The shortfin mako, longfin mako and porbeagle sharks have widespread distributions in temperate and tropical waters of all the world’s oceans. Makos are bycatch and by-product species of pelagic longline and gillnet fisheries where they are taken for their meat and high-value fins. They are also highly-prized recreational species in many regions. Makos have low productivity, typical of sharks that do not mature until reaching a large size, producing few young and where individuals are unlikely to reproduce annually. Risk assessments both nationally and in the Atlantic concluded that mako sharks are at the highest risk of all pelagic sharks. These species are listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable globally and Critically Endangered in the Mediterranean. Significant population declines in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic resulted in these species being listed under Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in 2008 and concomitant listing under Australia’s EPBC Act in January 2010. This effectively meant that the target commercial or recreational fishing for these species was prohibited in Australian waters. In May 2010 the National Recreational Mako Shark Fishery - Management Forum identified the need for a study to identify and propose cost effective ways to fill key gaps in the collective knowledge of these species. In July 2010, after considerable debate, a legislative amendment was made to allow for the recreational fishing of mako and porbeagle sharks in Commonwealth areas despite the offence provisions under the EPBC Act. Commercial targeting of these species remains an offence, however, there are exemptions where they are taken as bycatch under accredited management plans. The Federal Environment Minister also directed DEWHA/SEWPaC to work with Fisheries Managers to provide a “more comprehensive information base on mako and porbeagle sharks for the future”. This project is a direct result of these needs.

This project provides research support for 2 PhD students - enabling them to target their studies to issues relevant to the local salmon farming industry in particular the need for research on “Nutrient Production” identified in TSGA research priorities (2011).
Growth of salmon farming in SE Tasmania is currently limited by a feed input cap. This has arisen as a result of concerns that increased nutrients associated with salmon farming may be affecting local water quality. In addition there have been anecdotal reports that changes in macroalgal community structure, and in particular proliferation of nuisance algae species (i.e. Ulva), are related to the expansion of local salmon farming operations.
These PhD projects in combination will specifically evaluate the response of macroalgal communities to changing nutrient and environmental conditions and the implications of this for local and system wide nutrient load management.
Scott Hadley is looking to evaluate the potential to mitigate/ offset nutrient loads using target species deployment and will look at testing scenarios in a model environment to establish spatial and temporal optima for such mitigation strategies.
Whilst Luis Henriquez aims to better define the effects of changing nutrient regimes on local macroalgal communities and to measure differences in nutrient assimilation capacity of key species under differing environmental conditions.
The combined research of these students will provide a much better understanding of the driving factors behind potential "hotspots" in estuarine systems, the likely effects of these on macroalgal communities and the potential for natural and managed nutrient offsets.

Global issues require partnerships and concerted action. A partnership is in place across key agencies (DCC&EE, FRDC, NCCARF, DAFF and State/Territory) to assess adaptation strategies for marine biodiversity and fisheries, but there is no national program to set directions for adaptation strategies for highly vulnerable Estuarine and Nearshore Environments (E&NEs). This gap is highlighted with neither NCCARF-ARNs for Marine or Freshwater addressing issues for E&NEs, as recognised in the Key Elements of the Scoping Brief.

E&NEs are critical transition zones between terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, providing key ecosystem functions (e.g. nutrient exchange and cycling) and associated services (e.g. nursery ground provision). Impacts of sea-level rise, altered hydrology and increasing temperatures will be compounded through interactions with human structures and management interventions. Consequently, there is a strong need to assess the relative importance of Climate Change impacts versus those associated with other pressures, and to identify priorities and strategies for adaptation that support clear and consistent goal setting by policy and management agencies. DCC&EE-FRDC have identified the need to build on the large body of ecological and Climate Change impact work, and focus on developing a suite of strategies to support the adaptive management of biodiversity and fisheries/aquaculture values in E&NEs.

This proposal also addresses:
a) NARP Priority Research Questions 3.1 by determining the components of coastal ecosystems most in need of adaptation management based on ecological information about their status, value and vulnerability, and, 3.4 by defining ecologically sound management options to enable adaptation of practices to enhance system resilience and adjustment time, and by modelling outcomes of different options based on implications for ecosystem functions.

b) NCCAP for Fisheries and Aquaculture strategy (NCCAP 2010) for “Improving understanding and awareness of Climate Change impacts on fisheries” and “facilitating ongoing assessment and monitoring of Climate Change impacts at suitable scales”.

Currently there are fragmented standards and no agreement of the indicies that should be used for the social assessment of sustainable marine aquatic resources. This work, while ultimately for the Food and Agriculture Office of the UN, will provide a vehicle to feed previous Australian work into an international forum, to be assessed and potentially used as the international standard of approach to social assessments of ESD.

In many states and regions around Australia there is a lack of current and reliable recreational fisheries data (e.g. participation rates, catch) that can be used in decision-making processes. Since the stock boundaries of some recreationally-important species can span several State and Federal jurisdictions, reliable stock-specific data is needed. The results of the last national recreational fishing survey undertaken in 2000-2001 are now considered outdated in many respects, or are of limited use for rarely-caught species and some fisheries or regions due to issues of scale.

Since the national survey, various recreational fishing surveys have been undertaken by State fisheries agencies to address their own specific management issues. These surveys have generally been telephone-diary approaches based on the National survey methodology. Additionally, community-based recreational fishing data collection have been undertaken at regional levels by community and recreational fishing groups. However, there has been a lack of coordination between agencies to report at a national level. Therefore, there is a need to assess the feasibility of aggregating data from these surveys to provide reliable up-to-date information at regional and national levels.