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Developing a cost-effective and novel fisheries-independent monitoring program to inform scalefish fisheries management

Project number: 2023-002
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $440,725.00
Principal Investigator: Alyssa Marshell
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 31 Dec 2023 - 9 Jan 2027
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Target species of Tasmanian scalefish fisheries (TSF) remain difficult to assess and manage due to the wide range of species (> 20 species) and variety of both commercial and recreational fisheries methods. TSF are currently assessed using commercial catch and effort data as well as age and length information. However, some key TSF species landings are increasingly greater in the recreational sector, with a comparatively low commercial catch. Therefore, due to the absence of regular and robust CPUE data, innovative fishery independent data collection programs are required to routinely monitor TSF species and provide adequate data for stock assessment models. This project will review and collate data from previous studies to design and test strategic and cost-effective novel fishery-independent survey methods that collect population dynamics data for a suite of key scalefish fisheries species, across both environmental and fishing intensity gradients in Tasmania. Outcomes will improve stock assessment methods by providing new and additional data for data-poor and undefined species, and, if proven cost-effective, establish an ongoing, long-term fishery-independent monitoring program to enhance the sustainability of TSF. We will collate historical data on Tasmanian scalefish abundance, biomass, distribution, and length-frequencies collected in previous research projects and collect and compare new data to fill current knowledge gaps about localised population depletion and population dynamics across different habitats. Many of the popular commercial and recreational scalefish fisheries are increasingly of concern, with southern sand flathead, southern garfish, and bastard and striped trumpeters all assessed as depleted in the most recent (2020/21) Tasmanian stock assessment (Fraser et al 2022), while others (such as flounder - Pleuronectidae family, longsnout boarfish, and barracouta) were assessed as undefined due to lack of available data for these species. Our results will better inform data-poor stock assessment approaches and will have implications for fisheries managers making critical management decisions for depleted, depleting, and undefined Tasmanian scalefish fisheries species.

Objectives

1. Determine the benefits and limitations of alternative stereo-video methods to collect image-based fish size estimates, including assessing the effectiveness of length-monitoring to inform assessments of depleted/depleting and undefined commercial scalefish species.
2. Investigate image processing software for the implementation of a fully automated system for post-processing of stereo-video surveys using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
3. Compare length-frequencies of key scalefish species from fishery-dependent and independent survey datasets and length-based stock assessment methods.
4. Investigate novel sampling methods to collect length data of key scalefish species.
5. Conduct a comprehensive cost-benefit analyses of traditional versus novel monitoring methods, including power to ensure the feasibility of implementing and incorporating novel methods into regular fisheries-independent monitoring and assessment outcomes.
6. Investigate the role of incorporating citizen science and include recreational fishers’ engagement in supporting cost-effective and novel fisheries-independent monitoring programs.
Adoption
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2021-083
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Developing the tools and articulating the value proposition for genomic selection in Pacific Oyster selective breeding

To understand the opportunities and value in carbon neutral certification for the Australian oyster industry, FRDC and Oysters Australia commissioned NineSquared Pty Ltd to outline the current policy climate, pathways to certification and knowledge gaps limiting opportunity...
ORGANISATION:
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Hobart

ARDC: Food Security Data Challenges: Increasing food security through liberation of fishing and aquaculture data

Project number: 2022-176
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $1,000,000.00
Principal Investigator: Nicole Stubing
Organisation: Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC)
Project start/end date: 19 Mar 2023 - 28 Jun 2025
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The development of digital and data systems (DSS) across fisheries & aquaculture, as well as the agriculture sector more broadly is disparate. How data is collected, how it is stored, and how it can subsequently be used is greatly influenced by factors such as sector digital maturity, or available funding to develop (or upgrade) DSS.

This project seeks to develop a national fisheries and aquaculture data ingestion and storage system (Activity 1), ensuring that information derived from fisheries and aquaculture activities is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR).
The ingestion and storage system will be bolstered by a complementary data catalogue (detailing the data sets available on the platform) (Activity 2) and analytical tools (able to gain insights without moving data outside the storage platform) (Activity 6).
The platform will be underpinned by metadata (Activity 3) and a robust governance framework (Activity 4). Use of the system will be tested through 3 case studies, supporting capacity and capability improvement of the sector (Activity 5).

The production of and use of data cuts across industry and government, and covers activities throughout the fisheries supply chain (from pre-fishing quota management, to post-fishing processing and subsequent traceability). Consequently there is no one organisation across fishing and aquaculture that is best placed to co-ordinate and trial this technology. FRDC is capable to the leadership required to ensure a fit for purpose product for end users, additionally the leverage of Australia Research Data Commons investment will contribute to the development of a nationally coherent eResearch infrastructure

This project received investment from the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC). The ARDC is funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).

Objectives

1. Develop a new cloud-based fisheries data storage platform to enable ingestion, management, and sharing of datasets
2. Develop a CKAN-based data catalogue, a searchable fisheries data source allowing users to browse, combine, share, and access exchangeable data assets
3. Create best practice metadata standards that will be identified, documented, and then operationalised through the data catalogue and storage platform
4. Develop and operationalise a fisheries-focused data governance framework
5. Enhance capacity and capacity to use the platform through demonstration of 3 unique case studies
6. Develop use-case relevant suite of reporting and analysis tools to allow researchers to gain insights without moving data outside the storage platform