4 results

Characterising the fish habitats in the Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia

Project number: 2001-060
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $609,172.00
Principal Investigator: Gary Kendrick
Organisation: University of Western Australia (UWA)
Project start/end date: 7 Dec 2001 - 5 Dec 2005
:

Need

Fisheries WA demonstrated in their Aquaculture Plan for the Recherche Archipelago (Fisheries WA 2000) that one of the major factors slowing development in this region is lack of accurate spatially explicit data on the distributions of benthic habitats and the influence of currents and wind generated waves. This information is required to aid the selection of suitable offshore aquaculture facilities and in the development of multiple use management plans.

This FRDC application, rather than focusing on cultural, economic and social elements of resource planning concentrates on the physical and biological data requirements. Many important cultural, economic and social issues have been identified in community and industry consultation by Fisheries WA during the development of the Aquaculture plan for the recherche Archipelago (Fisheries WA, 2000). The major outcome from these documents was that most other users of the Archipelago (Tourism, Shipping, Recreational and other commercial fishermen) indicated they were not happy with wholesale aquaculture development until accurate assessments of the benthic habitats and oceanography were completed over a wide spatial scale within the Archipelago. The recognition of this need has provided impetus resulting in aquaculture proponents (MG Kailis, Maritime Training Centre of Esperance), other fisheries (Esperance Professional Fishers Association, Esperance Professional Abalone Divers Association, 2 Recreational Angling Clubs), shipping concerns (Esperance Port Authority and industries utilising the port), tourism (Goldfields Esperance Development Commission), government departments (CALM, Fisheries WA, The Esperance Shire) and local concerned citizens (Recherche Action Group, Local Environmental Action Forum) all providing formal support for this application.

These groups see the need for representative broad scale bio-physical information to be used in the integrated planning to ensure the compatibility and sustainability of a diverse range of marine a coastal activities. This will ensure that the quality of the environment and the quality of life experienced by the populace living in Recherche Archipelago region is balanced with the need for new job creation in the region.

The 2.5 year research program we describe in this proposal will fulfil bio-physical data requirements for that planning process. This data will be available for incorporation into existing regional planning documents written in conjunction with cultural economic and social components that have been collected by Fisheries WA. It will also compliment and enhance information collected and developed by the Marine Group of the Department of Conservation and Land Management as part of the community and industry consultation involved in the MPA planning process.

Objectives

1. To identify, classify and map the distribution of, different benthic habitats in the Recherche Archipelago and link their distributions to bottom type and exposure to swells and currents.
2. To provide detailed ecological information to contribute to the responsible management of aquaculture fisheries in the region.
3. To increase community awareness of fish habitats through community involvement in the development of the planned biophysical surveys and through community and stakeholder consultation and presentations.

Final report

ISBN: 1-74052-123-6
Author: Gary Kendrick
Final Report • 2006-02-21 • 31.40 MB
2001-060-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project is a joint Esperance community (through the Recherche Advisory Group - RAG), research scientist and resource management project. The commitment of RAG has allowed the researchers to efficiently transfer scientific information to the general public of Esperance and the South Coast of Western Australia and keep the research focused on management outcomes.

The outcomes of this report are:

  1. The design of a hierarchical classification scheme of benthic habitats in the Recherche Archipelago.
  2. An extensive habitat map of the Western Recherche Archipelago at both broad and functional habitat classifications and less detailed habitat maps of duke of Orleans Bay and Cape Arid to Middle Island.
  3. An oceanographic model of the influence of ocean swells on the Western Recherche Archipelago. This model includes an assessment of swell driven shear at the benthos.
  4. A broad scale fisheries-independent non-destructive survey of the demersal fish of the Recherche from Esperance Bay to Cape Arid. The survey was designed to capture habitat differences in fish assemblages. 
  5. A broad scale (within the Western Archipelago) survey of the infauna found in a range of soft bottom habitats including coarse sands, rhodoliths and sparsely vegetated sands.
  6. Fine scale diversity surveys of reef communities on islands in the archipelago from Figure of Eight to Middle Island. These surveys integrate information from both habitat mapping and physical oceanographic modelling.

Keywords: habitat, classification, mapping, oceanography, benthic, algae, infauna, sessile invertebrate

The use of BRUVs as a tool for assessing marine fisheries and ecosystems: A review of the hurdles and potential

Project number: 2010-002
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $30,000.00
Principal Investigator: Euan S. Harvey
Organisation: University of Western Australia (UWA)
Project start/end date: 14 Aug 2010 - 29 Nov 2010
:

Need

National reviews of Fisheries R&D needs (FRDC95/055) have identified the need for non-extractive, fishery-independent sampling and stock assessment techniques which are cost-effective, repeatable and robust across and range of habitats and depths. These methods are becoming increasingly important as Australian fisheries face the challenge of addressing ecosystem based fisheries management and climate change. A national workshop on the use of video for sensing the size and abundance of target and non-target fauna in Australian fisheries (FRDC2000/187) highlighted the potential for Baited Remote Underwater Video systems (BRUVs). After a decade, there has been wide adoption of this technique. However, differences in protocols for deployment, analysis and interpretation make spatial and temporal
comparisons of data difficult.

There is the need to develop a robust set of nationally agreed upon protocols to ensure that users are appropriately informed and trained through a comprehensive extension and capacity building program that also identifies key unresolved technical issues.

With the increased testing and use of BRUVs a number of independent developments have occurred. Future technological advances and more detailed statistical and modelling approaches will result in the BRUVs data being more useful for ecosystem assessment and management. Maximising the potential that these advances will provide to Australian fisheries will be achieved by a co-ordinated and
collaborative research strategy. We propose to host a two day workshop to critically evaluate the use of BRUVs as a data collection tool
for scalefishes and sharks. The workshop will identify the strengths, limitations and identify potential solutions.

Objectives

1. To critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of data collected with BRUVS for detecting changes in the relative abundance, length frequency and community composition of scalefishes and sharks.
2. To identify potential solutions to limitations.
3. To develop a nationally agreed to protocol for the deployment of BRUVs and the analysis of the resulting imagery.
Industry
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PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-011
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Optimising Compliance Outcomes in Recreational Fisheries

This study investigated strategies to enhance compliant participation among recreational fishers, using the Peel-Harvey Blue Swimmer Crab fishery in Western Australia (WA) and the Blue Swimmer Crab fishery in South Australia (SA) as case studies. 
ORGANISATION:
University of Western Australia (UWA)
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