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Environment
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Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1986-087
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Northern shark tagging study

In 1982, CSIRO applied to the Fishing Industry Research Trust Account for funding of a joint biological investigation of northern Australian pelagic fish stocks. At that time these stocks supported a Taiwanese surface gill-net fishery based on sharks, tunas and Spanish mackerel. During the 1970's...
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Cleveland

Development potential of the southern calamary squid fishery

Project number: 1980-003
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Organisation: SARDI Food Safety and Innovation
Project start/end date: 28 Dec 1982 - 31 Dec 1982
:

Objectives

1. Determine the life history of southern calamary (Sepioteuthis australis) in detail.
2. Calculate population abundance and the yield-effort relationship for the species. Establish the export potential for the fishery.

Effects of Trawling subprogram: reducing the impact of Queensland's trawl fisheries on protected sea snakes

Project number: 2005-053
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $394,798.54
Principal Investigator: Tony J. Courtney
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 30 Jul 2005 - 30 Nov 2008
:

Need

1) Legal obligation.

In Australia, sea snakes are a protected species group under Schedule 1 of the National Parks and Wildlife Regulations 1994, but despite their protected status, tens of thousands of snakes are caught incidentally in the Queensland trawl fishery each year. In the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF) it has been estimated that between 81,000 and 120,000 were caught annually in the early 1990s (see Wassenberg et al. 1994 and Ward 1996). Wassenberg et al. (2001) reported that 48.5% of sea snakes caught from research and commercial prawn trawling die as a result of being trawled. The Queensland Government and the Queensland commercial trawl fishers are legally obliged to address the problem and minimise sea snake – trawl interactions.

2) Recommendations by the Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH)

The impact of prawn trawling on the sustainability of sea snake populations on the Queensland east coast is a major concern to DEH. In their review of the strategic assessment of the Queensland east coast trawl fishery, DEH recommended to the Queensland Government that research into the impact of trawling on sea snakes be promoted, and that all reasonable steps should be undertaken to reduce interactions between protected species and the Queensland trawl fishery.

In summary there is a strong legal case in support of research that reduces the impacts of trawling on sea snake populations. In addition, addressing the DEH recommendations will help to ensure that that the Queensland east coast trawl fishery remains on the list of fisheries that are accredited for export, thus securing the continuation of the export of seafood produced from the fishery.

References

Ward TM (1996) Sea snake by-catch of prawn trawlers on the northern Australian continental shelf. Marine and Freshwater Research 47, 631-635.

Wassenberg TJ, Milton DA, Burridge CY (2001) Survival rates of sea snakes caught by demersal trawlers in northern and eastern Australia. Biological Conservation 100, 271-280.

Wassenberg TJ, Salini JP, Heatwole H, Kerr JD (1994) Incidental capture of sea-snakes (Hydrophiidae) by prawn trawlers in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45, 429-443.

Objectives

1. Collate and review existing data and literature on sea snake distribution and abundance on the Queensland east coast. This will enhance the detail and precision of the recently introduced CFISH logbook data program on Species of Conservation Interest.
2. Implement a crew-based data collection program to quantify information on sea snake catch rates, species composition and distribution. Where possible, consider areas that are closed and open to trawling (contingent upon GBRMPA approval to sample closed areas).
3. Quantify post-trawling mortality rates of sea snakes by undertaking survival experiments at sea on commercial vessels.
4. Test effectiveness of BRDs, including square mesh panels, on sea snake catch rates and promote the uptake of effective devices by industry.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-7345-0418-0
Author: Tony Courtney
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 1990-114
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Evaluation of the benefits and costs of research in Australia

There is increasing pressure on funding agencies to account for their allocation of funds to projects and the selection of their research portfolios. In its 1989 policy statement on fisheries management, the Commonwealth government noted that fisheries research funds should be directed toward...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) ABARES

Tagging of southern blue fin tuna off the coast of Australia

Project number: 1982-011
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Organisation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Cleveland
Project start/end date: 27 Jun 1985 - 29 Jun 1985
:

Objectives

1. Evaluate yield-per-recruit with various harvesting. Update mortality information. Estimate abundance local exploited sub-populations.
2. Quantify information on age-specific migration patterns for simulation model. Technique for ageing SBT.
3. Structure & integrity of schools
exchange of fish among schools
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2016-056
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

What could Australia’s total sustainable wild fisheries production be?

This project was a first attempt at estimating the total potential maximum sustainable yield (MSY) from Australia’s commercial fisheries. The project considered only key commercial species and selected by-product species. Estimating equilibrium MSY where there was a formal stock...
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart
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