11 results
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-072
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Multiple - Before After Control Impact analysis of the effect of a 3D marine seismic survey on Danish Seine catch rates

The project is a four phase research program being conducted in the Danish seine commercial fishery off Lakes Entrance that looks to: 1. Examine effect of seismic testing on Danish seine catch rates of Tiger Flathead 2. Examine effect of seismic testing on Danish seine catch rates...
ORGANISATION:
The Trustee for Knuckey Family Trust
TAGS
Survey
Seismic
Rac Cmwth
Modelling
Fishing Gear
SPECIES
School Whitings
Tiger Flatheads
Whitings
Flatheads
Blank

Demand Conditions and Dynamics in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery: Empirical Investigation

Project number: 2018-017
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $146,216.00
Principal Investigator: Sean Pascoe
Organisation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart
Project start/end date: 4 Nov 2018 - 29 Jun 2020
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Supply &Amp; Demand
Rac Cmwth
Human Dimensions Research
Economic
SPECIES
Gemfish
Jackass Morwong
Silver Trevally
John Dory
Mirror Dory

Need

The FRDC HDR has identified the lack of information on markets and price formation in Australian fisheries as a major research gap. The need for such analyses has also been discussed within the AFMA Economics working group, as such information was seen as essential in supporting fisheries management.

This project is an attempt to reduce this research gap. In doing so, the information produced will be of benefit to fisheries managers, fishers and the broader community as we move our fisheries closer to maximising net economic returns.

The focus of this study is on the markets relevant to the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF), which is the main supplier of fresh fish to the Sydney and Melbourne markets. To date, only very limited empirical research has been conducted for these fisheries in Australia [4-6], most of which is now fairly old and is unlikely to be valid for current market conditions. Since the early 2000s the seafood market in Australia has changed, for example, due to increasing seafood imports and increasing domestic aquaculture production. Hence, market dynamics for products supplied by domestic fisheries may have also altered.

This case study was identified by the FRDC HDR as of high importance due to the current challenges facing the fisher in terms of unfilled quotas. One potential contributing reason that quotas are not being taken is that to do so would result in lower prices; of potential benefit to consumers but not to producers. Instead, the lower catches may be supporting higher prices. The outcomes of this project can provide insights into the extent of to which the marker is contributing to quota undercatch.

The study will focus on the impact of changes in supply on the price received on the markets. While the potential response of fishers to these changes in price (including avoiding large catches) is also of relevance to fishery managers, this will require further bioeconomic modelling work that is beyond the scope of this study, but may be seen as a high priority for future research.

Objectives

1. Estimate the degree of integration between the different species and between the markets for fresh fish in Sydney and Melbourne
and
2. Estimate the short term and long term effects of changes in quantity supplied of key species in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) on the price received on the Sydney and Melbourne fish markets

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-925994-20-9
Authors: Sean Pascoe Peggy Schrobback Eriko Hoshino and Robert Curtotti
Final Report • 2021-02-01 • 5.37 MB
2018-017-DLD.pdf

Summary

This final report, a collaboration between economists from CSIRO, CQU and ABARES, is the first detailed analysis of the interrelationship between fish prices on the Sydney and Melbourne fish markets. In addition, the study derived empirical estimates of the own and cross-price flexibilities for the main species on the Sydney Fish Market.
Data for the Melbourne market were limited following the closure of the central market in 2010. Despite this, the results of the cointegration analysis indicate that the Sydney and Melbourne markets were highly integrated over the period of the available data. That is, prices for a given species on each market tended to move together. Hence, the two markets can effectively be considered a single market, at least for the key Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery species examined. Differences in prices on the markets can still exist due to differences in transport costs, but price variations beyond these transportation cost differences are temporary.
On the Sydney market, prices of most species were found to be not cointegrated (i.e., not substitutes), but some cointegration was observed. In particular, Blue-eye Trevalla was cointegrated with several species suggesting this may be a market leader or at least a highly influential species in the market. 
Imports were also found to be cointegrated with many of the species on the Sydney Fish Market, particularly imports of fresh fish. This indicates a strong substitution potential between imports and domestically caught fish, with increased import supply most likely having a negative impact on prices of Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery species.
From the results of the aggregated demand model, the increase in the quantity of imports has had a negative effect on the price of wild-caught species on the Sydney Fish Market over the last two decades, supporting the results of the cointegration analysis. Imports of fresh fish was found to have had a significant negative impact on the prices of species in the lower valued group in both the short and long term. While no short-term impact on high valued species was found, a small but significant negative impact was found in the long term. This suggests direct competition and potential for substitution between imports of fresh fish and the lower valued domestic fish species. In contrast, imports of frozen fish were found to complement lower valued species. That is, increased imports of frozen fish were related to increased prices for these lower valued species. No significant relationship between frozen fish and higher valued species was found. 
The increase in salmon production was also found to have had a negative impact of prices of both groups (high and low valued) on the Sydney Fish Market, more so that imports. 
At the species level, own-price flexibilities were generally found to be between -0.3 and -0.6, indicating that prices change less than proportionally with quantity landed (i.e., are relatively price inflexible). That is, a 10 per cent increase in quantity landed, for example, of each species would result in a 3 to 6 percent decrease in its own price. Cross-price flexibilities – the impact of landings of one species on the price of another – were also found to be small, mostly between 0 and -0.1. 

Project products

Brochure • 2021-02-01 • 2.89 MB
2018-017 - How demand analysis can help improve fisheries and aquaculture performance - SUMMARY BROCHURE.pdf

Summary

As it is currently applied in Australia, fisheries management is mainly focused on ensuring the sustainability of the resource while maximising the output from the fishery. This is largely achieved through setting total allowable catch (TAC) or equivalent effort restrictions to limit the quantity of landings from the fishery. In jurisdictions where economic outcomes are also important, more conservative catch and effort limits are generally set in recognition of the additional cost of harvesting the resource as stock size declines.
Conclusions: Changes in the quantity produced at the level of the industry can have an impact on the prices that producers receive. These price changes may extend beyond just one species in question, impacting also on potential substitute species. 
The critical measures of this change are the own and cross-price flexibilities. Own-price flexibilities define the percentage change in the price of a species due to a 1 per cent change in landings or production, while cross-price flexibilities represent the percentage change in a different species due to the production change of a given species.
Individually, own and cross-price flexibilities are generally small. In the case of key fish species, they are mostly between -0.5 and zero, indicating a less than proportional change in price with landings or production. However, this means that changes in revenues from, say, a TAC increase will result in a less than proportional change in revenue, and with cross-price impacts also, increasing TACs may result in negligible revenue improvements. Fisheries managers in particular need to be aware of these changes, as increasing a TAC does not necessarily mean better returns to the fishery. Conversely, higher returns may be earned at lower levels of catch due to the combination of higher prices and less cost in catching the fish.
While lower prices may be bad for producers, lower fish prices provide benefits to consumers. Hence, what is optimal for the fishery or aquaculture industry may not be optimal for the community overall. Including consumer benefits into economic analyses underlying TAC and other decisions that impact production is an area of further consideration by fisheries and aquaculture managers.
Environment
Communities
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-010
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

A re-examination of underlying model assumptions and resulting abundance indices of the Fishery Independent Survey (FIS) in Australia’s SESSF

The model-based Fishery Independent Survey (FIS) for the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) was developed in the lead up to the first survey in 2008 and is unique in a fisheries context in that it differs from a random stratified design, thereby allowing considerable...
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart
TAGS
Survey
Stock Assessment
Rac Cmwth
Modelling
Fisheries Management
SPECIES
Gemfish
Jackass Morwong
Silver Trevally
John Dory
Mirror Dory
Environment

SESSF Monitoring and Assessment – Strategic Review

Project number: 2014-203
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $266,838.76
Principal Investigator: Ian Knuckey
Organisation: Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
Project start/end date: 17 Jul 2014 - 30 Jun 2016
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Rac Cmwth
Policy
Market Opportunities
Harvest Strategy
Electronic Monitoring
SPECIES
Gemfish
Banded Morwong
Silver Trevally
Mirror Dory
Bight Redfish

Need

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.

Objectives

1. In consultation with the project Reference Group, SESSFRAG and SEMAC, identify priorities, key concerns, perceived shortcomings and opportunities for improvement in monitoring and assessment arrangements for the SESSF fishery.
2. Review the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of current monitoring, assessment and management arrangements for the SESSF, and the extent to which they meet the requirements of fisheries policies, including implications of recommendations arising from the reviews of the Commonwealth Fisheries: Legislation, Policy and Management, Commonwealth Fisheries Harvest Strategy Policy and Guidelines and Commonwealth Policy on Fisheries Bycatch.
3. Conduct a qualitative assessment and initiate design of the suite of rationalised monitoring and assessment options currently being trialled against reference points implied under the revised fishery policies for target, byproduct, bycatch and TEP species groups.
4. Review recent relevant regional and international fishery developments to identify future options for improvement in the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of monitoring, assessment and management arrangements for the SESSF.
5. Provide a report using the results of the reviews to support recommendations for revised, implementable and cost-effective monitoring, assessment and management arrangements for the SESSF. These recommendations will seek to optimise the outcomes for the fishery in terms of monitoring and assessment efficiency, while meeting the objectives of the Fisheries Management Act and government policy. The report may recommend further quantitative ‘next step’ analyses as part of the implementation process.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9954122-4-8
Authors: Ian Knuckey Andrew Penney Malcolm Haddon Sean Pascoe Simon Boag Matthew Koopman Daniel Corrie George Day Nick Rayns and Trevor Hutton
Final Report • 2019-01-17 • 9.84 MB
2014-203-DLD.pdf

Summary

The Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) is a multi-species, multi-gear, multijurisdictional Commonwealth fishery. It is a fishery of substantial economic and social importance to Australia, as a key provider of high quality fish products to Australian markets. More than 600 species are caught or interacted with, including bycatch (discards) and byproduct (minor commercial) species. Commercially-important species targeted in the SESSF include 34 species which are managed under Total Allowable Catches (TACs). TACs are periodically adjusted by the management agency, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), in response to biomass estimates, or proxies thereof, derived from monitoring and assessment activities. These include the collection of data (principally catch and effort) from fisher records (log books and catch disposal records).  Additional management requirements reflecting the Commonwealth Harvest Strategy Policy 2007, the Commonwealth Policy on Fisheries Bycatch 2000, and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999 require additional information from monitoring and assessment activity. It is now a requirement to record any impacts on bycatch; byproduct; and threatened, endangered and protected species (e.g. seals, seabirds, dolphins). Most monitoring and assessment costs are borne by the Industry (those licencees holding statutory fishing rights to participate in the SESSF). Recently, expanding monitoring and assessment activity has coincided with decreasing commercial returns (primarily as a result of falling prices for some commercial species and the failure to fully catch TACs). It is important that future monitoring and assessment activity applicable to the SESSF is cost-effective for all sectors. This review evaluates existing monitoring and assessment arrangements and provides recommendations on future monitoring and assessment to cost-effectively meet management and legislative requirements.

A novel method for obtaining age compositions from ancillary biological data and it’s potential for cost reductions in stock assessments

Project number: 2005-023
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $99,882.65
Principal Investigator: Simon Robertson
Organisation: Agriculture Victoria
Project start/end date: 30 Aug 2005 - 30 Jun 2009
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Stock Assessment
Recreational Fishing
Fisheries Management
Electronic Monitoring
Data
SPECIES
Deepwater Flathead
Pink Ling
Blue Grenadier
School Shark
Blue-eye Trevallas

Need

Age composition data provides the key information necessary to effectively manage fisheries. The proposal provides a mechanism where age composition data can be gained using length frequency data and age composition data from different years and sampling events, which has previously been impossible. The benefits will be a reduced need for production ageing, more timely age composition data and the ability to construct age composition data from historical length frequency data where no samples were collected for ageing.

Currently the Age-Length Key (ALK) is the most widely used numerical method for assessing the age composition in a large sample of length-frequency data. However, the application of ageing data in this approach is restricted to the original sample of length distribution (ageing data from the same year the length-frequency sample is taken). Due to this severe limitation, the ageing information must be regenerated for each new data sample. Using the Fredholm First Kind equations, previous years ageing data can be used to generate the underlying age composition from the current length-frequency data. Furthermore, the ageing data may be added to include many years, improving the robustness of the statistic which can then be used to decompose the underlying age distribution from the given length frequency.

As noted by a number of referees, the major problem with the current methods is variable recruitment. We have demonstrated that the technique is tolerant to the most extreme changes in age frequency (see accompanying text). These extreme changes in age frequency are greater than any changes that could occur naturally through recruitment. The issue of variable growth may affect the efficacy of the approach, but to our knowledge, has only been observed in two species. These are black bream and blue grenadier. It is proposed that the technique be demonstrated on blue grenadier in the first year.

The cost of collecting ageing data is high, with approximately $150,000 spent each year on ageing samples from commercially important species within the South East Fishery. Due to the cost, the number of species aged is not optimal and species are prioritised on a scientific and social-political basis. The cost-benefit of applying this approach is intuitively a large reduction in cost of ageing to industry and more timely information on the age structure of the population. A formal cost benefit analyses will need to be conducted on a species by species basis. This is a function of different cost structures for ageing different species, different numbers of samples that need to aged for each species. These different numbers of estimates that need to be made for each species is primarily due to longevity and stock structuring.

The age-structured data obtained from this project will benefit the South East Trawl Fishery, the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery and the Gillnet, Hook and Trap Fishery which are supported by The Integrated Scientific Monitoring Program (ISMP) and various other stock assessment programs that rely on age-structured data.

Further, age composition data will be able to be reconstructed historically from species where samples were not aged but length-frequency data were collected. This will enable age-structured population analysis where the lack of ageing data prevented these stock assessment techniques from being previously used. The net effect of this approach is to greatly improve the knowledge base from which species are managed. One of key advantages of this approach is, if successful, will at the very least compliment current methods and provide temporal and spatial coverage of age composition information which is currently cost prohibitive and only collected for a few, high value species.

The implication of a technique that can provide age-composition data free from the restriction of those associated with the ALK is more cost-effective resource management.

The proposal has been developed in two parts, the first component is a 'Proof of Concept Study' where the use of the Fredholm First Kind Equations to provide age compositions from length frequency data will be further examined. If this is not assessed as successful in a workshop environment, the project will be terminated at the end of the first year. The second and third year will examine a broad range of species.

Objectives

1. During first 12 months provide a Proof of Concept Study on two species. One of the species with a short longevity and stable age composition over time and the second, with variable recruitment and higher longevity. The proposed species for this objective will be school whiting and blue grenadier.
2. Using Central Ageing Facility data, determine which commercially important fish stocks and associated data provide sufficient information for estimation of the age composition from length frequencies
3. Apply limited length-at-age data with extensive length-frequency data to improve time series of age compositions for fish stock assessment.
4. Determine the appropriate sample size for collection of age data.
5. Examine robustness of the numerical methods to length-specific selectivity.
6. Compare the new techniques with existing numerical methods.
7. Develop user friendly software and data environment for numerical reconstruction of cohorts and age groups.
8. Disseminate method to a broad audience of end-users
9. Provide cost-benefit analysis for each species undertaken comparing the financial benefit of using the new technique to the cost associated using traditional techniques. The objective will be delivered as species are examined.

Final report

ISBN: 978‐1‐74264‐135‐5
Author: Simon Robertson
Final Report • 2011-02-01 • 1.05 MB
2005-023-DLD.pdf

Development of harvest strategies for selected SEF species

Project number: 2000-101
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $128,294.00
Principal Investigator: Tony D. Smith
Organisation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart
Project start/end date: 16 Oct 2000 - 15 Mar 2004
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Stock Assessment
Modelling
Harvest Strategy
Fishing Gear
Fisheries Management
SPECIES
Redfish
Pink Ling
Tiger Flatheads
Silver Warehou

Need

Given AFMA’s need to satisfy its ESD objective, there is a need to consider uncertainty explicitly and identify performance indicators and harvest strategies that are as robust as possible to incorrect assumptions and misinformed interpretations of data. Use of these indicators and harvest strategies will improve the chances of achieving a reasonable balance between the conflicting objectives of long-term resource sustainability and the maximisation of economic gains.

The project also addresses to some extent two key research areas in subprogram (B) of the Wild Stock Program of the SCFA Research Committee: “Biological and socio-economic evaluation of alternative management scenarios for different species and categories of fishery to provide a framework for management planning” and “The evaluation and provision of harvest strategy models through comparison of management strategies using theory and case studies, establishing objective performance indicators for different jurisdictions and identifying options which are appropriate to the nature of the fishery”.

FRDC project 98/102 has already identified several areas where there is considerable uncertainty. However, that project has focussed on ‘generic’ data-poor species (although tailored to some extent to the actual situation for jackass morwong, pink ling, tiger flathead and spotted warehou, species that have been identified as ‘high' and 'medium' priority by SEFAG). Ideally, harvest strategy calculations should be tailored to particular species to achieve optimal outcomes. This project will evaluate harvest strategies for the four species that received initial focus in FRDC 98/102. FRDC 98/102 also focused on situations in which the fishery is based on a single gear-type only. However, it is increasingly being realised within SEFAG that even within the trawl sector there are sub-fleets, each of which differ substantially in terms of their selectivity. For example, for blue warehou, the trawl fleet off New South Wales has a selectivity pattern closer to that of the non-trawl fleet based at Lakes Entrance than that of the trawl fleet based in Portland.

One of AFMAs legislative objectives relates to providing cost-effective management. Increasingly industry is being expected to bear some of the costs associated with the monitoring on which stock assessments and hence TACs are based. There is therefore a need for an objective process for determining the trade-off between monitoring costs and the ability to which AFMAs management objectives are satisfied. The aim of this study is to examine this question within the scope of the trade-off between catch and risk.

Finally, there is a major need for stock assessment on more species in the SEF. However, although data for many species is poor, there are nevertheless fewer assessments than there could be due to a lack of software for conducting the increasingly complicated assessments demanded by stakeholders. FRDC 98/102 has developed software modules for implementing several commonly applied stock assessment methods (including “Integrated Analysis” – the basis for the current assessments for blue grenadier, school whiting, eastern gemfish, and blue warehou). If the detailed output from the software that implements these assessment methods could be available in an easily useable and visual form, this software could provide a better basis for conducting routine stock assessments.

Objectives

1. To extend the general SEF operating model for evaluating harvest strategies and performance indicators to deal with fisheries subject to exploitation using multiple gear-types / fleets.
2. To develop a user interface for the software used to conduct stock assessments and evaluate harvest strategies in the SEF, and to improve the presentation for non-experts (non-quantitative biologists, managers and industry) who may wish to use the software.
3. To parameterise the general operating model using the actual data for redfish, pink ling, tiger flathead, and spotted warehou and hence select robust assessment methods and harvest strategies for these species.
4. To evaluate the costs and benefits associated with different data acquisition strategies for these species (with particular reference to fishery-independent survey techniques).
5. To develop the modeling software in a manner which lends itself to tailoring (by CSIRO and other agencies) to suit other Commonwealth or State fisheries.

Final report

ISBN: 1-876996-59-5
Author: Tony Smith
Final Report • 2004-04-07 • 951.67 KB
2000-101-DLD.pdf

Development of an artificial neural network for automated age estimation

Project number: 1998-105
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $132,072.00
Principal Investigator: Simon Robertson
Organisation: Agriculture Victoria
Project start/end date: 14 Jun 1998 - 31 Mar 2002
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Stock Assessment
Analytics
Ageing
SPECIES
Southern Bluefin Tuna
Gemfish
Black Bream
Snapper
Deepwater Flathead

Need

Current age determination methods, even when aided by image analysis software still depend on interpretation by an experienced "reader". The process of ageing is also laborious, time consuming and hence, relatively expensive. For production ageing, where there is an ongoing requirement for age estimates, there is a problem of consistency of interpretation. At present, when readers change, there is a substantial training and verification period needed to ensure that the new reader is interpreting otolith structure in a consistent and correct manner. Automatic ageing would have the primary advantage of being a far more objective method than is possible with even the best training, reducing discrepancies both between readers and organisations. This factor will increase the precision of estimates and therefore provide greater confidence for the stock assessment process. Benefits associated with the development of this technique also include the reduced sample processing time which would increase the number of samples able to be processed and hence, reduce the cost.

The pilot project which has been completed has demonstrated the potential for artificial neural networks to objectively and consistently classify samples of some species. With refinements of the system, it should be applicable to any species for which production ageing is required.

Objectives

1. Compare the effect of different forms of data input on the performance of an ANN model for automatic ageing.
2. Compare the effect of different forms of ANN models on their performance.
3. Develop a protocol for the application of an ANN model to the process of automatic ageing.

Final report

ISBN: 0-7311-5038-4
Author: Simon Robertson
Final Report • 2002-02-28 • 1.25 MB
1998-105-DLD.pdf
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