Incidental catches of species whilst fishing includes the take of both quota and non-quota species. Generally these species are relatively data poor but the Harvest Strategy Policy still requires a determination of whether these species are at risk of overfishing.

In addition, bycatch TACs are set for seriously depleted species to allow for those catches taken when legitimately targeting associated species. The objective is to provide a mechanism that would prevent useless discarding while minimizing fishing mortality. However, current regulations do not prevent targeting the bycatch-only species given sufficient quota. This has been observed with School Sharks. It is currently unknown if taking the bycatch TACs for the species concerned will permit the required stock recovery. As a minimum, methods are needed for determining whether an observed level of bycatch and discarding, in any given fishery, is sustainable; these methods need to be able to be applied irrespective of the different life history characteristics of the wide array of bycatch species found across Commonwealth fisheries.

There is a need to explore the conditions under which severely depleted species may fail to recover. If it is the case that for some species even small incidental catches are sufficient to maintain a species in a depleted state then different management may be required. Management options include 1) status quo, 2) spatial and/or seasonal closures, 3) increased cooperation from Industry, 4) changing regulations about bycatch –only species, and 5) reducing the quotas for those species with which the depleted species make up a significant bycatch. The issue of incidental catches is present in all Australian fisheries; there is a need for general solutions that can be applied to a wide range of cases that minimize the impact on the fishery while minimizing the impact of the fishery on the bycatch-only species.

Under Commonwealth harvest policy, fisheries are to be managed to maximise economic performance. Most Commonwealth fisheries have/ are developing harvest strategies based on an MEY target and TAC controls. Following Ministerial Direction, the NPF is to adopt an ITQ management system from mid-2012. This transition requires: 1.reliable methods for predicting the total sustainable, available catch; and, 2, understanding of the economics of the fishery, providing for setting total allowable catches (TACs) that maximise value rather than catch. This project addresses these components. Unlike the NPF tiger prawn fishery, the fishery for common banana prawns (CBP), in which annual catches vary dramatically, has not been amenable to assessment and predictive modelling, as recruitment varies markedly with environmental conditions.

Fishermen have known for many years that banana prawns catches depend upon rainfall. Considerable research has explored the ecology behind this e.g. relationships between rainfall and catches of CBP, (Vance et al. 1985), emigration of CBP from estuaries as salinity decreases (Staples 1980, Staples and Vance 1986, Vance et al. 1998), temperature and wind (Vance et al. (2003)) and the effect of fishing effort (Venables and Poloczanska 2006). Venables et al. (2011) explored the feasibility of predicting the fishery-wide potential annual catch for CBP. In a manner suitable for TAC-development, it uses information available before the fishery begins each year. The second component follows the successful incorporation of economic objectives into the harvest strategy for tiger and endeavour prawns (Dichmont et al. 2008) and would redress the lack of suitable techniques for TAC-setting for CBP, as noted in FRDC 2007-018 (Dichmont et al. 2010). The process is relatively simplified in this case, as there is no large interdependence in the fishery and economic modelling entailed.

The recreational fishing sector is facing a national shortage of people to take on roles in leadership, administration, management, advocacy and representation. There is an urgent need to build capability to address real and practical issues that are impacting on the sectors development. This shortage of new people is hindering the advancement of the needs, goals and aspirations of the recreational fishing community.

The recreational fishing sector has passionate and committed individuals who continue to strive for a better deal for the sector. However, these same people work largely in a voluntary capacity and struggle to cope with the constant deluge of administration and advocacy required. The sector needs targeted programs with additional resources to develop new leadership. It is hoped that through this project, 10 budding future leaders from Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and South Australia are identified and provided the opportunity to better understand leadership concepts and fisheries management. In doing so, it will help them take the first step on a development journey that will see them chart and steer the sector forward to reach its full potential.

This proposal will benefit recreational fishing by building the next generation of recreational fishing leaders that can effectively advocate for sustainable and responsible fishing practices, but also against future threats to the sector. The proposal is critical if we are to have a proper succession plan in place to nurture future advocates for recreational fishing in the South East. Failure to invest in this area will lead to a future gap in new and informed fishing advocates and continue a concerning trend that new leaders are hard to find for the many and varied consultation processes run by Government departments.

The importance of investing in people development programs has been endorsed by the Fisheries Research Development Corporation, State fishery managers and RecFish Research. This application aligns closely with the proposal by Jill Briggs to conduct a skills audit and develop a broader framework for leadership development in the recreational fishing sector nationally.

Of particular interest to both the aquaculture and wild capture industries is whether there are
sub-populations of abalone that demonstrate some innate resistance to infection/disease or that are
capable of developing resistance. Identification of these sub-populations could prove useful to both
the farming and the wild-capture sector.
In a controlled culture population it may be possible to breed for a more AVG-resistant population that
would be able to respond better should a disease outbreak occur. Potential AVG resistance between
different wild populations could also be inferred since the parents of the farmed bred lines have come
from different wild sources and we will be able to use knowledge of their ancestry to determine if there
is any evidence for population differences. In addition, should any zones of the natural population be
at low densities such that re-stocking either from cultured seed or by movement of natural stock from
other zones be required, it will be critical to know if there is innate resistance prior to translocation of
any stocks. If sub-populations in the wild are found to be more resistant and others more susceptible,
this may influence management of these zones and restrict movement of stock within and between
zones. If genetic resistance is identified in greenlips, the next step would be to confirm this in blacklips
and hybrids, and then search for genetic markers associated with resistance/susceptibility to be able
to identify individuals and sub-populations that are more resistant or susceptible. Moreover, this study
will be the first examination of virus resistance in a gastropod and might provide us with information on
future events. Identification of mechanisms of resistance to infection/disease was identified as a
priority in the draft national abalone health work plan. Identification of resistant family line(s) would
allow further research on mechanisms of resistance (future proposal).