There is increased awareness of the need for ecosystem-based fisheries management, with increased public expectations for sustainable management of fished stocks. However, reduced catch levels and increasing costs have stimulated industry calls for reductions in management costs, or for more effective use of the existing cost-recovered funds. Budget limitations have already led to annual fishery independent surveys (FIS) carried out less frequently, reduced observer monitoring (ISMP) to fund other projects, alternation of FIS and ISMP from year to year, use of Crew Member Observers (CMOs) to collect on-board length frequencies, retaining species at lower tier assessments instead of Tier 1 assessments, ad-hoc implementation of more multiyear TACs combined with adhoc implementation of break-out rules, reduction of the frequency of Tier1 stock assessments, and the postponement of critical Tier 1 stock assessments. Whilst all of these approaches are feasible and practical responses, their combined influence on the effectiveness of the monitoring and assessment at achieving desired management objectives has not been tested or demonstrated.

Current budget restrictions on AFMA have resulted in a departure from scheduled monitoring and assessment work, with increasing ad-hoc decisions about which components of that work undertaken each year. There is growing concern by stakeholders that the present monitoring and assessment program is incapable of addressing these developments. SETFIA and other industry associations are particularly concerned that fishing concession levies funding current arrangements will become unaffordable.

Given AFMA's legislative objectives to ensure ecologically sustainable development, to maximise net economic returns and to ensure cost-effective fisheries management, AFMA has proposed this project to develop proposals for a structured and cost-effective research, monitoring and assessment program to respond to requirements and emerging issues in the SESSF over the next 5 years. It may be possible to extend this horizon should a fully quantitative project follow this proposal.

The GAB Management Advisory Committee (GABMAC) and the GAB Industry Association (GABIA) have raised concerns that they do not have the data necessary to assess the GABTF's compliance with ESD principles. If the core objectives of The National Policy on Fisheries Bycatch are to be implemented for the GABTF, there is an essential need for baseline data on bycatch to be gathered. Once this information is available, they will be able to determine if bycatch levels are acceptable or if there are particular times or regions in which the bycatch levels in the GABTF are deemed too high. When a comprehensive understanding of the nature of the bycatch issue in the GABTF is established, it will be then possible to investigate the most appropriate ways of reducing the levels of bycatch.

Despite the past studies, the question of the stock structure of Australian orange roughy remains unresolved. Broadly, the evidence supports the concept of somewhat localised stocks although with some inter-stock migration - it is really the extent of the migration that remains unknown.

Current management plans are largely based on the premise that southern Tasmanian fish are from a distinct stock from St Helens Hill fish, yet evidence in favour or opposing this proposition is weak.

We propose here an analysis of the stock structure of Australian orange roughy based on the examination of DNA microsatellites. DNA microsatellites will enable a more powerful analysis of genetic stock structure than has hitherto been possible. The study will focus on the relationships of fish from eastern Australia (New South Wales, St Helens Hill, southern Tasmania) but will also examine samples from the Tasman Sea (in particular Lord Howe Rise), New Zealand, and, as a presumably reproductively isolated population, the North Atlantic.