The valuable offshore trawl (GABBTF) and non-trawl (GHATF) components of the SESSF fishery are expanding in the GAB, but there are no maps of this large area (~500 miles wide) at scales relevant to fishery use and management. Interpreted maps are needed to underpin sustainable development, particularly because they are relevant to developing area closures. These form a key part of AFMA’s strategic management planning for the fishery - including implementing the recommendations of recently completed Ecological Risk Assessments. The relevant scales when evaluating options for spatial management are: fishing grounds (areas with characteristic patterns of bottom types, fish communities and use), features (including submarine canyons and large rocky banks) and terrains - sediments, rocky bottom and broken bottom that make them up.
Maps alone will not usefully inform management decisions. There is also a need to interpret the structure and functions of their component parts, e.g. individual fishing grounds or certain habitat types. This enables stakeholders to understand their role for fishery production, their value to the fishery, and their natural values – including for threatened species and unique habitats. A wide range of data and knowledge can be collated from industry and scientific surveys. The proposed project will provide the mechanism needed to acquire, collate and map the information, then evaluate and summarise it for management purposes while preserving the confidential nature of industry data.
The project is based on a model used successfully in a previous study. The methodology – including data security measures - and infrastructure (spatial database, portable camera system) is largely in place. This project will build on lessons learned from the previous project (see Risk Analysis).