54 results

A South Australian gulfs and coastal ecosystem model to optimise multi-species fisheries management in a changing environment

Project number: 2018-011
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $218,932.00
Principal Investigator: Simon D. Goldsworthy
Organisation: University of Adelaide
Project start/end date: 3 Jun 2019 - 17 Dec 2020
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The SA State Government has made a commitment to reform the Marine Scalefish Fishery (MSF) that aims to provide long-term sustainability of key stocks for both recreational and commercial fisheries, and unlock the industries economic potential. The key reforms include a voluntary buy-back scheme targeting the removal of at least 30% of commercial licences and the introduction of new zoning and quota management regulations. The timeframe for the reforms will be determined in consultation with the industry. Details on the implementation strategy have yet to be developed, but will need to be underpinned by extensive stakeholder consultation and backed by research that provides confidence that among the approaches considered, those chosen will best deliver the intent of the reforms.

This project aims to develop an SA Gulfs and Coastal ecosystem model to provide a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) tool to assess and optimise a range of reform scenarios. The project will link in closely with FRDC 2017/014 (Informing structural reform in the MSF), utilising many of its key outputs, including time series of spatial distribution of catch and effort, social-economic performance, and reform implementation scenarios. This project also will extend the investigation by integrating environmental time-series data to evaluate changes in productivity over time, identified as a potential factor in declining fisheries catches in the GSV ecosystem (FRDC 2013/031). Identifying the causes of productivity loss and its impact on fish production are important to resolve, especially in the context of the MSF reforms. Ultimately, the project aims to provide decision support tools to assess and evaluate the performance of diverse fisheries management strategies, and how these may perform under varying production regimes. Such an approach will provide a platform to evaluate and optimise the effectiveness of management strategies, and help ensure the fishery reforms achieve their key objectives.

Objectives

1. Develop an SA Gulfs and Coastal Ecosystem model to provide a MSE tool to inform and optimise multi-regional management, quotas for multi-species fisheries and multi-sector harvest strategies
2. Use the model to run scenarios to assess, evaluate and optimise Marine Scalefish Fishery reform options
3. Assess potential production loss issues, and evaluate how different MSF reform options may perform under different future production scenarios

Measuring, interpreting and monitoring economic productivity in commercial fisheries

Project number: 2019-026
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $248,572.00
Principal Investigator: Stephanie F. McWhinnie
Organisation: University of Adelaide
Project start/end date: 31 Jan 2020 - 27 Feb 2022
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The development of indicators to measure and monitor the performance of fisheries against economic objectives continues to challenge fisheries managers. To date economic metrics have focused on various measures of profitability, and this has been limited to relative few fisheries due to the costs and time involved in collecting the information.
The use of productivity analysis provides an alternative approach to measure and monitor performance in fisheries. It is a broad area of economic analysis that largely estimates how the level and combination of inputs used by fishers affects their level of output, revenue or profitability. From this, the level of efficiency within a fishery can be determined, and how this efficiency level changes over time can be monitored. The role of management in influencing efficiency can also be directly determined. Measures of capacity utilization also provide information on the level (and changes in) excess capacity, which can be used to develop a proxy measure for the optimal fleet size.
Many productivity measures can be derived from available logbook data, while more detailed measures can be obtained from the full economic data (e.g., socio-economics of fishers, vessel characteristics, environmental conditions). These approaches can also provide information about fisher behavior, such as targeting ability in multispecies fisheries, and their response to changes in price and costs, as well as provide information on what is driving changes in profitability (e.g., prices, costs or management). In addition, appropriate measures can be identified to assist managers bridge commercial and other fisheries sectors.
The application of these techniques in Australian fisheries has been limited, and their ability to provide cost-effective information useful for management has not been fully examined. Outside fisheries, productivity has proven to be a useful economic indicator and its potential in Australian fisheries needs to be assessed. This project will meet this need by asking: In what contexts do indicators of productivity and productivity change provide a useful addition to other measures of fisheries economic performance.

Objectives

1. To review the use of productivity analysis as a performance indicator and in management assessment in fisheries and assess the contexts in which it provides additional insights for effective management.
2. To demonstrate the use of productivity measurement and analysis as a performance indicator in three Australian fisheries.
3. To develop a guide for managers to illustrate how productivity analysis can provide relevant and cost-effective economic performance indicators and how these can be used to inform management decisions.

Seminar

Authors: Presented by Stephanie McWhinnie Sean Pascoe Eriko Hoshino and Peggy Schrobback
Seminar • 2022-05-25

Summary

View the webinar at https://youtu.be/DGDYhk3rITQ

 

The development of indicators to measure and monitor the performance of fisheries against economic objectives continues to challenge fisheries managers. 

The purpose of this webinar is to provide an overview of productivity analysis and the role it can play in supporting fisheries management. In particular, the webinar illustrates how productivity analysis can provide information about relevant and cost-effective economic performance indicators for fisheries. 

Three case studies - Commonwealth Northern Prawn, SA Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn, and Queensland Spanner Crab - are used as examples of what can be measured using typical Australian fisheries data.

Project products

Guide • 2022-05-25 • 8.48 MB
2019-026 Guide to Using Productivity Analysis in Fisheries Management.pdf

Summary

The purpose in this guide is to provide an overview of productivity analysis and the role it can play in supporting fisheries management. In particular, the guide will illustrate how productivity analysis can provide information about relevant and cost-effective economic performance indicators for fisheries.
Final Report • 2022-08-23 • 3.21 MB
2019-026-DLD.pdf

Summary

This report brings together a body of knowledge from over 30 years of Australian and international research and illustrates how productivity analysis can provide additional insights for fisheries management. Our comprehensive review identifies a maturing of the literature from asking questions simply about ‘what’ towards ‘how’ and ‘why’, with key gaps remaining. Using the findings from the review to inform our methodological approach, we analyse three Australian case studies to illustrate: how different metrics can be used to identify productivity in fisheries; the consistency of these metrics; how they relate to other measures of economic performance; and, where relevant, the impact of productivity measurement on management change. The case studies are the Commonwealth Northern Prawn Fishery, the South Australian Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fisheries, and the Queensland Spanner Crab Fishery.
Film/Video

Summary

View video at https://youtu.be/pb6buEp8FUE

This video features the topic of Measuring, Interpreting and Monitoring Economic Productivity in Commercial Fisheries.

Film/Video • 2022-08-04

Summary

View video at https://youtu.be/N0pbJYsiDWY

 

This video features the topic of Measuring, Interpreting and Monitoring Economic Productivity in the Commonwealth Northern Prawn Fishery.

Film/Video • 2022-08-04

Summary

View video at https://youtu.be/NEoE5MlQKGs

 

This video features the topic of Measuring, Interpreting and Monitoring Economic Productivity in the South Australian Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fisheries.

Film/Video • 2022-08-23

Summary

View video at https://youtu.be/jlrk-acYieg

 

This video features the topic of Measuring, Interpreting and Monitoring Economic Productivity in the Queensland Spanner Crab Fishery.

 

Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-012
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Postgraduate funding - Stock structure and connectivity of Black Bream including implications for management

The research in this report was undertaken as part of Koster Sarakinis’s PhD project at the University of Adelaide supervised by Professor Bronwyn Gillanders (University of Adelaide), Dr Patrick Reis Santos (University of Adelaide), Dr Qifeng Ye (SARDI Aquatic Sciences), and Dr Jason...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide

World Fisheries Congress 2020 - Sharing our Oceans and Rivers: a 2020 vision for the world’s fisheries

Project number: 2018-059
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $200,000.00
Principal Investigator: Jane Ham
Organisation: University of Adelaide
Project start/end date: 14 Nov 2018 - 29 Apr 2021
Contact:
FRDC

Need

With fisheries resources under increasing pressure globally from both fishing and non-fishing activities, and the rapid expansion of aquaculture presenting both opportunities and challenges, there is a need to enhance cooperation and collaboration among fisheries professionals to ensure the world’s oceans and rivers are managed sustainably for the benefit of current and future generations.
The WFC2020 aims to attract fisheries professional worldwide by promoting an engaging program featuring internationally recognised keynote speakers that will prompt debate and discussion about new research, fisheries utilisation and access, and management implications and actions.
FRDC funding is sought to assist organisers generate successful outcomes by facilitating greater benefits and appeal to delegates. Funds will contribute to the overall Congress budget, and assist in providing dedicated resources to ensure successful planning and organisation of the event. This may include: attracting high profile international keynote speakers; world-class venue facilities; event promotion; and creating a legacy to the wider community.
This proposal addresses two of FRDC’s national priorities:
(i) Ensuring that Australian fishing and aquaculture products are sustainable and acknowledged to be so.
(ii) Improving productivity and profitability of fishing and aquaculture.
The WFC2020 provides an opportunity for the Australian and New Zealand seafood industries to demonstrate to the international fisheries community and the broader public that they are leaders in sustainable management of fisheries and aquatic systems, producing some of the highest quality sustainable seafood in the world. Furthermore, the Congress will provide the local fishing, aquaculture, recreational and indigenous sectors with unparalleled access to the latest research, technological developments and updates on global markets.
People Development is also addressed in this proposal, in encouraging knowledge transfer and R&D adoption within the international fisheries community and providing an opportunity for the Australian and New Zealand fishing industries to take a lead role in debating and discussing current and future research.

Objectives

1. Deliver a successful World Fisheries Congress 2020 that explores the challenge of fishing sustainability
advances and promotes international developments
and fosters cooperation and engagement in identifying critical developments needed to ensure the world’s oceans and rivers are managed sustainably for the benefit of current and future generations.

Final report

Author: Jane Ham and Gavin Begg
Final Report • 2022-11-01 • 12.26 MB
2018-059-DLD.pdf

Summary

The World Fisheries Congress is the premier international fisheries congress, bringing together research, industry and management to discuss the latest advances in fisheries world-wide. The 8th World Fisheries Congress, hosted from Adelaide, Australia from 20 to 24 September 2021, was led

by the South Australian Government (Department of Primary Industries and Regions – PIRSA, including the South Australian Research and Development Institute – SARDI) in partnership with the Adelaide Convention Bureau and the Adelaide Convention Centre and the Fisheries Research and

Development Corporation (FRDC); and support from the Australian Society for Fish Biology (ASFB) and industry and government agencies from other jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand. The World Fisheries Congress 2021 (WFC2021) was delivered as a fully virtual event allowing the

international fisheries community to come together and exchange ideas at a time when travel was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In total, the Congress delivered over 800 presentations, covering a broad range of topics critical to the future of fisheries, and attracted 1,166 delegates from 60 countries.

The Congress provided an opportunity to reflect on how much has changed since the first World Fisheries Congress was held almost 30 years ago, as was evident by the developments and thought-provoking work presented and discussed over the week of the Congress. The Congress also

highlighted the many issues that remained, as well as identified new issues that have emerged. Importantly, discussions and presentations indicated that despite the persistence of some issues, we have advanced our thinking and actions and are moving forward in the right direction.

Every session and presentation were recorded and will remain available on the WFC2021 virtual portal for six months post congress. Plenary presentations and presentations of student award winners have been made publicly available on the WFC2021 website.

Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-147
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Risk factors and management strategies associated with summer mortality in Australian abalone

In this project, we reviewed the scientific literature and collaborated with Australian abalone growers to develop a case definition for summer mortality. The case definition developed for summer mortality is as follows: i. Chronic mortality of unknown cause (if in doubt take this to mean...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide
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