Maintaining productivity and access to Estuary Cockle across sectors through improved science-based decision making
The lack of knowledge on fundamental fisheries biology, uncertainty in stock structure, population dynamics, and cross-sectoral harvest levels, means that current stock assessments are unequipped to reliably determine stock status or inform recommended biological catches (RBCs), and that management of the resource occurs within a high degree of uncertainty. These EXCEPTIONAL INCREASES IN HARVEST and UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDING SUITABLE RBCs create an URGENT NEED TO DEAL WITH THE SUBSTANTIAL KNOWLEDGE VACUUM FOR THIS RESOURCE. Without this improved knowledge, the reasonable assessment of the status of the resource, estimation of appropriate harvest levels, harvest strategy development, implementation of appropriate management, and informed decision making on how best to utilise the resource, will continue not to be possible. Furthermore, environmental variability and species-habitat-fishery interactions are likely to impact stock dynamics and biomass, which in turn affects the magnitude, profitability, and social outcomes derived from the resource. Thus, efficient exploitation and effective management of the resource within a harvest strategy framework cannot occur without: 1) spatial definition of likely management units (stock structure); 2) estimates of stock biomass within those units; 3) estimates of basal population parameters and some appreciation of the influence of environmental stochasticity on resource productivity; and, 4) an appreciation of resource access across sectors. There is likely potential for further development in this fishery, to satisfy growing markets for the species both locally and abroad, but this will never be realised until these information needs are met.
