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Tactical Research Fund: Economic assessment of the impact of recent major changes to fisheries management in the WA West Coast demersal wetline fishery

Project number: 2009-081
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $66,870.00
Principal Investigator: Paul McLeod
Organisation: University of Western Australia (UWA)
Project start/end date: 7 Apr 2010 - 30 May 2011
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The West Coast demersal wetline fish stocks are currently overfished. The best assessment calls for an immediate 50% reduction in the catches of Category 1 “high risk” species.

New management initiatives are being implemented across the commercial, recreational and charter sectors to secure the necessary catch reductions. The success of these initiatives depends upon each sector responding appropriately.

Early assessment of the impact of these changes and the response of each sector is essential. The time for this assessment is now, as the changes begin to take effect, in order that an early understanding of the reactions of fishers and the likely long-term impacts can be formed.

The new restrictions will impact significantly on recreational fishing over the next year, therefore, there is a pressing need to understand how the sector responds in terms of behaviour, catches, and overall satisfaction with the fishing experience. The proposed recreational fisher survey is designed to meet this requirement, so that the early operation of the new regime can be measured, and compared to the pre-change situation captured in a similar survey funded under FRDC 2001/036 undertaken by Nicholls and McLeod. Knowledge about changes in behaviour and satisfaction with the fishing experience are crucial to understanding the impact of the changes.

Department of Fisheries estimates show that the commercial catch has been brought within the desired range. There is now a need to assess how these changes have impacted upon the commercial viability and social dynamics of coastal harbour towns. No pre- and post-change comparisons have been undertaken, a deficiency that the proposed data collection is designed to address.

The role of the Charter sector and its response to management changes is an integral part of the project.

All components of the project are designed to deliver the required information in a timely fashion.

Objectives

1. Determine the change in profitability of commercial wet line vessels operating in the west coast wet line fishery under the new management arrangements for the 3 year period 2004-07 (prior to the new arrangements) and 3 year period (FY 2008-11) after their implementation.
2. Determine the range in responses of a sample of charter boat owners and their clients to the fishery management changes introduced in the west coast wet line fishery in 2009 (interim and additional) and the impact on client satisfaction and on their businesses
3. Determine the range in responses of a sample of recreational fishing boat owners to the fishery management changes introduced in the west coast wet line fishery in 2009-11 (interim and additional) and the impact on the frequency of their fishing activities in the 2008-12 period
4. Conduct a socio-economic impact assessment of the three sectors as a result of fishery management changes introduced and a scenario analysis of the likely impact of the alternative management options on 3-4 West Coast study towns with boat harbours

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9756020-3-4
Author: Paul McLeod
People
PROJECT NUMBER • 1998-170
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Wild abalone fisheries R&D needs review

The Australian wild abalone industry contributes $200 million annually to the national economy and directly employs an estimated 1,650 people across 5 States (NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia). Over 99 percent of production is exported, primarily to north East Asia....
ORGANISATION:
Macarthur Agribusiness
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2014-204
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Implications of current spatial management measures on AFMA ERAs for habitats

In this project, CSIRO researchers implemented the first Australia-wide spatial approach to quantifying the exposure of mapped seabed assemblages to the footprints of Commonwealth demersal trawl fisheries, as well as their spatial protection in areas closed to trawling. These outputs are assisting...
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart
Environment
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