41 results

A scenario analysis of the social impact of the Western Rock Lobster industry management options on fleet hosting communities

Project number: 2004-247
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $427,287.00
Principal Investigator: Matthew Tonts
Organisation: University of Western Australia (UWA)
Project start/end date: 29 Jun 2004 - 31 Oct 2007
Contact:
FRDC

Need

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.

Objectives

1. To assist in the formulation of authoritative advice based on a thorough understanding of ESD principles (particularly social) to the relevant minister in response to national competition policy (NCP).
2. To establish a database of quantitative and qualitative social indicators for the communities hosting the western rock lobster fleet that will enable an integrated socio-economic assessment of a range of industry management options.
3. To contribute to the development of a framework and predictive sustainability assessment model integrating social data with environmental and economic data for use in predicting the wider effects of management changes on host communities.
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2014-011
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Direct age determination with validation for commercially important Australian lobster and crab species (western, eastern, southern and ornate rock lobsters, and crystal, Tasmanian giant and mud crabs)

This research project was undertaken by a national collaboration of government and academic scientists representing key Australian crustacean fisheries. The collaborating institutions were the: Marine Ecology Research Centre – Southern Cross University, Department of Fisheries Western...
ORGANISATION:
Southern Cross University (SCU) Lismore Campus
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2014-406
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Western Rock Lobster Council Inc. (WRLC) Research, Development and Extension Program, including resources and processes to consolidate and coordinate WRLC RD&E planning and funding so that overall RD&E outcomes are delivered in an efficient and cost-effective way

The Western Rock Lobster Council (WRL) is the industry research, development and extension (RD&E) body for the western rock lobster fishing sector. It is charged by its members to consolidate and coordinate WRL RD&E planning and funding so that overall RD&E outcomes are delivered in an...
ORGANISATION:
Western Rock Lobster Council Inc (WRLC)

Mitigation measures to reduce entanglements of migrating whales with commercial fishing gear

Project number: 2014-004
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $499,999.00
Principal Investigator: Jason How
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Project start/end date: 1 May 2014 - 7 Jul 2016
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Whale entanglements in the western rock lobster (WRL) fishery have increased dramatically with changes in fishing times from a move to a quota. The recent commonwealth Department for the Environment (DE) assessment removed the fishery from five-year export approval, granting a two-year Wildlife Trade Order (WTO) with conditions on whale entanglements. Subsequent correspondence from the Department of Fisheries (DoF) and DE requested information from industry as to what actions will undertaken for the 2014 and 2013 humpback migrations respectively. DoF correspondence indicated a seasonal closure may be implemented ‘in the absence of specific alternative action(s)’. A closure during the humpback migration (1 May-30 Nov) would concentrate fishing into the remaining 5 months resulting in a reduced beach price. Winter beach prices are ~$70/kg, with a move from this high value period into a condensed season reducing GVP by ~$50 million.
TRF project (2013-037) addresses the immediate aspects of the WTO conditions, required by 31 March 2014. Industry groups, while cognizant of the need to address the issue of whale
entanglements are reluctant to proceed with the introduction of gear modifications without a clear scientific rationale behind their testing.
Project 2013-037 is a preliminary study and with its initiations after the 2013 humpback migration has begun, detailed gear testing and migration information was not possible. However it is planned to identify a number of viable mitigation options that are worthy of detailed evaluation in 2014. This project extends on Project 2013-037 addresses the longer term (2014-2015) DE conditions, which would enable year-round market access.

Objectives

1. Determine and implement appropriate gear modifications and management changes to reduce entanglements with migrating humpback whales
2. Produce fine-spatial and temporal information on whale migrations along the west coast of Western Australia necessary for a tailored spatio-temporal closures and/or areas for gear modifications.
3. Provide clear scientific methods behind the testing of selected gear modifications to reduce whale entanglements
4. Incorporate any new practices that may reduce entanglements with migrating whales in the CoP for the fishery and ensure its extension and adoption

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-921258-43-5
Authors: J How D Coughran M Double K Rushworth B Hebiton J Smith J Harrison M. Taylor D Paton G McPherson C McPherson A Recalde Salas C Salgado-Kent and S de Lestang
Final Report • 2020-03-01 • 5.85 MB
2014-004-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project provided a robust assessment that gear modifications introduced into the WCRLMF and octopus fisheries have reduced the number of reported entanglements. The management arrangements around the implementation of these modifications are appropriate in light on the new spatial and temporal information on the migratory behaviours of humpback whales off the west Australian coast. Therefore, it is recommended that the current management arrangements that are in place to reduce whale entanglements remain. It should be noted however, that while gear modifications have been effective, the whale population off the west Australian coast is predicated to continue to increase. As a result, entanglements may increase in the future as a result of this population increase, and additional research may be required to assess possible additional gear modifications or management arrangements. 
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2000-252
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Rock Lobster Post Harvest Subprogram: optimising water quality in rock lobster post-harvest processes

Rock lobsters can be exposed to poor water quality during all stages of handling and holding prior to going to market. Poor water quality reduces the time a lobster can be held alive and how many animals can be held in a system and thus may reduce profit. The quality of water can be assessed using...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
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