4 results

Assessing the efficiency of alternative pot designs for the Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) fishery

Project number: 2016-258
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $253,399.00
Principal Investigator: Lachlan McLeay
Organisation: University of Adelaide
Project start/end date: 31 Jul 2017 - 30 May 2020
Contact:
FRDC

Need

This project is an industry lead initiative aimed at investigating the potential for alternative pot designs to increase catch efficiency. All Southern Rock Lobster fisheries within Australia are now managed under total allowable commercial catches (TACCs). As a consequence, these fisheries are not regulated by controlling capture efficiency or fishing effort, so improving the catch efficiency of commercial fishing operations offers an opportunity to substantially improve net economic return with minimal risk of compromising management effectiveness. Currently in South Australia, Southern Rock Lobster are captured with pots designed in line with State fishing gear regulations. However, alternative pot designs may have the potential to increase fleet efficiency through increased catch rates, thereby lowering overall operating costs. In order to assess the relative capture efficiency of alternative pot designs and any impacts to bycatch, catches per potlift of (i) legal size lobster (ii) undersized lobster (iii) spawning lobster; and (iv) bycatch need to be determined. In addition, if alternative pot designs are adopted, given the use of legal-size catch rate as the principal input to harvest strategy decision rules, legal size catch rate estimated from the alternative pots will need to be calibrated with that estimated from pots currently used in the fishery. If relative capture efficiency varies with overall catch rate, this will need to be estimated and subsequently incorporated, into new harvest strategy decision rules.

Objectives

1. Assess the catch efficiency of alternative pot designs for capturing Southern Rock Lobster through CPUE indices of (i) legal sized lobsters (ii) undersized lobsters (iii) spawning (ovigerous) female lobsters and (iv) primary bycatch species.
2. For one alternative pot design proposed by industry, develop and apply methods to calibrate alternative pot design raw CPUE for use in harvest strategy decision rules.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-876007-46-1
Authors: McLeay L. Mark K. McGarvey R. and Linnane A.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2000-211
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Rock Lobster Enhancement and Aquaculture Subprogram: investigation of tail fan damage in live-held adult rock lobsters

An earlier project on liveholding of adult southern rock lobster, RLEAS 98/305, demonstrated that adult SRL could survive, feed, moult and grow when held in sea cages or raceways and fed an artificial diet developed in RLEAS 98/303. The major obstacle identified to such an industry was that...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1998-150
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Development and assessment of methods to reduce the predation of pot-caught southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) by maori octopus (Octopus maorum)

The SARLF is the State’s most valuable wild fishery with estimated export earnings of >$100 million in 2002. The fishery is a closed entry fishery with 250 licence-holders and is divided into the Northern and Southern Zones. Lobsters are caught in baited pots that are generally set...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide
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