National reviews of Fisheries R&D needs (FRDC95/055) have identified the need for non-extractive, fishery-independent sampling and stock assessment techniques which are cost-effective, repeatable and robust across and range of habitats and depths. These methods are becoming increasingly important as Australian fisheries face the challenge of addressing ecosystem based fisheries management and climate change. A national workshop on the use of video for sensing the size and abundance of target and non-target fauna in Australian fisheries (FRDC2000/187) highlighted the potential for Baited Remote Underwater Video systems (BRUVs). After a decade, there has been wide adoption of this technique. However, differences in protocols for deployment, analysis and interpretation make spatial and temporal
comparisons of data difficult.

There is the need to develop a robust set of nationally agreed upon protocols to ensure that users are appropriately informed and trained through a comprehensive extension and capacity building program that also identifies key unresolved technical issues.

With the increased testing and use of BRUVs a number of independent developments have occurred. Future technological advances and more detailed statistical and modelling approaches will result in the BRUVs data being more useful for ecosystem assessment and management. Maximising the potential that these advances will provide to Australian fisheries will be achieved by a co-ordinated and
collaborative research strategy. We propose to host a two day workshop to critically evaluate the use of BRUVs as a data collection tool
for scalefishes and sharks. The workshop will identify the strengths, limitations and identify potential solutions.

AFMA recently announced the completion of amendments to the ETBF management plan, and the call for applications for statutory fishing rights. These fishing rights, and the effort allocation of effort that accompanying them, will be managed using Spatial Area Factors (SAFs). SAFs are multipliers that translate the actual amount of fishing effort expended, e.g. in thousands of hooks, into the amount of effort units that are taken off an SFR holders allocation. The intent of these SAFs is to allow spatial management of the fishery, by providing incentives for fishing in areas with low SAFs and disincentives in areas with high SAFs. If used effectively, these SAFs may provide a mechanism for reducing many of the management conflicts in the fishery, such as catch of seabirds and turtles, local depletion of target stocks, and under-exploitation of high seas areas. However, in order to effectively apply the SAFs, AFMA will need to be able to determine the motivational effect of the SAF on fishermen's location choices. Moreover, the SAFs will affect the total allowable effort (TAE) that is actually realized in the fishery in a given year, so not only will they affect individual fishers, they will also affect the performance of the fishery as a whole. It will be critical to be able to make some predictions about how the realized TAE will change, based on the structure of the SAFs in order to weigh alterative management options prior to implementing them. Finally, a move from TAEs to TACs and ITQs will substantially affect the structure of the fishery. Although we will not directly address those changes in this proposal, the behavioral models developed in this project would be rapidly adaptable to a TAC/ITQ system, and could form a basis for informing management as to the potential effects.