147 results

El-Nemo SE: risk assessment of impacts of climate change for key species in South Eastern Australia

Project number: 2009-070
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $140,163.66
Principal Investigator: Gretta T. Pecl
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 21 Dec 2009 - 30 Oct 2010
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Climate change is expected to alter physical and chemical oceanographic conditions and processes around Australia, yet the influence this could have on the distributions of various marine species is still relatively unknown. The marine waters of South Eastern Australia are expected to be significantly affected by climate change, experiencing the greatest climate-driven changes in the southern hemisphere over the next century. The impacts and opportunities that will result from these changes will depend, in part, on how well the fisheries and aquaculture sectors and their managers respond to these challenges. A sound risk-based approach to informing both management arrangements and decisions by the sectors will be critical for optimizing outcomes. It is essential that the potential impacts of climate change on key resources are assessed and effectively communicated to support the development of policies that allow industry to minimize adverse effects by optimizing adaptation responses (e.g. by providing flexible management arrangements) and seizing opportunities as they arise (e.g. for species where productivity increases).

This project has been identified as a clear and immediate need through the SEAP Plan (draft) and also establishes a platform of baseline information from which we can start to address several key priority areas identified in the Draft Marine National Adaptation Research Plan (NARP). Priorities identified in the draft NARP include 1/ Which farmed species in which locations are most likely to be impacted as a result of climate change?, and for fisheries 2/ Which fishery stocks, in which locations, are most likely to change as a result of climate change? What will those changes be (e.g., in distribution, productivity) and when are they likely to appear under alternative climate change scenarios? Clearly, comprehensive and synthesised information on the sensitivities and tolerances of key species are the first steps required to address these priorities.

Objectives

1. Identify the life history stages, habitats and aquaculture systems of key species that may be impacted by climate change
2. Identify the physical and chemical parameters that may determine the potential impacts of climate change on key species
3. Conduct a preliminary risk assessment of each key species to the potential impacts of climate change
4. Highlight what additional information on the tolerances and sensitivities will be needed to develop bioclimatic envelope models for key species

Development of an integrated fisheries management model for King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctata) in South Australia

Project number: 1995-008
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $461,163.00
Principal Investigator: Anthony J. Fowler
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 29 Dec 1995 - 30 Jun 2001
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. To produce an age-structured, spatial-temporal fishery model for King George whiting in South Australia based on a comprehensive understanding of its biology, life-history and genetics as well as an analysis of the fishery. This model will be used as a stock assessment tool to assess management options.
2. To implement a biological research programme to facilitate objective 1/, including: a/. determination of site-specific age-structures based on ageing fish using otoliths, to be used for estimation of demographic parameters
b/. completion of the understanding of the life-history including reproductive, early and adult biological information
c/. assessment of genetic variation amongst populations over two spatial scales (amongst states and amongst regions within SA).
3. To review current commercial catch and effort information to: a/. identify the value of such data for estimating population abundance
b/. continue an on-going assessment of impacts of technological advances in fishing equipment on catch and effort in the commercial sector of the fishery
c/. compare commercial catch with that from recreational catch information currently being collected in SA using creel surveys (FRDC 92/81).

Guide

Author: Anthony Fowler
Guide • 7.64 MB
1995-008-PDT-1.pdf

Summary

The King George Whiting Simulator (WhitSim) is a simulation version of the Whiting Estimator (WhitEst) encased inside a graphical user interface (GUI) that includes geographical information systems (GIS). WhitSim provides the ability to simulate various management strategies and parameter scenarios and interrogate results of the simulation via in-built statistical, curve fitting and indicator analysis modules.

Final Report • 2000-08-31 • 11.76 MB
1995-008-DLD.pdf

Summary

King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctata) remains a prime target species of the marine scalefish fishery of South Australia. Levels of fishing mortality are high on inshore populations throughout the fishery which has caused concern about the level of egg production. This prompted the need for a comprehensive stock assessment for this fishery. However, complicating this task is the fact that the life-history incorporates an obligate migratory step where fish move from shallow, inshore areas where they are heavily targeted, to deeper, more exposed places where the spawning populations occur.

Understanding factors influencing undercaught TACs, declining catch rates and failure to recover for many quota species in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery

Project number: 2016-146
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $179,000.00
Principal Investigator: Ian Knuckey
Organisation: Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 31 May 2017 - 30 Jun 2018
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Despite the indicators of improvements in fish stock status for SESSF species, the fishery as a whole is failing to catch the TACs of many quota species. Moreover, catch rates for many quota species are continuing to decline despite the historically low levels of fishing effort. The fishery is not in an economic position where it can afford to operate below potential - this under catch equates to a considerable lost opportunity in both the financial value and the volume of fish available for the consumer. Net economic returns for the CTS have recently fallen to $1.4 million in 2013–14, the lowest level since the buyback. NER in the GHaT has been negative since 2008–09. Recent economc analyses (Pascoe pers comm) have revealed that if all vessels could catch the full recommended quota, revenues of the CTS would more than double, while the GHaT revenues would increase by around 24%. For the CTS, average vessel profits are likely to increase by between $200k and $500k, with an average increase of around $380k.

So, what is the cause of the current situation in the SESSF?

There are a variety of different reasons given for the SESSF's TAC undercatch, depending on who you talk to. Anecdotally, it has variously been attributed to reduction in fleet fishing capacity, effort reduction, legislative barriers, spatial closures, changed behaviour of operators, market factors, quota ownership and trading, cost of production, changes in catch per unit of effort, climate change and its impact on oceanographic conditions and potential range shifts of species. It is also quite likely that it is a combination of a number of the above factors.

What can be done?

With such a wide range of potential reasons, it is difficult to determine what further work is required to potentially address these issues in the SESSF. This project centres on development of background papers on each of the issues that will be presented at a workshop designed as the first step in clarifying stakeholder views on the underlying reasons and how they might be resolved in the future.

Objectives

1. Provide a range of papers with information on potential causes of undercaught TACs, declining catch rates and non-recovering species
2. Hold a workshop to discuss plausible reasons for undercaught TACs, declining catch rates and non-recovering species
3. Develop strategies to address the undercaught TACs, declingin catch rates and non-recovering species based outputs from Objective 1 and 2.
4. Develop a process for assessing non-rebuilding species.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9954122-9-3
Author: Peter O'Brien and Ian Knuckey
Final Report • 2017-06-06 • 8.29 MB
2016-146-DLD.pdf

Summary

Concerns about the ecological and economic sustainability of Australia’s Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) prompted major structural readjustment of the fishery in 2006 that significantly reduced the number of operators in demersal trawl, Danish seine and gill net sectors of the fishery.  A decade later, many of the ecological sustainability issues have been addressed and despite declining Gross Value of Production (GVP), there has been variable but overall improvement in net economic returns (NER) of the fishery.  There remains, however, a number of indicators in the fishery that may point to significant sub-optimal performance in terms of stock sustainability and fishery profitability as outlined below. 

At the end of the 2015/16 year, 23 of the 34 species groups under TACs were less than 50% caught. Of the major quota species, only four had catches above 80% of the TACs (Flathead, Gummy Shark, Pink Ling and School Whiting).

There has been a continual decline in catch rates for many quota species with a range of life histories.  Similar trends in decline over the last two decades have been observed for Jackass Morwong, Redfish, Blue Eye Trevalla, Silver Warehou, Blue Warehou, John Dory and Ribaldo, despite the lowest historical effort and catch levels in the fishery. Unstandardised CPUE across the fishery has declined for several years hitting an all-time low in 2015 and has remained at this level in 2016. Moreover, optimised CPUE standardizations for 23 species (including grouped species) and 43 different stocks, methods, or fisheries revealed 29 of the 43 SESSF stocks were found to have declining standardised catch rates.  

Historically overfished species (Eastern Gemfish, School Shark, Blue Warehou and most recently Redfish) have shown little sign of recovery despite over a decade of the lowest catches on record resulting from significant management changes under relevant rebuilding strategies
(including bans on targeting, implementation of industry driven avoidance measures, and implementation of spatial closures).  The overfishing and subsequent recent recovery of the eastern Orange Roughy stock over the last two decades is well documented – but it is an exception.  

There are many and varied reasons to explain these issues in the SESSF, but there has been no attempt at a coordinated approach to identify which factor/s may be the cause, much less how these may be addressed.  This project was designed to start this process.

Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2003-072
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Trophodynamics of the GAB: assessing the need for an ecological allocation in the SA pilchard fishery

Shelf waters off southern Australia support the world’s only northern boundary current ecosystem. Although there are some indications of intense nitrate enrichment in the eastern Great Australian Bight (GAB) arising from upwelling of Subantarctic Water, the biological consequences of these...
ORGANISATION:
SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
SPECIES
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-034
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Effects of climate change and habitat degradation on Coral Trout

Fishes are at considerable risk from changing environmental conditions because they are, for most part, unable to regulate their body temperature. Exposure to high temperatures may therefore compromise critical biological functions, resulting in reduced performance, fitness and ultimately survival....
ORGANISATION:
James Cook University (JCU)
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-047
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Understanding environmental and fisheries factors causing fluctuations in mud crab and blue swimmer crab fisheries in northern Australia to inform harvest strategies

This project investigated relationships between environmental factors and harvests of crabs in the Gulf of Carpentaria (GoC), northern Australia. Desktop correlative analyses clearly indicated that recent fluctuations in the catches of Giant Mud Crabs in the GoC are most likely driven by...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-194
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Forecasting spatial distribution of Southern Bluefin Tuna habitat in the Great Australian Bight – updating and improving habitat and forecast models

This project was a collaboration between CSIRO, the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association (ASBTIA) and the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM). The project aim was to update work done as part of FRDC Project 2012/239 “Forecasting spatial distribution of Southern Bluefin Tuna...
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2003-021
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Effects of Trawling Subprogram: mapping bycatch & seabed benthos assemblages in the GBR region for environmental risk assessment & sustainable management of the Queensland east coast trawl fishery

The Great Barrier Reef is a unique World Heritage Area of national and international significance. As a multiple use Marine Park, activities such as fishing and tourism occur along with conservation goals. Managers need information on habitats and biodiversity distribution and risks to ensure these...
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Crawley
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