Establishing an industry recovery strategy for the Area 3 zone of the Western Australian Abalone Managed Fishery

Project number: 2018-212
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $25,800.00
Principal Investigator: Don Nicholls
Organisation: Southern Seafood Producers (WA) Association
Project start/end date: 11 Jun 2019 - 29 Jun 2019
:
TAGS
Training
Sustainability
Rac Wa
Oceanography
Fisheries Management
SPECIES
Greenlip Abalone
Brownlip Abalone
Abalone

Need

The WA Augusta Abalone Fishery requires a well-articulated and informed, strategic plan from industry to recover the abalone resource. This workshop will meet this need by facilitating the transfer of the required knowledge from the recent successes of the Victorian Western Zone Abalone Fishery, which is recovering from AVG, to inform the development of a WA

Objectives

1. Establish an industry recovery strategy for the WA Augusta Abalone Fishery based on the approach used, and knowledge gained, by the Victorian Western Zone Fishery post-AVG.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-925983-41-8
Author: Basia Lamb and Peter Rickerby
Final Report • 2020-06-01 • 1.08 MB
2018-212-DLD.pdf

Summary

The Southern Seafood Producers (Western Australia) Association in conjunction with the Abalone Industry Association of Western Australia hosted a two-day workshop (the workshop) at the Swan Yacht Club in East Fremantle on the 12th and 13th of June 2019. The aim of the workshop was to establish an industry recovery strategy for Area 3 of the Western Australian Abalone Managed Fishery. The workshop was chaired by Harry Peeters, Executive Officer of the Western Abalone Divers Association with presentations from Duncan Worthington and Craig Fox (Chair of Western Abalone Divers Association). The Western Abalone Divers Association representatives’ presentations were to inform Area 3 authorisations holders, divers, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development staff and other attendees of their experience in the Western Zone of the Victorian Abalone Fishery after the Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis virus had severely impacted the Western Zone fishery and gain an understanding of how they established and continue to rehabilitate their stocks. The Western Abalone Divers Association representatives experience and knowledge were drawn upon to guide the Area 3 authorisation holders in sound decision making, and allowed the commencement of a formal industry process to recover the stocks after the marine heatwave in 2010/11 followed by several years of above-average water temperatures in 2011/12 and 2012/13. Many authorisation holders believe these factors impacted recruitment levels, successful spawning events and stock densities. Earlier reductions in Total Allowable Commercial Catch following these events may have prevented some depletion of stocks in Area 3 in the subsequent years, however the impacts were unknown at the time.

Related research

All research
research
Blank
Industry
Industry

Effects of climate change and habitat degradation on Coral Trout

Project number: 2018-034
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $664,675.00
Principal Investigator: Morgan S. Pratchett
Organisation: James Cook University (JCU)
Project start/end date: 3 Mar 2019 - 3 Mar 2022
:
TAGS
Stock Assessment
Recreational Fishing
Rac Qld
Population Dynamics
Oceanography
SPECIES
Coral Trouts

Need

Coral trout (mainly, the common coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus) are critical in sustaining the Queensland CRFFF, and are also important target species for recreational, charter and indigenous fishery sectors. Recent research has indicated that the distribution, behaviour and population viability of coral trout are likely to change in response to recent and ongoing climate change. More specifically, populations of coral trout in the northern GBR are already exposed to maximum summertime temperatures that exceed their apparent thermal optima (27-30°C; Johansen et al., 2014; 2015), which was determined in laboratory studies. Unprecedented thermal anomalies have also caused extensive coral bleaching and associated coral mortality and habitat degradation in recent years, especially in the northern GBR (Hughes et al. 2017). Widespread and profound changes in the structure of reef habitats are likely to impact on recruitment success, prey availability and the availability of shelter for adult coral trout.

This project is critical for understanding the flow-on effects of changing reef habitats and environmental conditions on wild stocks of coral trout on the GBR. Importantly, this project builds on previous experimental studies to establish how fishes respond to changing conditions, explicitly considering the capacity for fishes to actually move or moderate their activity to minimise adverse effects of high and increasing water temperatures. Although, large and mobile reef fishes (such as coral trout) may be capable of moderating exposure to extreme temperatures, this will nonetheless affect where fishes occur and whether they can be caught. The project will address the FRDC priority research need “Influence of Changes in Reef Habitat Condition and Climate Change on Coral Trout — To Inform Abiotic Drivers of Coral Trout Stocks” and Queensland’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy high priority research need for Coral Trout (east coast) assessment requirements — To determine the most appropriate indicators and harvest control rules for management procedures of the coral trout fishery.

Objectives

1. Establish the capacity for thermoregulatory behaviour among common coral trout (Plectropomus leopardus), as well as measuring their preferred temperature
2. Test for changes in the distribution and behaviour of coral trout associated with seasonal and latitudinal variation in ocean temperatures
3. Explore effects of severe coral loss and habitat degradation (caused by recent mass-bleaching) on the abundance, diet and physiological condition of large-bodied fishery species, especially common coral trout
4. Test for long-term changes in abundance and catches of coral trout associated with reef-wide changes in habitat condition on the GBR
5. Provide management advice that accounts for changes in habitat and environmental conditions

Final report

Authors: Pratchett M.S. Clark T.D. Scott M. Hoey A.S. Leigh G.M. and Emslie M.J.
Final Report • 2022-11-04 • 10.46 MB
2018-034-DLD.pdf

Summary

Fishes are at considerable risk from changing environmental conditions because they are, for most part, unable to regulate their body temperature. Exposure to high temperatures may therefore compromise critical biological functions, resulting in reduced performance, fitness and ultimately survival. This project used pioneering studies to establish how Coral Trout respond to changing environmental and habitat conditions, explicitly considering the capacity for fishes to actually move or moderate their activity to minimise adverse effects of high and increasing water temperatures. The effects of major disturbances and changing habitat conditions across the GBR on Coral Trout abundance, biomass, and catches were also analysed.