Project number:
2000-194
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$420,543.00
Principal Investigator:
Jill St John
Organisation:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Project start/end date:
16 Oct 2000
-
30 Jul 2008
Contact:
FRDC
The effectiveness of the main current conservation measure, the minimum legal length, on reef fish populations off the west coas, is unknown, largely due to an undetermined level of mortality in released undersized fish. There is an urgent need to measure the discard mortality for this key suite of reef fish species and to educate fishers in techniques which minimise this mortality.
1. Estimate mortality of hook and line caught west coast reef fish released back to the sea, taking account of hook type, depth of capture and on-board handling techniques.
2. Collect information on the size of west coast reef fish in relation to depth, to assess the proportion of undersize fish at different depths.
3. Educate fishers in optimal catching and handling techniques to minimise the mortality of released fish.
