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SCRC: Visiting Expert Application: Dr Doug Tocher

Project number: 2009-740
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Kathy Schuller
Organisation: Flinders University
Project start/end date: 25 May 2009 - 30 Nov 2009
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Dr Douglas Tocher from the University of Stirling in Scotland is a world-renowned expert in both the practical aspects and the molecular biology of lipid nutrition in fish. He will be visiting Sydney in September 2009 to speak at the Oils and Fats conference. This is an excellent opportunity to have him visit Adelaide and Port Lincoln researchers and industry personnel to discuss possible international collaborative projects in finfish lipid nutrition.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-925982-13-8
Author: Dr Kathy Schuller
Final Report • 2009-12-01 • 108.94 KB
2009-740-DLD.pdf

Summary

This visiting expert grant allowed a visit to South Australia by Dr Douglas Tocher. Dr Tocher is based at the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University in Scotland and he is internationally-recognised for his work as a research scientist in the area of finfish lipid and fatty acid nutrition. The objectives of his visit were to exchange information about the most recent developments in finfish lipid and fatty acid nutrition in Europe and Australia and to hold a workshop to develop international collaborative research projects between the Seafood CRC and the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University.

Dr Tocher met for technical discussions with research providers at SARDI Aquatic Sciences, Adelaide University and Flinders University. He also visited the Lincoln Marine Science Centre in Port Lincoln. The culmination of Dr Tocher's visit was a symposium on finfish lipid and fatty acid nutrition and the human health implications held at Flinders University on Thursday October 8, 2009. The symposium was attended by approximately 25 researchers from Ridley Aquafeed, the Seafood CRC, Flinders University, University of Adelaide, the Royal Adelaide Hospital, SARDI and Deakin University.

The symposium was followed by a workshop to discuss possible future collaborative research projects in the area of finfish lipid nutrition. The workshop resulted in a cluster of proposed Seafood CRC Honours projects adding value to the feeding trials planned within "Sustainable Feeds and Feed Management for Yellowtail Kingfish" and "Understanding Yellowtail Kingfish".

Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2014-023
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

An industry based mark recapture program to provide stock assessment inputs for the Western Rock Lobster Fishery following introduction of quota management

The West Coast Lobster Managed Fishery (WCRLMF) moved from input to output controls in 2010. This change directly affected the relativity of a number of fisherybased data sources, making assessment of the fishery more problematic. A novel examination of the stock dynamics was required to help ensure...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA

Assessment of seal fishery interactions in the South East Trawl Fishery (SETF) and the development of fishing practices and seal exclusion devices (SEDs) in the winter blue grenadier fishery to mitigate seal bycatch by SETF trawlers

Project number: 2001-008
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $287,245.00
Principal Investigator: Richard Tilzey
Organisation: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) ABARES
Project start/end date: 30 Jan 2001 - 30 Jun 2005
Contact:
FRDC

Need

With the continuing recovery in the size of Australian-based fur seal populations post-sealing, a corresponding increase in seal interactions with domestic fishing vessels is occurring and will continue. There is an urgent need to develop effective seal bycatch prevention procedures to prevent fishing operations from being severely curtailed, or closed down, under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Following the 1999 winter blue grenadier season, incidental seal mortalities emerged as a major issue that threatened the continuation of this fishery; at least that part of the fishery harvested by factory trawlers. These trawlers had successfully developed the fishery, increasing the total grenadier catch from about 3000 t in 1996 to over 9000 t in 1999. The processed value of the factory trawler catch is now around $20 million per year (ASIC 2003) at first sale. The seal deaths in 1999 resulted in significant pressure from some environmental groups to prevent factory trawlers access to this fishery in 2000. This action would have caused significant loss of income in this sector and possibly jeopardised the future participation of factory trawlers in the fishery. There is a strong need for such vessels to demonstrate that seal bycatch can be reduced by adopting appropriate fishing procedures and gears.

It is also likely that pressures will be brought to bear on the ‘wet boats’ fishing for blue grenadier and possibly the rest of the SEF trawl fleet to take measures to reduce incidental seal captures. The study by Knuckey et al. (2002) indicated seal bycatch to occur virtually across the whole multi-species trawl fishery. Some of the results of the development and testing of SEDs and other mitigation measures by the factory trawlers in the targeted ‘single-species’ fishery under this project may be transferable to other vessel operators in the wider multi-species fishery, helping them to avoid many potential operational problems and costs. Increasing the effectiveness of SEDs in both reducing seal mortalities and minimising fish losses would be an important step in helping to gain wider industry acceptance of the potential use of these devices.

Objectives

1. To improve the effectiveness of Seal Exclusion Devices (SEDs) in blue grenadier trawl nets in reducing seal mortalities and minimising losses of fish.
2. To assess the effectiveness of fishing techniques aimed at minimising seal bycatch.
3. To gather full biological information from all seal fatalities.
4. To achieve full observer coverage of freezer-trawler activities during the 2001 and 2002 winter grenadier fishery and monitor seal numbers around vessels and all seal-trawl interactions.
5. To gather information on seal movements/residence time in the winter grenadier fishery.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-925983-05-0
Author: Richard Tilzey
Final Report • 2007-04-30 • 2.06 MB
2001-008-DLD.pdf

Summary

Introducing a Code of Fishing Practice aimed at avoiding seals appeared to halve the incidence of seal bycatch in this fishery. In SED trials, the problems of fish-loss via the SED escape hatch and net blockage via the SED grid were solved by changes in SED design. Although the effectiveness of most SED designs in reducing seal bycatch could not be quantified, the forward facing, ‘top-hatch’ SED design used in 2002 significantly lowered the incidence of seal bycatch in midwater trawl nets. Trials with this design are continuing. Some of the major factors that influence the probability of seal bycatch occurring in this fishery were delineated. Biological sampling of seal fatalities showed the dominant seal bycatch to be sub-adult male Australian fur seals habituated to foraging from trawl nets. Seal tracking studies developed a novel method of tagging seals at sea and indicated that a comparatively small and intransient sub-set of their population interacted with this fishery.

The following recommendations were made in the winter grenadier fishery: use open, forward-facing, ‘top-hatch’ SEDs (or a more effective design if one is developed) in all midwater net shots (or as directed for research purposes); continue the Code of Fishing Practice; continue the shot-by-shot recording of seal bycatch in the SEF1 logbook and maintain a level of scientific observer coverage and biological data collection; and, continue trials of the ‘top-hatch’ SED and gather more information by using underwater filming on the timing and depth–frequency of net entry by seals, and the circumstances of net entry that place seals at risk. 

The following recommendations were made in the rest of the SEF trawl fleet: Priority should be given to assessing the nature and extent of seal-fishery activities across the fishery; The Code of Fishing Practice should be followed where practicable; and, At this juncture, SED use should be confined to large midwater trawl nets in areas where seals are known to be common, as more assessment of SED effectiveness is needed before extending their usage.

Project results also assisted the goal of obtaining accreditation for the SEF under a Section 33 determination under this Act.

Keywords: Blue grenadier trawl fishery, seal bycatch mitigation, Seal Exclusion Devices, Australian fur seal biology.

Project products

SCRC: PhD 5.04 Assessing the costs and benefits of changing fishing practices in the southern rock lobster fishery (Dr Bridget Green; Student Tim Emery)

Project number: 2009-762
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Bridget Green
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 31 Mar 2010 - 31 Mar 2013
Contact:
FRDC

Need

There currently is concern in SRL fisheries about the status of inshore stocks. Catch has declined in a number of areas, despite improvements in catch rates. For example, in Northeastern Tasmania, catch is at record lows, yet CPUE has failed to climb. Inshore stocks on western Tasmania are now receiving historically high levels of effort, due in part to change in shot rotation practices. Further, it is unclear whether the extra effort in these practices is adequately recorded in estimates of CPUE. There has been a recent increase in potting effort, commonly referred to as double night fishing, whereby fishers set and haul their pots twice a night, compared to the standard practice of emptying pots once at dusk and/or once during the day. Currently we have no data on the composition of the catch in double night shots, and what proportion of captured lobsters are handled and released, and what consequence this handling has on production from the fishery.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-925982-46-6
Author: Timothy James Emery
Final Report • 2013-04-01
2009-762-DLD-Phd.pdf

Summary

The specific aim of this thesis was to assess the effectiveness of individual transferable quota (ITQ) systems of management in meeting economic, ecological and social objective(s) through quantitatively analysing changing fishing practices and behaviour of fishers in the Tasmanian Southern Rocklobster (TSRL) fishery to inform management decision-making. Understanding how fishers behave and make decisions is critical in determining how best to manage fisheries. If the response of fishers to management measures can be predicted, unexpected and undesirable outcomes can be avoided.

ITQ management has been introduced in many international fisheries, with the purpose of accounting for human behaviour, as it theoretically generates behavioural incentives that are aligned with management objectives (e.g. reducing fishing costs). The ability of ITQ systems to meet continuing economic, ecological and social objectives therefore is centred on ensuring fisher behavioural incentives remain aligned with those objectives.

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