36 results

Predicting the impacts of shifting recreational fishing effort towards inshore species

Project number: 2010-001
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $300,439.06
Principal Investigator: Alex Hesp
Organisation: Murdoch University
Project start/end date: 31 Jul 2010 - 31 May 2013
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Recreational exploitation of inshore, marine fishes near Perth, WA, including King George Whiting, some other whiting species and Silver Trevally, is likely to increase markedly because of effort transfer from offshore to inshore species, due to new fishing regulations to protect offshore demersal species. No reliable stock assessment information is currently available for any of these species, which may already be overexploited. Furthermore, for King George Whiting and Silver Trevally, current assessment methods are inadequate because offshore movements with increasing body size, combined with different catchabilities and fishing pressures in nearshore and offshore habitats, make it impossible to obtain a representative age composition sample for an overall stock of these species. This problem can be addressed through developing a new stock assessment approach for such species, which is also applicable to other recreational, and commercial species, e.g. Estuary Cod.

The biological information published in reports and papers on commercial and recreational fish species in south-western Australia is often inaccessible to fishers and researchers may not be aware of all available information for those species. A book explaining the basics of fisheries science and outlining key information for important temperate WA fish species would be invaluable for engaging fishers and a valuable reference for researchers and managers.

The proposed project directly addresses an urgent need of the Department of Fisheries, WA, and the recreational sector, to assess likely impacts of recreational effort transfer from offshore to important inshore species. The assessment approach and guide is also very relevant to the commercial sector.

Objectives

1. Develop a method for estimating mortality in species which exhibit size-related movements
2. Predict impacts of shifting effort towards certain temperate, inshore WA fish species
3. Produce a guide to key temperate WA fishes, for all industry stakeholders

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-921877-05-6
Authors: Fisher E.A. Hesp S.A. Hall N.G. and Sulin E.H.
Final Report • 2013-09-15 • 1.49 MB
2010-001-DLD.pdf

Summary

The project outputs have led to the following outcomes:

1. A model has been developed enabling reliable estimation of mortality of fish species that undertake size-related, unidirectional, offshore movements from age and length data. This new modelling approach is likely to be applicable to stocks of a number of fish species with this life history attribute, for which current stock status information may be very limited due to the difficulty of obtaining a representative sample for an overall stock.

2. Current age and length composition data and estimates of key stock assessment parameters, including selectivity, movement and fishing mortality, are now available for Silver Trevally and King George Whiting in coastal waters near Perth in Western Australia. Managers are aware that the study results have provided preliminary evidence that Silver Trevally and King George Whiting in waters near Perth are not currently experiencing overfishing.

3. This project has provided managers with information about the relative extents to which the stocks of Silver Trevally and King George Whiting in coastal waters near Perth might be expected to be impacted if fishing pressure were to increase by specified amounts. Managers are thus aware that King George Whiting stocks are likely to be more vulnerable than Silver Trevally to increases in fishing pressure in inshore waters.

4. Detailed summaries of the biology, stock assessment and management for 30 of Western Australia’s most important and/or well-known temperate fish species are now accessible to fishery stakeholders in the form of a species guide (published separately as Fisheries Research Report No. 242 by the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia). The guide provides a comprehensive “go to” source of information for anyone who wishes to find key facts and/or literature relating to these species.

Keywords: Silver Trevally, King George Whiting, size-related movement, fishing mortality, uncertainty, model assumptions

Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2000-132
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Characterisation of the inshore fish assemblages of the Pilbara and Kimberley coasts

The catches of the main fish species obtained by commercial, recreational and charter boat fishers along the Pilbara and Kimberley coasts have been determined by analysing the Department of Fisheries Western Australian Catch and Effort Database System (CAES), the results of a recreational creel...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA

Effects of net fishing: addressing biodiversity and bycatch issues in Queensland inshore waters

Project number: 1997-206
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $528,010.19
Principal Investigator: Ian Halliday
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 30 Aug 1997 - 25 Mar 2002
Contact:
FRDC

Need

There is a critical need for information to support management decisions about inshore fisheries resources, and to address rising industry, conservation and public concern about the impact of net fishing on sustainability and biodiversity of the ecosystem and habitats associated with the fishery. The theory of measuring changes in biodiversity have yet to be applied in net fisheries. This project will be a test case for the practical application of determining net fishing effects on biodiversity.

Information on the effect of net fishing on bycatch and biodiversity in Australia is extremely limited. While some data exist on the marketed catch, the quantity and nature of bycatch remains virtually unknown. There is little information on the total catch characteristics of net fisheries, the proportions of species caught, and the proportion of the resource harvested each year. Similarly little is known about the fate of fish discarded from nets which would help to characterise the impact of net fishing on biodiversity.

This project will address the urgent need for information on the: total catch composition from net fishing, fate of discarded fish bycatch, impact on protected species and impact on biodiversity. Baseline data collected through both fishery dependent and independent methods will provide a basis for long term monitoring of the fishery and will enhance the interpretation of existing commercial catch records. These data will help meet the requirements of the ‘National Strategy for Conservation of Australia’s Biological Biodiversity’ of a) improving the knowledge base of fisheries, b) improving fisheries management and c) assessing and minimising the impact of commercial fishery practices on non-target and bycatch species, ecosystems and genetic diversity.

Objectives

1. Establish proportions of target catch and bycatch caught in inshore net fisheries along the Queensland east coast and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
2. Characterise the bycatch component of net fisheries in terms of species composition, seasonal abundance, habitat type and mesh size.
3. Determine the fate of fish discarded from net catches.
4. Establish the effects of net fishing on biodiversity through intensive comparative studies of areas closed and open to commercial net fishing.
5. Provide management advice on possible sustainability and biodiversity indicators, and on changes in net fishing practices needed to reduce impacts on bycatch species and biodiversity.

Final report

Tactical Research Fund: managing inshore stocks of southern rock lobster for a sustainable fishery

Project number: 2009-058
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $75,000.00
Principal Investigator: Bridget Green
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 29 Nov 2009 - 14 May 2011
Contact:
FRDC

Need

There is clearly a concern in the Tasmanian lobster industry about the status of inshore component of the stock. Catch has declined in a number of areas, despite improvements in catch rates. In the Northeast, catch is at record lows, but CPUE has remained stable, which is a possible indicator of hyper-stability or false stability. The apparent stability in catch rates occurs because aggregations containing a major proportion of the population are fished down, as the fleet moves from one area of good catch rates to the next, resulting in a serial depletion of the aggregations, which is masked by the apparent stability in the fishing block. This can result in a very sudden decline in biomass once the entire block is depleted, posing a serious and immediate risk to the inshore component of the stock. There are two potential sources of this problem. Firstly, the scale of the current assessment model, of eight inshore areas (64m) and three offshore areas (>64m) is not be fine enough to detect localised changes in the CPUE or biomass. Secondly there are changes in fishing practices that have increased effort on inshore stocks, and 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 in fact what consequence this handling has on the overall health of the fishery.

Objectives

1. Determine the extent of declines in the inshore stock by changing the current stock assessment model to assess stocks at a finer scale (&lt
30m and &gt
30m).
2. Assess whether increased effort in double night shots is adequately recorded in estimates of CPUE
include the differences in catch composition, size structure and the effects of handling on growth in assessments.
3. Assess the cost-effectiveness of double night fishing and compare short and long-term benefits.
4. Develop a management strategy evaluation, presenting options based on the results of the study.

Beyond GVP: The value of inshore commercial fisheries to fishers and consumers in regional communities on Queensland’s east coast

Project number: 2013-301
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $179,648.64
Principal Investigator: Sean Pascoe
Organisation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart
Project start/end date: 31 Dec 2013 - 29 Jun 2016
Contact:
FRDC

Need

There are multiple threats to ongoing access/operation of commercial inshore fisheries (finfish and crab) along Queensland’s east coast. These include port developments and expansions, coastal development, public perception (which influences management) and competition between fishing sectors (which also influences management). These threats to access could adversely affect not only commercial fishers themselves, but also secondary industries as well as the availability of seafood to local communities. It is now well documented that consumers prefer local seafood products, and are willing to pay more for seafood labelled ‘local’ (Tobin et al. 2010; Calogeras et al. 2011).

It could be assumed that reducing these threats and ensuring ongoing operation of commercial fisheries and local seafood supply is desirable, for many social and economic reasons. Yet there is little information about the value inshore commercial fisheries and fishing businesses provide to communities (aside from the much used GVP, which has long been recognised as a nonsensical measure of value (e.g. Edwards 1991, McPhee & Hundloe 2004)), or the relative value of local seafood compared to non-local seafood for consumers.

Without knowing the real economic value of commercial fisheries and local seafood for regional communities, decisions regarding management of, and access to, resources are likely to be ill informed. Real value information can be used to ensure appropriate access of fishers and consumers to fisheries resources, better assess the economic impacts of other coastal activities that negatively affect fishing, or better inform reallocation processes where necessary.

Objectives

1. Determine the economic value of inshore commercial finfish and crab fisheries within Qld east-coast regional communities
2. Model the flow-on economic and employment value of inshore commercial fisheries
3. Determine the relative value of local seafood compared to non-local Australian or imported products
4. Develop a transferable methodology template to measure the value of commercial fisheries to regional communities for a broader range of fisheries

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-4863-0728-9
Author: Sean Pascoe

Impact of gillnet fishing on inshore temperate reef fishes, with particular reference to banded morwong

Project number: 1995-145
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $145,513.00
Principal Investigator: Jeremy Lyle
Organisation: University of Tasmania (UTAS)
Project start/end date: 29 Dec 1995 - 30 Jul 1999
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. Describe life history and population parameters of the key commercial reef fish species.
2. Determine gillnet mesh selectivity for commercial (and by-catch) reef species.
3. Determine the size/age composition of banded morwong populations at different sites off the east coast of Tasmania with particular attention to the impact of differing levels of fishing pressure.
4. Determine patterns of movement for banded morwong, wrasse and bastard trumpeter.
5. Assess the level of by-catch and discarding in the inshore gillnet fishery.
6. Conduct yield per recruit analyses to determine appropriate legal size limits.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2015-215
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Low cost management regimes for sustainable, small low-value fisheries based on coastal inshore species

This study provides a comprehensive, process-based guidance to developing low-cost management regimes for small-scale, low-value fisheries. The approach outlined is strongly “bottom-up” in that it seeks to identify pragmatic options and provide practical advice that specifically...
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart

Tactical Research Fund: spreading the risk: management strategies for multi-method inshore fisheries in a changing climate

Project number: 2009-053
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $14,900.00
Principal Investigator: James Scandol
Organisation: UNSW Sydney
Project start/end date: 30 Nov 2009 - 29 Nov 2010
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The NSW Department of Primary Industries continues to work with the NSW commercial fishing industry to investigate structural changes to the management of commercial fisheries which will lead to improvements in efficiency and profitability. One issue that requires consideration in these deliberations is the highly variable inshore-offshore production that is linked with rainfall in coastal NSW. Such changes are exacerbated during periods of drought or flood and result in significant shifts in the behaviour of fishers. It is expected that such variations in rainfall will continue, and are likely to become more extreme, under projected climate change scenarios.

This project will examine the NSW commercial catch records and ascertain if there are patterns of endorsement holdings that are the basis of more robust fishing businesses during periods of drought or flood. We expect that many fishers will understand these patterns based upon extensive practical experience, but an empirical confirmation of such patterns will lend additional weight to any associated decisions by government and industry.

This project will also shed light upon an important facet of risk management in fisheries. The textbook economic argument that increased specialisation results in increased efficiency must be contrasted with potential lost opportunities for fisheries production in a highly variable environment. The adage "don't put all your eggs in one basket" is likely to be highly applicable for inshore and coastal fisheries in NSW. Increased specialisation will likely be associated with costs as well as benefits.

Objectives

1. Identify the patterns of fishing endorsements that will make NSW fishing businesses more robust to the likely changes in freshwater flow that will result from climate change.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-7334-2942-2
Author: James Scandol

Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: Metazoan parasite survey of selected macro-inshore fish of southeastern Australia, including species of commercial importance

Project number: 2007-225
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $135,752.00
Principal Investigator: Kate S. Hutson
Organisation: University of Adelaide
Project start/end date: 28 Aug 2007 - 30 Jun 2010
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Metazoan parasites threaten the sustainability and profitability of the Australian finfish aquaculture industry. It is critical, therefore, to identify local parasite species and determine which are potentially harmful. There have been many studies assessing metazoan parasite fauna of wild fish and fish farmed in sea-cages in the northern hemisphere, but such research is notably absent in the Australia. With current low stocking densities and dispersed farm locations in Australia, the potential for parasitic disease problems in sea-cage aquaculture may not yet be realised.

In the sea-cage environment farmed fish can acquire infections found in local populations of wild fish. The natural occurrence of wild fish near sea-cage farms provides an opportunity for transfer of parasites between wild and farmed populations. The parasite assemblage of the wild fish species and the potential risks of these parasites for sea-cage aquaculture are largely unknown. By gathering biological data about parasites, we will gain a better understanding of how to manage and control them on fish in captivity.

Parasite identification, knowledge of parasite biology, diagnostic tools and how parasites impact on their host is critical for effective parasite management. This project will use a powerful combination of morphological and molecular genetic techniques to provide a comprehensive understanding of copepod, monogenean and trematode parasites infecting selected aquaculture, recreational and commercial finfish species in southeastern Australia, plus barramundi in the northwest.

This research will enable proactive parasite management and rapid identification of pathogenic parasite species. It will also identify appropriate site selection for expansion of the industry away from infection sources. Appropriate husbandry practices and management practices can be put in place to control parasite infections thereby reducing morbidity and mortality in fish stocks.

Objectives

1. To complete a parasite survey of selected finfish species in Australia
2. To provide taxonomic revisions of copepods, monogeneans and trematodes including redescriptions of poorly described taxa and description of new species
3. To provide a host-parasite checklist with biogeographical relevance
4. To use DNA sequences to distinguish blood fluke species and enable diagnostic tools for industry
5. Provide risk analyses for the parasites identified to understand a) the likelihood of parasite establishment and proliferation and b) the consequence of establishment and proliferation for sustainable aquaculture
6. Identify parasites of potential threat to the sustainability of the sea-cage aquaculture industry
7. Develop pathological case studies of parasites of potential threat to aquaculture
8. Identify appropriate husbandry practices to manage and control parasite infections and thereby reduce morbidity and mortality in fish stocks
9. Enable appropriate site selection for expansion of the industry away from infection sources
10. Develop an interactive product (i.e. website) that enables rapid identification of marine parasite species for the public, recreational anglers and sea-cage aquaculture industry

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-646-55210-1
Author: Kate Hutson