To provide quantitative measures of the impact of proposed Marine Protected Areas in South Australia on commercial landings of rock lobster, and to provide tools for the negotiation of specific MPA boundaries, so as to minimise the impact on rock lobster production, while still allowing protection of marine biodiversity.

There is a need for a better understanding of prawn movement and spatial dynamics for improved management and stock assessment in the Spencer Gulf and West Coast prawn fisheries. There is a need to analyse, document and publish information on harvest strategies, prawn movement, commercial logbook and survey spatial data. The ability to produce accurate annual stock assessment reports addressing biological and economic performance indicators is required utilising data from diverse sources including those detailed above. Most importantly, there is a need to develop an effective spatial data base system to handle large complex datasets, enabling analysts to undertake their work. The current data base systems are inefficient and cannot link the analytical software (GIS and statistical applications) effectively or handle the diverse range of data formats required. The project will enhance and develop a spatial data base system, which integrates closely with the statistical and communication software, thereby enabling analysis, plotting, visualisation, modeling and information dissemination. One important spatial module to be developed, relates to prawn tag recaptures and will require links to commercial logbook and survey data.

There is a need to improve management and stock assessment by receiving more detailed catch information in real time. Here communication from ship to base will allow accurate graded size data to be used in stock assessment and for evaluation of fishery performance indicators.

There is a need for better analysis, visualisation and communication of spatial datasets. This will increase the level of understanding of the complex results for industry and management. Harvest systems need to link real time spatial information to decision rules for effective management. Industry frequently raises questions relevant to adaptive change in fishing strategies. For example “When should different areas be fished if prawns move from location A to location B?” or another example “What are the benefits of different types of harvest strategies for stock maintenance and economic performance?” A major problem for management is the clear communication of complex information and processes to others. There is a need to enhance all levels of communication and understanding of the information; adequate visualisation of the data can only achieve this.

Despite the importance to management, little attention in Australia has focussed on adaptive management processes that actively involve industry. The Spencer Gulf prawn fishery provides a good example of a successful adaptive management system in which industry actively participates. There is a need to document the management approaches that have taken more than fifteen years to develop and test. There are likely to be other fisheries in Australia where real time management and monitoring systems can provide substantial economic gain and cost savings.

The application of modern computerised mapping systems, computer intensive statistical analysis and modeling provide enormous scope for fisheries science and management. There is a real need to develop and improve data collection and analytical techniques for stock assessment of dynamic populations (e.g. prawn), especially for those fisheries under high exploitation pressure.

In summary, the project will develop an efficient spatial database that:

- Integrates closely with GIS and statistical analysis,
- Improves catch data collection,
- Results in more reliable stock assessment,
- Improves the efficiency of management through electronic data transfer,
- Increases the understanding and communication of complex spatial information.

Finally, the work will enable substantial historical data obtained from the Spencer Gulf and West Coast fisheries to be integrated, analysed, documented and published.

Theme 1 - Demonstrating Sustainability: Evidence-Based and Low Risk Management for Shark-Associated Fisheries

Since 1992, school shark stocks were assessed as overfished in Australia and has been ever since. The most recent stock production of school sharks was estimated between 9–14% of original levels leading school sharks to be considered seriously overfished and listed as Conservation Dependent under the EPBC Act 1999. Under such listing, a stock rebuilding strategy policy had to be developed and needs to be implemented as conditions of the SESSF Wildlife Trade Operation (WTO) accreditation. The objectives of this rebuilding strategy states that school shark stocks have to recover to the limit reference biomass level within a biologically reasonable timeframe. The TAC for incidental take of the species was progressively reduced to well below the sustainable yield estimated by the SharkRAG. Although this reduction of TAC was considered to be sufficient, current models suggest school shark stocks will not rebuild within the period required under the Rebuilding Strategy. This lack of recovery is in apparent disagreement with catch observations by fishers and SharkRAG industry members. However, management of the stock aimed at reducing catch levels has altered the fishing pattern so that the traditional CPUE index of abundance can no longer be relied on as an index of stock size for school shark. The model is therefore unable to update current assumptions regarding the productivity of the stock. If the model is in error regarding such productivity, so that rebuilding is occurring at a faster or slower rate than predicted, such trends will not be identified. Such uncertainty associated with the school shark assessment has to a significant extent paralysed SE MAC consideration of management arrangements for this species. A valid index of abundance that will reveal current trends in stock status is required.

The Australian government biosecurity committee structure has recently undergone a major change with the development of AusBioSec (http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/pests-diseases-weeds/biosecurity/ausbiosec). As part of this restructure, as of July 2009 Aquatic Animal Health Committee (AAHC) will cease to exist and it’s roles and responsibilities will be subsumed into Animal Health Committee (AHC). AAH technical expertise to AHC will continue to be provided by the National Aquatic Animal Health Technical Working Group (NAAHTWG). However, while AAHC included industry representation, AHC does not. For terrestrial animals, and plants, industry representation comes with membership to Animal Health Australia (AHA) and Plant Health Australia (PHA), respectively. However, there is no such entity for aquatic animal industries. This lack of industry input into AAH policy development has not been lost on AHC and it has advised that it would consider advice from an industry reference group (IRG). AHC has provided some advice on the terms of reference and priority issues for the IRG.

In order to be able to provide this advice industry must first decide whether or not there is sufficient resolve in each sector to commit to self-funding participation in an “National Aquatic Animal Health Industry Reference Group” (NAAHIRG).

It is this last point for which this application is based. The four sectors (wild-capture, aquaculture, ornamental and recreational) are seeking seed funding from FRDC to support a face-to-face meeting for industry representatives to discuss formation of an AAHIRG.

The need and urgency that has prompted this TRF application revolves around the threat of policy development without industry input. This point gains more significance upon release of the Beale report on Australia’s biosecurity arrangements and the Government’s response agreeing ‘in-principle’ to all the recommendations. Industry has to decide sooner rather than later whether it wishes to be a part of future AAH policy development.