443 results

Tactical Research Fund: Adapting to change - minimising uncertainty about the effects of rapidly-changing environmental conditions on the Queensland Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery

Project number: 2008-103
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $74,927.00
Principal Investigator: Andrew & Renae Tobin
Organisation: James Cook University (JCU)
Project start/end date: 31 Jul 2009 - 29 Apr 2010
:

Need

TC Hamish (Category 5) traversed the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) in early March 2009, surpassing all previous storms in intensity, duration and maximum track length over reef structure. Hamish neatly bisected the major line fishing grounds of the Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (CRFFF), crossing the GBR east of Bowen then drifting southeast through the GBR southern section. The section of the GBR affected historically produces 70% of the annual landings taken by the commercial fleet as well as supports significant charter businesses and recreational fishing opportunities.

Commercial fishers were first to witness structural damage caused by TC Hamish with many reefs reported as receiving extreme damage (loss of live coral). Swift response by AIMS long term monitoring confirmed these reports showing some Mackay reefs suffering reductions from >75% to 10% live coral cover.

TC Hamish may have also caused marked decreases in Sea Surface Temperature (SST) similar to TC Justin (March 1997). TC Justin was a long-lived (24 days) system with an unusually large cloud mass, which cooled SST by 40C. Anecdotally, the unseasonal water cooling depressed CPUE of coral trout, and was responsible for an anomalous northward shift in the distribution of red throat emperor.

Within two weeks of Cyclone Hamish, the commercial CRFFF fleet began adapting to the poor fishing and low CPUE in southern GBR waters, with some vessels relocating to northern unaffected fishing grounds (thereby causing potential indirect consequences for northern fishers) and others choosing to remain “tied-up” to the wharf.

A significant threat of global climate change is that the frequency of intense storms may increase. Investigating the effects of extreme weather events on fishing and associated industries is a high priority. The need also extends to exploring the adaptive ability of all stakeholder groups in circumventing the negative impacts of such events.

Objectives

1. Use fishery independent UVC methods to estimate reef structural damage and fish abundance on the frequently sampled Effects of Line Fishing reefs.
2. Determine the real time effects of Tropical Cyclone Hamish on the catch composition and catch rates of each fishing sector within the CRFFF.
3. Investigate correlations of variant catch composition and CPUE with archived abiotic data and AIMS LTMP structural damage surveys.
4. Determine the socio-economic effects of TC Hamish on the commercial and charter CRFFF, including exploring adaptability of the fleet, vulnerability to future environmental events, and steps for reducing or mitigating this vulnerability.
5. Describe retrospectively the changes in the CRFFF catch composition and CPUE resulting from an unusually long duration storm event (Tropical Cyclone Justin, March 1997) compared with a short duration but high severity storm event (Tropical Cyclone Larry, March 2006).

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9808178-5-0
Author: Andrew Tobin
Final Report • 2010-12-06 • 3.94 MB
2008-103-DLD.pdf

Summary

With the severity and intensity of tropical cyclones predicted to increase with global climate change (Webster et al. 2005), the need to understand the effects of these events on fisheries production is paramount. The northern tropical margin of the Australian continent is subject to tropical cyclone influence each monsoon season. Although the increased rainfall that accompanies these events may have positive benefits for some fisheries production (e.g. Halliday et al. 2008; Staunton-Smith et al. 2004), the influence of the many other biophysical changes that accompany tropical cyclones (eg: habitat alteration and water temperature fluctuations) is less certain. One fishery for which anecdote reports negative influences of tropical cyclone impact is the Queensland Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (CRFFF). Prior to the impacts of severe TC Hamish in March 2009, popular anecdote reported that the influence of TC Justin (March 1997) on catch rate of the primary target species of the commercial sector, common coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus), were particularly negative and long lasting (up to twelve months). Somewhat surprising, the depressed catch rate of trout was accompanied by a noticeable increase in catch rates of red throat emperor (the secondary target species of the CRFFF) that was acknowledged though not quantified by Leigh et al. (2006).

The influence of tropical cyclones on the performance of the CRFFF is an annual event, though mostly restricted to loss of potential fishing days due to the inclement and unpredictable weather that accompanies the monsoon season. The ‘average’ cyclone that impacts the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA), within which the CRFFF operates, is generally short lived and crosses the reef structure rapidly in an east to west direction. With the last two decades, most tropical cyclones impacting the GBRWHA have been low intensity systems (category 1 or 2). The influence of these types of systems on reef structure (coral coverage and diversity) and associated small-bodied reef fish communities has been well documented (e.g. Wilson et al. 2009; Emslie et al. 2008). However, as the monitoring used for these reports focuses initially on corals and secondarily small-bodied fish communities, the ability to measure changes in large-bodied reef fish communities is either not attempted, or compromised. As such, no robust assessment has been completed to understand the changes in abundance and availability of CRFFF primary target species in response to cyclone impacts.

TC Hamish impacted the southern section of the GBRWHA in March 2009, and quickly galvanised fishers, managers (both fisheries and Marine Park) and research scientists with a common need to The project outputs clearly demonstrate catch rates within the CRFFF can be significantly and adversely affected by some cyclone events. Understanding the biophysical drivers of these changed catch rates is difficult due to the variable and unique nature of each cyclone event. However, it is clear from project outputs that the negative effects of a cyclone may significantly alter catch rates and that these effects may linger for at least twelve months post-event. The gradual dominance and reliance for economic viability of the commercial sector on live coral trout, has stifled pre-existing adaptive capacity. The infrastructure investments and fishing behaviours of fishers targeting live coral trout are not amenable to changing market places; an ability that may well offer some adaptive capacity to the commercial sector of the CRFFF. In contrast, recreational and charter fishing sectors with their diversified fishing and targeting practices are immune to cyclone influence.

A suggested pro forma for an action plan to track, adaptation plan and possibly mitigate the negative influences of future unique cyclone events is a draft proposal at this time, and will need to be strengthened based on the outcomes from two working groups formed during the last six months. Considerations for further research should include: (1) Identifying the most appropriate data recording system for the CRFFF that will allow timely interrogation of catch data that is not available currently; (2) Canvassing options for building adaptive capacity into a fishery that is currently highly vulnerable to change due to economic reliance on a single species destined for a single market place; and (3) Better understanding the possible drivers of the sustained changes in ecological behaviours of reef fish following cyclone passage.

Synthesis of industry information on fishing patterns, technological change and the influence of oceanographic effects on fish stocks in the South East Fishery

Project number: 1997-114
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $121,250.00
Principal Investigator: Jeremy D. Prince
Organisation: Biospherics Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 19 May 1997 - 21 Oct 1998
:

Need

In its 1995-2000 research plan the Research Sub-committee of SETMAC identified as high priorities:
- understanding shifts in fishing effort and practices, and
- understanding the effect of climate on fish and fishing practices, together with
- increased colloborative work and communication with industry.

This proposal addresses these priorities and consequently the Research Sub-committee has given it the highest priority for the 1997/98 funding round.

Objectives

1. Synthesise and formalise SEF industry information about factors influencing fishing power, including construct a time series documenting the introduction of new technology.
2. Synthesise and formalise industry information about trends in fishing practices, targeting, by-catch and discarding rates, and influences on fishing practices.
3. Synthesise and formalise SEF industry information about oceanographic factors influencing catches and catch rates of SEF species.
4. Generate ordinal time series for incorporation in General Linear Modelling of catch rate trends within the SEF1 database by SEFAG.
5. Generate hypotheses about trends in SEF catch rates that can be tested through targeted analysis of the SEF1 database by SEFAG.
6. Improve SEFAG stock assessments and government/industry relations in the SEF.

Final report

People
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2009-019
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Evaluating the potential use of change-in-ratio and index removal techniques for determining harvest rates and efficiency increases in the Western Rock Lobster Fishery

This project developed and explored methodology intended to enable the production of more reliable estimates of fishing efficiency increases and harvest rate, such that these estimates might be available for use by fisheries scientists, thereby improving the quality of the management decisions...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2009-067
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Tactical Research Fund: Nutrient and phytoplankton data from Storm Bay to support sustainable resource planning

This project has provided preliminary data on environmental conditions in Storm Bay that is assisting managers and marine industries to better understand effects of climate change and climate variability on fisheries and aquaculture in the region, including changing currents and primary...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
People
PROJECT NUMBER • 2021-049
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Developing and testing a cultural change process in the NSW wild harvest sector: a case study to facilitate a process towards co-management in the NSW Northern Fish Trawl

The Australian and NSW seafood industry has been impacted by several unrelated disrupters that challenges the efficacy of current business models and culture to support business success now and into the future. These and other disruptors are also creating challenges to the approaches taken by and...
ORGANISATION:
Strategic Journeys
Environment
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 1995-025
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Biological and ecological research needed for the effective management of the bar-cheeked coral trout and the chinaman cod, including an investigation into the factors controlling sex-change in the serranids (cods, groupers and coral trout).

This study provides detailed biological and ecological information on the chinaman cod, Epinephelus rivulatus, and biological information on the bar-cheeked coral trout, Plectropomus maculatus, in West Australian waters. Both of these species are members of a large group of predatory fish known as...
ORGANISATION:
University of Western Australia (UWA)
View Filter

Species

Organisation