156 results
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2015-300
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Social Science and Economics Research Coordination Program (SSERCP)

The SSERCP project has been successful in providing timely and relevant advice to the drafting and reviewing stages of RD&E priorities, projects and reports in order to maximise beneficial outcomes of this investment for fisheries and aquaculture. It has been successful in supporting the FRDC...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2011-773
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

SCRC: SCRC Abalone Research Forum

The main aim of this project was to engage with national and international industry members, researchers and managers, working on topics similar to CRC projects elsewhere in the world. The CRC Abalone Forum was run in Hobart in May 2012, in conjunction the 8th International Abalone Symposium in...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2012-718
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

SCRC: Seafood CRC Research Travel Grant: Targeted meetings with key research providers and industry personnel in the UK relevant to CRC projects 2011/703 and 2011/735

This trip involved targeted meetings with key research and industry personnel to consolidate the existing relationship and secure ongoing research support for two Seafood CRC student projects as well as to advance the research agendas developed as part of those projects and establish ongoing...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2023-005
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Research to support the development of a Tasmanian Sardine Fishery

This study documents the first comprehensive evaluation of the spawning biomass of the South Eastern Stock of Australian Sardine (Sardinops sagax). This stock occupies continental shelf waters from the Victorian-South Australian border, east through Bass Strait and along the north-western and...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
SPECIES
Blank

Tactical Research Fund: managing inshore stocks of southern rock lobster for a sustainable fishery

Project number: 2009-058
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $75,000.00
Principal Investigator: Bridget Green
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 29 Nov 2009 - 14 May 2011
Contact:
FRDC

Need

There is clearly a concern in the Tasmanian lobster industry about the status of inshore component of the stock. Catch has declined in a number of areas, despite improvements in catch rates. In the Northeast, catch is at record lows, but CPUE has remained stable, which is a possible indicator of hyper-stability or false stability. The apparent stability in catch rates occurs because aggregations containing a major proportion of the population are fished down, as the fleet moves from one area of good catch rates to the next, resulting in a serial depletion of the aggregations, which is masked by the apparent stability in the fishing block. This can result in a very sudden decline in biomass once the entire block is depleted, posing a serious and immediate risk to the inshore component of the stock. There are two potential sources of this problem. Firstly, the scale of the current assessment model, of eight inshore areas (64m) and three offshore areas (>64m) is not be fine enough to detect localised changes in the CPUE or biomass. Secondly there are changes in fishing practices that have increased effort on inshore stocks, and it is unclear whether the extra effort in these practices is adequately recorded in estimates of CPUE. There has been a recent increase in potting effort, commonly referred to as double night fishing, whereby fishers set and haul their pots twice a night, compared to the standard practice of emptying pots once at dusk and/or once during the day. Currently we have no data on the composition of the catch in double night shots, and what proportion of captured lobsters are handled and released, and in fact what consequence this handling has on the overall health of the fishery.

Objectives

1. Determine the extent of declines in the inshore stock by changing the current stock assessment model to assess stocks at a finer scale (&lt
30m and &gt
30m).
2. Assess whether increased effort in double night shots is adequately recorded in estimates of CPUE
include the differences in catch composition, size structure and the effects of handling on growth in assessments.
3. Assess the cost-effectiveness of double night fishing and compare short and long-term benefits.
4. Develop a management strategy evaluation, presenting options based on the results of the study.

Tactical Research Fund - Empowering Industry: energy audit of prawn trawler with auxiliary sail power

Project number: 2011-229
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $14,680.00
Principal Investigator: Giles A. Thomas
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 2 Oct 2011 - 10 Jun 2012
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Commercial fishing is one of the most energy intensive food production methods today and the Australian industry consumes approximately 205 million litres of diesel fuel per annum. The fishing industry needs to radically improve the energy efficiency of its operations primarily due to the rising cost of fuel and its effect on operating margins. The recent rapid increase in cost of diesel has reduced margins to such a low level that it is rapidly becoming uneconomical for operators to continue to trade. This has significant flow-on effects down the whole production-processing-retail chain.

In addition there is a global need to reduce the emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel combustion. The global fisheries industries emit annually more than 130 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Trawling is a very energy intensive fishing method, for example Australian prawn trawlers incur fuel costs of approximately 35% of total production costs. The use of alternative auxiliary powering systems, such as sails, has the potential to radically reduce fuel consumption by a combination of providing supplementary propulsive thrust and reducing vessel motions and consequent drag.

Several fishers in Australia have installed sails onto their vessels with the aim of reducing fuel consumption, but no investigations have been conducted to ascertain the effect the auxiliary systems actually have on fuel consumption, performance and costs. The results from an energy audit on such a vessel would provide valuable information to other fishers on the benefits, or otherwise, of fitting such a system to their vessel.

The need for this work was highlighted by the results from recent FRDC sponsored energy audits of fishing vessels. The 1st International Symposium on Energy Efficiency in Fishing was held in May 2010 and clearly emphasised the need for continuing RD&E in this area.

Objectives

1. Energy audit (level 2) on prawn trawler fitted with auxiliary sail system.
2. Collect data on effect of use of sail system on fuel consumption in varying environmental conditions.
3. Analyse energy audit data to determine effect of sail system on fuel consumption.
4. Disseminate information on effect of sail auxiliary power system to owners and operators of fishing vessels.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-86295-676-6
Author: Giles Thomas

Tactical Research Fund: Nutrient and phytoplankton data from Storm Bay to support sustainable resource planning

Project number: 2009-067
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $44,143.00
Principal Investigator: Christine D. Crawford
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 31 Jan 2010 - 6 Apr 2011
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Knowledge of changing environmental conditions and productivity as a result of climate change is essential for adaptive management. In addition to direct applicability to fisheries and aquaculture in southern Tasmania, this information will have numerous important applications to other industries and stakeholders in the broader catchment.

CSIRO and TAFI have established a program (INFORMD- Inshore network for observation and regional management: Derwent-Huon) to guide multiple use coastal zone development and management. Storm Bay is an integral component of the INFORMD region and a priority is to understand both the short term (climate variability) and long-term (climate change) drivers of productivity in the region and link these to production of fisheries and aquaculture. CSIRO have a project investigating novel observing technologies (NOTe) to characterize the Derwent to shelf environment and TAFI will fund a charter vessel to monthly sample water column environmental variables, and support the CSIRO observing system. Thus an opportunity exists to obtain nutrient and productivity data in the Storm Bay region in a very cost-effective manner by collaborating with the existing research program.

Important background information is that the East Australian Current is predicted to penetrate further south causing significant warming and decreased productivity. Previous work (Harris et al 1991) showed that the nutrient status of waters clearly indicated the influence of the EAC, and primary producers indicated the productivity of the region, demonstrating the potential for Storm Bay to act as an indicator of productivity for Southern and Eastern Tasmania. Such information is important to understanding changes in fisheries and aquaculture production and, as a consequence, to assist with developing climate change adaptive management strategies.

This project also provides an opportunity for FRDC to invest in a project that will have significant influence on multiple use management in Australia.

Objectives

1. To provide information on the effects of a changing climate on water quality in Storm Bay and associated potential impacts on fisheries and aquaculture.
2. To collect nutrient and algal data from a targeted suite of sampling sites in Storm Bay to support sustainable development of the aquaculture industry.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-86295-630-8
Author: Christine Crawford
Final Report • 2011-11-23 • 3.02 MB
2009-067-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project has provided preliminary data on environmental conditions in Storm Bay that is assisting managers and marine industries to better understand effects of climate change and climate variability on fisheries and aquaculture in the region, including changing currents and primary productivity. This information is being used to inform the development of climate change adaptive management strategies for commercial and recreational fisheries and for the potential expansion of salmon aquaculture into Storm Bay. The environmental characterisation of Storm Bay is also supporting planning in the region, by providing baseline data and data for projects modelling the bay’s water circulation and ecosystem dynamics. This information will support the development of multiple use management plans for the region.

Keywords: Climate variability, Storm Bay, water quality, productivity, offshore salmon aquaculture

View Filter

Organisation