1. Determine the age structure, growth, and reproductive biology of Australian herring and the source of recruitment to the Western Australian fishery.

2. Determine whether fishing or factors independent of fishing (ie. Leeuwin Current) have caused the decline in commercial catches currently being experienced across the range of this species.

3. Develop a more useful, ongoing index of recruitment of immediately post-settled juvenile Australian herring (and other recreationally and commercially valuable species, ie. Australian salmon) that settle into shoreline nursery areas between Geographe Bay in Western Australia and the Coorong estuary in South Australia.

4. Determine the movement patterns of Australian herring and their vulnerability to capture by Western Australian commercial and recreational fishers.

5. Develop an age-structured spatial model to assess the status of Australian herring stock, using the biological and tagging information gathered during this study