To satisfy the constitution of the WRLC, a Western Rocklobster Fishery Industry Congress must be held every two years.

To alleviate the extreme degree of uncertainty around all issues facing the Western Rocklobster fishery i.e. sustainability of stock and fishermen, management regime, marketing and marine parks all need to be addressed in a public forum where informed discussion can occur.

To address and improve upon the lack of cohesion across all sectors of the Western Rocklobster fishery.

To provide a forum which will allow for Industry consultation to occur regarding the best management regime for the WRLF i.e. input versus output debate. This will assist the WRLC as the industry peak body representative to put forward an industry consensus to RLIAC which will then allow the Minister for Fisheries to make a decision which will be supported by the great majority of MFL holders in the WRLF.

For the WRL fishery, this situation has resulted primarily from a relatively static beach price for lobster and increasing fuel, labour and other input costs. A major driver for input costs in this fishery is the number of pot lifts, which is currently about 10 million annually, equating to a total cost of ~$60 million (average cost per potlift - $6.00). If a lobster trap could be introduced into this fishery with a volume approx twice that of traditional pots, thereby enabling fishers to capitalise on the gregarious nature of the animal whilst preventing escapees, the fishing behaviour of the fleet would adapt accordingly to focus on primarily extended soaks i.e. 48 and 72 hours. It is envisaged that the cost savings associated with this shift in fishing behaviour would translate to a more economically viable fleet.

The introduction of a lobster trap which causes a reduction in the number of pot lifts has the potential to enhance the primary measure of exploitation in the WRLF namely, catch per unit effort (CPUE). A 10-20% reduction in pot lifts over an entire season would result in cost savings to the tune of $6-12 million annually. This project aims to trial a lobster trap which will encourage fishers to alter their fishing behaviour thereby increasing their CPUE which translates directly to cost savings in fuel and bait usage.

The decision to use more efficient pots could be undertaken at an individual fisher level, but this requires robust conversion rates for any modified design(s) to ensure that the integrity of the fishery's input based management system is not compromised. The potential for further cost savings arising through the purchase and maintenance of licences containing lesser numbers of entitlements is also likely.

Given the current cost-price squeeze, the WA FRAB and the WRL Industry have highlighted business improvement/cost competitiveness within the fishing industry as a priority for research. For the WRL fishery, this situation has resulted primarily from a relatively static beach price for lobster and increasing fuel, labour and other input costs. A major driver for input costs in this fishery is the number of pot lifts, which is currently about 10 million annually, equating to a total cost of ~$60 million (average cost per potlift - $6.00). This is one area where input costs may be reduced.

The fishery currently has strict controls on the pot characteristics to maintain equity among participants and to ensure exploitation rates remain constant. By improving the catching efficiency of the pots the same annual landings could be achieved with a far lower number of pot lifts. For example, an increase in the fishing efficiency of a lobster pot by 10-20% would reduce pot lifts by 10-20% and return to the industry a minimum cost saving in excess of $3-6 million annually. An industry based working group will aim to develop more efficient pots which will provide additional cost savings in fuel and bait usage.

The decision to use more efficient pots could be undertaken at an individual fisher level, but this requires robust conversion rates for any modified design(s) to ensure that the integrity of the fishery's input based management system is not compromised.