THE WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER FISHERY IS CURRENTLY MANAGED BY INPUT CONTROLS. THE CURRENT MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT IS UNDER REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION IS BEING GIVEN TO A MOVE TOWARDS OUTPUT CONTROLS IN 2006. THERE IS RECOGNITION BY WA FISHERIES AND INDUSTRY OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SOCIAL DIMENSION AND THE NEED TO ASSESS THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF CHANGES IN MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS. THIS STUDY WILL ASSESS THE SOCIAL COMPONENT OF THE FISHERY WHICH WILL INFORM MANAGERS AND INDUSTRY ON THE LIKELY SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF CHANGES TO THE EXISTING MANAGEMENT RULES, IN PARTICULAR THE CONSEQUENCES OF A CHANGE FROM INPUT TO OUTPUT CONTROLS. INDUSTRY HAS INDICATED THAT ANY DECISION ON THE FUTURE MANAGEMENT OF THE WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER FISHERY WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL DIMENSION. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH MOST studies THAT highlight the importance of the social dimension and conclude that more extensive investigation IN THIS AREA is required.

The lack of a well developed model for assessing the social consequences of the industry on hosting communities is a substantial and significant gap in knowledge. Failure to address this gap means that future decision regarding the industry will be flawed. Reliable and valid sustainability assessments must be based on a genuine integration of the environmental, economic and social elements of the triple bottom line. This is consistent with the industry commitment to ESD, and addresses key elements of the FRDC research priorities. The 2000-2005 FRDC R & D Plan states, “it is important to understand social impacts of implementing fisheries management regimes…ESD will be pursued most effectively when the industry is economically strong and when social benefits are clear”. AN INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BENEFITS THAT FLOW TO THE INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY FROM ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER RESOURCE WILL ADDRESS THIS IMPERATIVE.

THE OUTCOMES OF THE RESEARCH WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ENSURING THAT THE FISHERY REMAINS WELL MANAGED AND COMMITED TO PRINCIPLES OF ESD. THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF THIS PROJECT TO A WIDE RANGE OF DECISION AND PLANNING PROCESSES RECOGNISES THE SIGNIFICANT GAPS IN UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS AND IMPACTS OF THE FISHING INDUSTRY IN GENERAL AND THE ROCK LOBSTER FISHERY IN PARTICULAR. AS SUCH, THE STUDY WILL CONTRIBUTE TO A RANGE OF IMPORTANT DECISIONS THAT WILL GUIDE THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA INCLUDING:

A) THE INDUSTRY PROJECT: "DETERMINING THE BEST MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER INDUSTRY". THIS INTEGRATED 3 YEAR PROJECT WILL ASSESS THE SOCIAL, ECONONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THREE DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT SCENARIOS ON THE WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER FISHERY AND THEIR HOSTING COMMUITIES. THE MAIN DRIVER FOR THE PROJECT IS NATIONAL COMPETITION POLICY. THIS RESEARCH WILL ENABLE DECISION MAKERS TO ADDRESS THE NCP'S ‘NET COMMUNITY BENEFIT’ TEST WITH A FULL APPRECIATION OF THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF CHANGES ON FLEET HOSTING COMMUNITIES. THIS DATA IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE.

B) MARINE PARK PLANNING: A THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF REALLOCATING FISHERIES RESOURCES FROM EXTRACTIVE USERS SUCH AS COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL FISHERIES TO NON EXTRACTIVE USERS SUCH AS DIVE CHARTERS REQUIRE INFORMATION ON SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS. THIS RESEARCH PROJECT WILL ENABLE THE MARINE PARK PLANNING PROCESS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SOCIAL COSTS OF CHANGES THAT WILL RESULT FROM MARINE PARK PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING A SERIES OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS ON COASTAL COMMUNITIES.

C) INTEGRATED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT: THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT WILL ASSIST DECISION MAKERS ENGAGED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PLAN. THIS PLAN WILL HAVE IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND A FULL APPRECIATION OF THE SOCIAL DIMENSIONS IS CRUCIAL TO INFORMED, INTEGRATED PLANNING. THE BASIS OF INTEGRATED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IS EXPLICIT ALLOCATION OF THE FISHERIES RESOURCES BETWEEN EXTRACTIVE USERS, FOR EXAMPLE, AN EXPLICIT ALLOCATION OF WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER BETWEEN THE RECREATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL SECTOR. THIS RESEARCH WILL ASSIST IN UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL COSTS OR BENEFITS OF REALLOCATION OF THE RESOURCE FROM COMMERCIAL TO RECREATIONAL USERS.

The WRLC needs generally-accepted methods for setting the annual quota that is robust to many of the differences that exist throughout industry but underpins within an acceptable harvest range, resource sustainability. The approach to be adopted needs to take into account MEY analyses, changing price relationships in the market, known risks facing the rock lobster industry, future catch and biomass projections and limits on harvest rates. Uncertainty towards moving to a larger quota can be accommodated by adopting an iterative approach to quota setting built around better industry understanding of the market and other relevant factors. Ideally an annual quota setting process needs to be underpinned by sustainable stock conditions and take into account information derived from ongoing monitoring of market conditions and industry trends. This would enable risk factors to be taken into account balancing the competing requirements of optimising price, preventing oversupply and excessive price investment instability.
The failure of Industry to reach consensus on an agreed methods for future quota setting could result in other parties setting the agenda.

Preferably, as most of the financial risks fall within industry, the industry has a primary role in annual setting of quotas with a transparent accountable decision framework within an appropriate governance, reporting and dispute resolution framework (if necessary) that is supported by government and industry.