Improving the precision of estimates of egg production and spawning biomass obtained using the Daily Egg Production Method
Seafood CRC: optimising the size and quality of sardines through real-time harvest monitoring
Summer spawning patterns and preliminary Daily Egg Production Method survey of Jack Mackerel and Sardine off the East Coast
Movement patterns and stock structure of Australian sardine (Sardinops sagax) off South Australia and the East Coast: implications for future stock assessment and management
This project is needed to assess the potential for increasing catches of sardine in the fisheries off SA (i.e. SASF) and the East Coast (i.e. NSW Ocean Haul Fishery and SPF).
For the SASF, information on the patterns and rates of movement of sardines between the Great Australian Bight (where the majority of the spawning biomass is located) and southern Spencer Gulf (where most fishing is conducted) is needed to determine whether (or not) future potential increases in the TAC should be accompanied by the establishment of zones within the fishery.
For the NSW Ocean Haul Fishery and SPF, information on the patterns and rates of movement of sardines along the East Coast is needed to assess the extent to which estimates of spawning biomass from northern NSW and southern Qld waters reflect the size of the entire sardine stock off eastern Australia.
Final report
Seafood CRC: improving quality of Australian Sardines through utilization of flow-ice technology
This project will contribute toward Seafood CRC Program 1B:
Output 1.7 "Smart processing technologies and practices"
Milestone 1.7.2
Application of innovative technologies for controlling spoilage to enhance shelf-life and marketability
Milestone 1.7.6
Harvest, post-harvest and processing practices evaluated and enhanced to maximise and protect quality attributes
Milestone 1.7.8.
Technology and capability to support innovation of new seafood products developed
This project fits into the CRC “smart processing” theme
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Global economic factors and market forces warrant the need for a significant portion of the SASF harvest to diversify from the domestic tuna feed market into higher value markets. This need is in part driven by the strength of the Australian dollar. Over the last 24 months the volume of relatively cheap imported feed has forced a significant decrease in the beach price of locally caught sardines, necessary so local catch can maintain market share. The strength of the dollar is forecast to remain high.
The South Australian Sardine Industry needs to diversify its market base and increase the portion of the annual catch that is value-added to offset the issues described above, and the associated risks of sustained low returns.
The marketability of South Australian sardines is negatively affected by high volume of the nightly catch and the limited capacity of most sardine vessels to adequately chill fish on board. There is a need to trial technology that will remove heat from fish immediately postharvest more efficiently than current practices. This will reduce spoilage and extend the shelf-life for value-added grade fish.
The implementation of post-harvest technologies such as flow-ice at the point of capture will assist the production of a higher quality product which, in turn, should increase the GVP of the SASF.
Final report
This project assessed the utility of flow-ice in preserving the freshness of Australian Sardines from the point of harvest to processing, and wholesale and retail supply chains. Trials were carried out on the Gemma Marie (White Fisheries) based at Port Lincoln, South Australia. Experiments involved comparisons between flow ice (FI), ice slurry (IS) and refrigerated seawater (RSW) at a fish:cooling medium ratio of 1:1. Core temperatures were recorded from fish stored in FI and IS for up to two days; with associated shelf-life trials running up to six days. Fish were also sent to markets (SAFCOL, Angelakis and Cappo Bros in Adelaide, and Sydney Fish Market) for appraisal and sale.
The data collected indicated the greater cooling effectiveness of flow ice and its beneficial effect on fish quality (through lower Quality Index Method (QIM) scores). Sardines in FI reached 2°C after approximately nine minutes and O°C within 11 minutes. Fish in IS took 30 minutes to reach 2°C and few cooled beyond this point. All batches of fish chilled with FI that were sent to market as part of this study were better than average, and, in one case, the best they had seen in a long time. However, there was no difference in price between sardines chilled in flow ice and those chilled in ice slurry. The study was terminated due to persistent mechanical failures of the leased flow ice machine. Thus, further work is necessary to explore the potential of flow ice, particularly at higher fish:cooling medium ratios. It may be that auction market price is not the best indicator of product quality and it is therefore suggested that QIM and other tests such as further storage, and filleting and cooking trials be carried out using sardines treated with the technology.
Establishing ecosystem-based management for the South Australian sardine fishery: developing ecological performance indicators and reference points to assess the need for ecological allocations
Provisions of the Commonwealth Environment and Biodiversity Conservation Act require strategic assessment and, if necessary, mitigation of the ecological effects of fishing, including trophic impacts.
The strategic assessment of the South Australian pilchard fishery identified the need to measure and minimize the impacts of the fishery
on the “broader ecosystem” and “to review the current ecological management objectives, management strategies and performance indicators”.
However, operational ecological performance indicators and mitigating strategies have not yet been established for any pelagic fishery in Australia, and there is no agreed scientific framework for establishing these tools.
In recognition of -
1) the high profile of the SA pilchard fishery (as Australia’s largest pelagic fishery);
2) the important ecological role of pilchards in the Flinders Current Ecosystem;
3) the high economic value and conservation significance of the region’s marine predators;
4) and the sophisticated (single-species) stock assessment procedures and management arrangements that have been established,
members of the South Australian pilchard fishery have identified the need to establish “world’s best practices” for managing the potential ecological impacts of the fishery. In response to this need, fishers have invested $620K to assess the role of pilchards in the Flinders Current Ecosystem and to begin to develop ecological performance indicators and reference points for their fishery.
Currently, there is no scientific framework to assess whether the management arrangements that have been established for the SA Pilchard Fishery are sufficiently conservative to ensure that fishery is managed according to the principles of ESD (i.e. that fishing does not significantly affect the status of other components of the ecosystem, Fletcher et al. 2002).
In recognition of the large data sets and extended timeframes that are needed to establish and assess ecological performance indicators and reference points for pelagic fisheries, members of the South Australian pilchard fishery have also agreed to invest a further $310K (cash) to support the additional ecological research that is outlined in this proposal.
This project addresses the pressing need to develop a scientific framework for establishing ecological performance indicators and reference points for pelagic fisheries. The focus on the SA pilchard fishery is necessary, as such a large and complex undertaking could only be contemplated in large and valuable fishery that has sophisticated stock assessment procedures and management arrangements in place, and can thus afford to allocate significant resources to support the establishment of an ecosystem-based management system.
This project is needed to refine the management plan for Australia’s largest fishery to include ecological perfomance indicators and reference points and to ensure that research and management systems for the fishery correspond with, or exceed, world’s best practice by incorporating scientifically-based approaches for assessing and, if necessary, mitigating, the fishery's potential trophic impacts.
Projects such as this are needed to maintain Australia’s position as the world leader in the ecosystem-based management of fisheries.