Development of contingency plans for significant aquatic animal diseases is a critical first step in the management of disease outbreaks. In this respect, aquatic animal health policy development is lagging behind terrestrial animal health policy by approximately 20 years.

At the Melbourne workshops, all sectors of the fishing industry strongly supported the need for a national approach to aquatic animal disease control issues and identified the writing of contingency plans for disease incursions to be an important task. Also they noted there was a need to build on the unanimous support for this contingency planning process and there was an expectation that some generic, sectoral plans could be developed very rapidly.

The haul seine fishery is a traditional fishery which has been sustained over several generations. However, the simultaneous expansion of the recreational fishing sector and the introduction of new commercial fishing methods has brought about increased fishing pressure on the fish stocks. The recreational sector is aware of the problem and there have been many calls for a ban on commercial fishing in some areas which has resulted in the Premier's announcement for a review of commercial fishing methods. A media release in November 1996 by the peak body VRFish contended "that if commercial netting practice is allowed to ontinue in the inshore areas, major damage will result to the long term sustainability of the Victorian fishery" and emphasised "it is now time to take action on the problem of netting in the inshore areas of Port Phillip Bay and Westernport." The claim that there is a problem with commercial netting needs to be tested, qualified and quantified in order to develop and evaluate a range of management solutions.

While the traditional haul seine fishermen have introduced a code of practise to limit fishing pressure and restrict fishing methods, there is an urgent need to collect more detailed scientific data to show that these are effective and to determine whether there is a problem with commercial netting. There is also a need to evaluate the potential of new fishing technology which have been developed for other fisheries in Australia and other countries which have been shown to improve survival rates of undersize fish and to minimise handling time by commercial fishers. These "environmentally friendly" technologies range from more appropriate netting materials and mesh sizes to square meshed escape panels which allow the escapement of juvenile fish.

The proposed project follows recent studies in South Australia and New South Wales. The research is intended to support the initiatives taken by commercial fishers in their code of practice and to provide the biological information required to improve management plans for the commercial haul seine fishery in bays and inlets. It is intended to address the concerns expressed by the recreational fishing peak body in a vision statement that " a detailed study of the effect of netting and long lining in the bays should be conducted as a matter of urgency ". This has also been supported by the recently formed Fisheries Co-management Council.

Draft fishery management plans for Port Phillip Bay, Corner Inlet and Gippsland Lakes are currently being developed. Common to all these plans are objectives of minimising the bycatch of unwanted fish and damage to fish habitats. In order to meet these objectives, more information is needed on the current fishing gears and practices and their effects on juvenile fish and seagrass.

There is a need to gain public acceptance of haul seining in bays and inlets as an ecologically sustainable method of harvesting fish. This three stage project would help to bring scientists, commercial fishermen, regional staff and managers together in a close working relationship to deal with this important issue.

There is a critical need for information to support management decisions about inshore fisheries resources, and to address rising industry, conservation and public concern about the impact of net fishing on sustainability and biodiversity of the ecosystem and habitats associated with the fishery. The theory of measuring changes in biodiversity have yet to be applied in net fisheries. This project will be a test case for the practical application of determining net fishing effects on biodiversity.

Information on the effect of net fishing on bycatch and biodiversity in Australia is extremely limited. While some data exist on the marketed catch, the quantity and nature of bycatch remains virtually unknown. There is little information on the total catch characteristics of net fisheries, the proportions of species caught, and the proportion of the resource harvested each year. Similarly little is known about the fate of fish discarded from nets which would help to characterise the impact of net fishing on biodiversity.

This project will address the urgent need for information on the: total catch composition from net fishing, fate of discarded fish bycatch, impact on protected species and impact on biodiversity. Baseline data collected through both fishery dependent and independent methods will provide a basis for long term monitoring of the fishery and will enhance the interpretation of existing commercial catch records. These data will help meet the requirements of the ‘National Strategy for Conservation of Australia’s Biological Biodiversity’ of a) improving the knowledge base of fisheries, b) improving fisheries management and c) assessing and minimising the impact of commercial fishery practices on non-target and bycatch species, ecosystems and genetic diversity.

Wild production of barramundi depends partially on nursery habitats located in tropical coastal wetlands. Modifications of these habitats have potential to impact barramundi populations (Russell and Garrett, 1985). Extensive areas of tropical coastal wetlands (including upper intertidal areas on coastal plains and in estuaries, brackish-water wetlands and riverine floodplains) have been modified by the development of ponded pastures and other pondage systems. The impacts of such developments on barramundi have not been documented despite considerable concern amoungst fisheries stakeholders regarding the entrapment and survival of barramundi in pondage systems.

Similarly, the widespread introduction of exotic species of water-loving grasses in ponded pastures has not been documented nor investigated. The invasion of these species in wetlands and water-courses represents a major change in wetland ecology. The impact of exotic grass species on the value of tropical coastal wetlands as barramundi nurseries is unknown.

Apart from the issues of barramundi entrapment and mortality, ponded pastures and other pondage systems may have potential benefits to fisheries production by increasing the area of wetland or by increasing the duration of inundation. These positive aspects of pondage systems have not been assessed but may provide an avenue to balance the fisheries needs with those of the agricultural sectors and other wetland users. This balance would require the development of wetland management strategies to facilitate barramundi survival and movement in ponded pastures.

The Queensland Government has established an interdepartmental ponded pasture steering committee to develop a policy on ponded pastures in response to considerable community concern over environmental issues associated with ponded pastures and the introduction of exotic grass species. Public and industry comments on a discussion paper produced by the ponded pasture steering committee identified the impact of ponded pastures on fisheries as a major issue. However, the formulation of a policy which adequately safeguards the interests of fisheries stakeholders has been hampered by a lack of information with respect to the impacts of ponded pastures on fisheries, particularly barramundi. It remains to be determined whether the modification of wetlands by embankments and by the introduction of exotic grass species represents a significant impact to barramundi production.

Information on the growth, survival and movement of barramundi in ponded pastures and other pondage systems is required to determine the nature of impacts on barramundi production. Such information is also required to establish a more informed discussion between the fishing industry and agricultural sectors. Ultimately, strategies are required for managing ponded pastures and other pondage systems to balance the needs of fisheries with the requirements of agricultural sectors and other wetland users.