A data management and reporting system and temporal and spatial analysis of historical catch records in the SA abalone fishery
Spawning biomass of Jack Mackerel (Trachurus declivis) in the East sub-area of the Small Pelagic Fishery during summer 2019
Assessment of potential for commercial yabbie farmlng
Seafood CRC: optimising business structures and fisheries management systems for key fisheries
The main causes of these major DECLINES IN FISHERY PERFORMANCE are substantial decreases in real prices (prawns, abalone), large increases in costs (all sectors) and, in a few cases, significant reductions in stock size and productivity (rock lobster).
In many fisheries major improvements in economic performance will only be achieved through MAJOR AND INTEGRATED CHANGES in operational procedures, business structures and resource management systems.
Inertia and active to resistance to change, within both government and industry, currently impede the implementation of the CULTURAL SHIFT that is required to revive the CRC’s ecologically-sustainable, but FINANCIALLY-CHALLENGED fisheries.
Major, integrated changes and cultural shifts require a clearly articulated VISION FOR THE FUTURE.
Convincing vision statements require EVIDENCE.
This project will provide the information that is needed for industry and government to develop the joint VISION STATEMENTS that are required to chart a clear pathway to a more profitable future for each selected CRC fishery.
Critical INFORMATION NEEDED TO UNDERPIN EACH VISION STATEMENT that this project will provide includes:
1. Objective assessments of the key FACTORS LIMITING FISHERY PERFORMANCE;
2. Comprehensive evaluations of the OPTIONS FOR INCREASING PROFITABILITY;
3. Clear advice about the COMPLEX AND INTER-RELATED CHANGES TO operational procedures, business structures and resource management systems that are required ACHIEVE MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS IN FISHERY PERFORMANCE;
4. A clear PATHWAY TO ADOPTION that recognises the inertia and resistance to change within government and industry that must be overcome for these MAJOR AND INTEGRATED CHANGES to be implemented.
Final report
There is currently an estimated economic gap (lost profit) in the CRC participant fisheries of approximately 40% or $200 million per annum.. If the economic gap could be halved from 40% to 20% the profitability of CRC fisheries would be improved by approximately $100 million. This project aimed to contribute to that outcome by identifying practical opportunities to improve their economic performance. This will be done by:
- Identifying key impediments to wealth creation (i.e. factors contributing to high costs and low revenue) in selected CRC fisheries.
- Describing the innovative operational procedures, business structures and fisheries management systems that have been established to improve the economic performance of successful fisheries worldwide.
- Identifying practical opportunities to improve the economic performance of CRC fisheries and outlining a pathway to adoption.
Therefore, this project aimed to:
- Assess the performance and identify impediments to wealth creation in selected CRC fisheries.
- Describe and evaluate innovative systems that have been established to improve the performance of successful fisheries worldwide.
- Identify practical opportunities for overcoming impediments to wealth creation and improving the performance of selected CRC fisheries
Informing the structural reform of South Australia's Marine Scalefish Fishery
South Australia’s Marine Scalefish Fishery (MSF) is currently undergoing a strategic review with the principal aim of restructuring the fishery in order to ensure its long-term sustainability and economic viability. The heterogeneous mixture of participants, fishing devices, licence conditions and regulations associated with this fishery makes the tasks of administering and managing it extremely challenging. These complexities intertwined within a highly dynamic fleet that is capable of shifting fishing effort amongst species and regions often alters the emphasis of its overarching management. Industry and Government are working collaboratively to address the inherent complexities of the fishery through firstly developing a mechanism to rationalise the fleet, then reforming its overall structure, and ultimately refining its future management. In order to optimise this structural reform, it is necessary to disentangle and understand the fleet dynamics of this extremely complex fishery. This project aims to explore the implications of strategic management options (e.g. regionalisation, licensing, ITQ’s and ITE’s) on the future structure and viability of the MSF, from resource sustainability, economic and social perspectives.
Final report
This study was undertaken by the South Australia Research and Development Institute (SARDI) in collaboration with PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture, BDO EconSearch, the Marine Fishers Association (MFA), Fishwell Consulting and University of Canberra. This project guided the reform of South Australia’s commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery (MSF) by providing scientific advice and analyses to underpin its implementation. The MSF is a multi-sector, multi-gear and multi-species fishery, making any management reform a complex and difficult process. Both the sustainability of key stocks and commercial fishery’s economic performance have been deteriorating over a 20-year period; significantly influenced by fishery overcapitalisation. Simply put, there were too many fishers and not enough fish to support a vibrant and sustainable commercial fishery. This was addressed through the three ‘pillars’ of the reform: regionalisation, unitisation and rationalisation. These pillars were reflected in the reform with: 1) the creation of four new zones of management; 2) implementation of individual transferable quotas (ITQs) for appropriate ‘Tier 1’ stocks; and 3) rationalisation of the commercial MSF fleet by removing one third of licences through a voluntary licence surrender program (VLSP). These pillars were supported by research on the biological, economic and social carrying capacity of the fishery. The reform was implemented on 1 July 2021 resulting in a fishery that has regional management with appropriate output controls and a reduced fleet size.