Shark And Other Chondrichthyan Byproduct And Bycatch Estimation In The SEF Trawl And Non-trawl Sectors
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$66,350.00
Summary
Australia is a signatory to the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks) which was ratified by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Committee of Fisheries during February 1999. As a signatory, Australia is obliged to develop a National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA-Sharks).
AFFA has established a Shark Advisory Group to prepare a Shark Assessment Report and to develop the Australi ....Australia is a signatory to the International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (IPOA-Sharks) which was ratified by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Committee of Fisheries during February 1999. As a signatory, Australia is obliged to develop a National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA-Sharks).
AFFA has established a Shark Advisory Group to prepare a Shark Assessment Report and to develop the Australian NPOA-Sharks. The Group includes representatives from all key government and non-government stakeholder groups, including shark specialists. Progress on development of the Report and Australia's NPOA-Sharks was reported to the FAO Committee of Fisheries during February 2001.
In addition, through the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, all Australian Commonwealth and State fisheries ministers have endorsed the National Policy on Fisheries Bycatch, which includes sharks and other chondrichthyans. The Commonwealth has recently released its bycatch policy, which builds on the endorsed National Policy on Fisheries Bycatch and commits the Commonwealth to developing a Bycatch Action Plan for each major Commonwealth fishery by 31 March 2001.
Australia is well placed to meet its international and national obligations for conservation and management of its chondrichthyan species. The major shark fisheries of southern Australia, Western Australia and northern Australia are well documented and are data rich. However, biproduct and bycatch of these species are not well documented.
In south-eastern Australia, most chondrichthyans are taken by the Southern Shark Fishery (SSF) and South East Fishery (SEF). Data on byproduct and bycatch have been collected from the SSF and are currently being analysed (FRDC Project 99/103). In the SEF, data are collected by Integrated Scientific Monitoring Program, but no attempt has been made to analyse the chondrichthyan data.
The present project proposal will not be complete in time to provide results for the first draft of the Australian Shark Assessment Report and NPOA-Sharks. Similarly, it will not be complete in time to prepare Bycatch Action Plans for the SEF (Trawl Sector) and the SSF and SEF (Non-trawl Sector) but the project outputs will be vital inputs to subsequent drafts.
Outputs from the project will assist Environment Australia with two recent initiatives taken under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. One relates to the requirement for an Environment Impact Assessment for each Commonwealth managed fishery. The other initiative is the Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Objectives: 1. Summarise retained and discarded catches and length-frequency data on sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras from the Integrated Scientific Monitoring Program (ISMP) database. 2. Estimate spatial and temporal trends in catches and abundance of sharks, skates, rays and chimaeras using data from the ISMP database and from the SEF catch and effort database. 3. Identify implications and requirements for species management, fishery bycatch action plans, and FAO IPOA-sharks. 4. Evaluate impact on the ISMP data and catch and effort data collected following adoption of the shark field guide to sharks and rays caught in Australian fisheries. Read moreRead less
Sampling Estuarine Fish Species For Stock Assessments
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$660,504.31
Summary
Objectives: 1. To investigate standard methods for independently sampling fish stocks in estuaries 2. To determine adequate ample sizes for providing the breakdown of the age and sex composition of the major esturine fish species 3. To determine the variability in age, length at age and sex composition of commercial catches of the main estuarine fish species at the major landing locations along the NSW Coast over a two year period 4. Determine the variability in age and sex ....Objectives: 1. To investigate standard methods for independently sampling fish stocks in estuaries 2. To determine adequate ample sizes for providing the breakdown of the age and sex composition of the major esturine fish species 3. To determine the variability in age, length at age and sex composition of commercial catches of the main estuarine fish species at the major landing locations along the NSW Coast over a two year period 4. Determine the variability in age and sex composition between ocean caught and estuarine caught fish 5. Determine and begin implementation of an efficient log book system of individual fishers at these locations 6. Advise industry on the means of assessing estuarine fish stocks Read moreRead less
Southern Rock Lobster IPA: Assessing Functionality And Suitability Of The IPhone Application 'Deckhand' For On-board Electronic Data Capture In Southern Australian Rock Lobster (Jasus Edwardsii) Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$94,490.00
Summary
The primary needs in relation to this work are:
1. Regulators and research agencies, generally, are requiring greater levels of data to demonstrate the sustainability of fisheries resources - this increased level of information provision is also within the interests of industry, particularly within the current political climate. This requirement for further data also increases the impost on fishers to report a day's catch - there is a need to consolidate reporting across all areas. ....The primary needs in relation to this work are:
1. Regulators and research agencies, generally, are requiring greater levels of data to demonstrate the sustainability of fisheries resources - this increased level of information provision is also within the interests of industry, particularly within the current political climate. This requirement for further data also increases the impost on fishers to report a day's catch - there is a need to consolidate reporting across all areas.
2. For a range of reasons e.g. implementation of marine parks networks (State and Commonwealth) and for enhanced resource management, there is a need to provide fishery data on a finer spatial scale, or at least make provision to do so in the future.
3. The current environment for fisheries is one of change - access, allocation and increasing external scrutiny are all contributors to this. The provision of data captured on-board the vessel electronically can only expedite the process of decision making providing fishers / business operators with more timely outcomes. There is a need to provide fishers with a greater level of certainty and stability within their operating environment.
4. As we see competition for fishery resources increase between various stakeholders e.g. conservation, community and other industry, there is a need to ensure that the commercial fishing industry, while ensuring sustainability as the absolute priority, has the opportunity to maximise its returns - this is often a legislated objective. Provision of more precise and timely information at both the boat and fishery level will assist in delivering this.
Objectives: 1. A functional on-board electronic data capture system which addresses the requirements of regulators, research agencies and industry. 2. A detailed Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). 3. A simpler, consolidated, more efficient way of reporting a day's catch. 4. Enhanced resource sustainability through the provision of improved information. 5. More efficient and effective, and therefore profitable, operation at the individual business level through the provision of more detailed information in a timely fashion. Read moreRead less
Case Study Of The Cost Effectiveness Of Log Book Schemes In Selected Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$150.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Assess infomation needs for stock assessment of selected commonwealth fisheries 2. Assess current methods of data collection and validation methods 3. Assess cost and benefits of alternative data collection methods 4. Communicate benefits and costs in establishing effective fishery data collection schemes to both industry and managers so as to develop better collaboration wiht industry managers and users of the data
The Kimberley Demersal Fishery: Extent And Nature Of The Resource And The Ability Of A Trap Fishery To Exploit It
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$39,560.43
Summary
Objectives: 1. To organise and collate all existing information relevant to the Kimberley fishery including logbooks and observer reports from foreign commercial and feasibility fishing, research cruises, and trawl surveys by NT Fisheries and CSIRO into a summary report
Production Of Publication "Cephalopods Of Commercial Importance In Australian Fisheries"
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$2,000.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To help commercial fishers, scientific observers and recreational fishermen to identify the most common cephalopods (cuttlefish, squid and octopus) caught in Australian Fisheries.
Electronic On Board Monitoring Pilot Project For The Eastern Tuna And Billfish Fishery
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$579,431.00
Summary
ETBF Pilot Progect In 2007, an AFMA commissioned cost benefit study and business case showed reduced costs if electronic monitoring technologies were adopted in several Commonwealth fisheries. However, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the extent to which onboard observer coverage can be replaced in the ETBF and the costs involved in intergrating electronic monitoring into AFMA management practices. This pilot project will collect suffiecient information to enable an in-depth cost ....ETBF Pilot Progect In 2007, an AFMA commissioned cost benefit study and business case showed reduced costs if electronic monitoring technologies were adopted in several Commonwealth fisheries. However, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the extent to which onboard observer coverage can be replaced in the ETBF and the costs involved in intergrating electronic monitoring into AFMA management practices. This pilot project will collect suffiecient information to enable an in-depth cost benefit analysis of future monitoring options. It will resolve the uncertainty surrounding the utility of electronic monitoring technologies in the ETBF and the costs associated with integrating an electronic monitoring program within AFMA.
In addition to the time and cost savings from reduced onboard observer requirements, there are also potential efficiencies for both industry and AFMA from the use of electronic monitoring reporting. Some of these efficiencies include; 1. better understanding of fishing effort, 2. better understanding and management of fishing operations, and 3. increased data accuracy (resulting in more responsive fisheries management).
Pilbara Trawl Fishery Pilot Project Monitoring of remote small vessel fisheries in Australia is often difficult and always costly. Travel costs, observer wages, and operational inefficiencies and restrictions of small vessels in accommodating on-board observers are all factors which act to restrict monitoring coverage while still incurring a relatively high cost to industry. With the a growing need for accurate catch and effort data and the high costs and operational restrictions of using human observers there is a subsequent need to find a cost-effective alternative that will not only improve coverage levels but also reduce costs. Objectives: 1. To deploy electronic monitoring systems on ten commercial fishing vessels in the ETBF and maintain their continuous operation for a period of up to one year. 2. To evaluate the efficacy of electronic monitoring for a number of fishery monitoring issues. 3. To develop an audit-based approach to electronic monitoring data analysis for evaluating fisher logbook data quality. 4. To undertake a cost and benefit analysis of monitoring options and programs required to meet the fisheries data needs. 5. To develop and evaluate the feasibility of establishing a third party service delivery structure with Archipelago Marine Research Ltd. for an ongoing electronic monitoring program in the ETBF. 6. To assess the feasibility of electronic monitoring systems to provide better fishery monitoring outcomes, their future capacity and applications in the Pilbara Trawl Fishery and other fisheries. Read moreRead less
Assessment Of The Norfolk Island Domestic Fishery With A Study On The Major Species, Sweetlip Emperor (Lethrinus Chrisostumus)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Determine the biology of the major species (incl length-at-age relationships; evidence for protogynous hermaphroditism; dietary, population structure & logbook data analysis) & the fishing pressure on them. 2. Recommend a management strategy
Squid Fishing Investigation In Northern Bass Strait
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Test commercial viability of catching squid in Bass Strait and marketing the catch in Victoria 2. Collect data on size and sex of catch for each of 2 methods 3. Compare catch rates and quality of squid caught with jigging and purse seine methods.
Tagging Studies Of The Blue Endeavour Prawn Metapenaeus Endeavouri
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
Objectives: 1. Examine growth, movements & mortalities of the blue endeavour prawn Metapenaeus endeavouri, using a tag release program. 2. Sample commercial catches to enhance logbook catch & effort data to provide further seasonal and area distributions data for the species