to the wider fishing and seafood industry throughout regional Queensland during port visits.  Some 2900 flyers for the port visits and hard copies for the survey were sent out resulting in 100 attending the port visits and 152 completing the survey. Feedback from the port visits, and results of an industry survey were used to draft a structure and funding model for Seafood Queensland, and propose a way of moving forwards. 
 
Amongst those industry members who completed the survey, there appears to be strong support amongst industry for a new seafood peak body, with about 80% of survey respondents stating that they would consider contributing financially to Seafood Queensland if it was tackling the issues they were concerned about and performing to their expectations.  The survey highlighted that the primary roles of Seafood Queensland should be representation and advocacy, lobbying government, stakeholder communication and consultation.  Membership should comprise wild catch, processor / wholesale and marketing sectors, but there was much less support for inclusion of aquaculture, charter boat, importer or retail sectors.  Seafood Queensland should have a regional-based structure comprising at least four regions, with a Chair elected from each region to be members of the Board.  Whilst the simplest mechanism for membership fees for Seafood Queensland would be a flat fee for each member, fees that are weighted according to the gross value of production (GVP) of each sector should be considered.  
With suggestions from this project on the roles and responsibilities, structure, membership and funding options, it is now up to industry to progress the process of establishing “Seafood Queensland”, but it is recommended that further steps be delayed until results of the recent Fisheries Management Review are available.
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
Adoption
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
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
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2015-204
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Realising economic returns of reducing waste through utilisation of bycatch in the GAB Trawl Sector of the SESSF

Fisheries bycatch reduction and utilisation is an important topic in the western world in both policy and research developments. At an international level, the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries directs management agencies and fisheries to reduce discards through development and...
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
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