Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

Fisheries Research Report No. 87 - The Recreational Marron Fishery In Western Australia, Summarised Research Statistics, 1971-1987, N. M. Morrissy, C. J. Fellows

Fisheries Research Reports

The freshwater crayfish Cherax tenuimanus, called marron, provides an important recreational fishery in the south-west of Western Australia. The annual fishing catch and fishing effort have been monitored by a log book research programme and an end-of season telephone survey since the 1971/72 season.

Following the 1986/87 fishing season, the fishery remained closed for two seasons (1987/88 and 1988/89) to permit stocks to recover from the effects of high total fishing effort and unfavourable water conditions over the preceding seasons

This paper provides a detailed account of the catch and effort statistics to the close of the 1986/87 fishing season, …

Fisheries Research Report No. 92 - Spread Of The Introduced Yabbie Cherax Albidus Clark, 1936 In Western Australia, N. M. Morrissy, G. Cassells

Fisheries Research Reports

This report presents information on the probable original introduction of the eastern Australian yabbie to farm dams in the Wheat-belt Region of the southwest of Western Australia (in 1932 at Narembeen); the probable type of yabbie (the "White Yabby", Cherax albidus Clark 1936 ) and source (Miram Swamp in the Victorian Wimmera); and, in 1985, the first voicing of concern over the spread of yabbies to natural habitats, particularly in the higher rainfall region of the southwest, together with current national and international concerns and advice on introduced aquatic species.

Commercial harvesting ("extensive" aquaculture) of existing yabbie stocks in wheat-belt …

Fisheries Research Report No. 83 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1985/86, R. S. Brown, E H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The 1985/86 annual catch of the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus, totalled 7,191,968kg (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) ), a drop of 1,774,497kg (19.8 per cent) on the 1984/85 season. The value of the 1985/86 catch was approximately $94M based on ABS figures. This drop in catch was almost entirely the result of lower puerulus (first post larval stage, approximately 9 to 11 months old) settlement three to four years before (i.e. 1982/83 and 1981/82). The fall in catch was accompanied by a drop in fishing effort (total number of pot lifts) of 12.1 per cent on the previous season …

Fisheries Research Report No 85 - A Description Of The British United Trawlers/Southern Ocean Trawlers Operation In The Great Australian Bight During The Period 19.11.77 To 28.5.79, M. H. Walker, S. J. Blight, D. P. Clarke

Fisheries Research Reports

This report documents the operations of three British United Trawlers/Southern Ocean Trawlers freezer stern trawlers in the Great Australian Bight for the period 19.11.77 to 28.5.79. During this period the trawlers conducted 20 fishing trips utilising demersal and pelagic trawling. A description and brief resume of these fishing operations is provided. The trawlers' vessel and gear specifications and fishing and processing operations are also described. The report provides background to Fisheries Research Report 86, which documents the demersal catches made during the trawler operations.

Fisheries Research Report No 86 - The Demersal Trawl Resources Of The Great Australian Bight As Indicated By The Fishing Operations Of The Stern Trawlers Othello, Orsino And Cassio In The Period 19.11.77 To 28.5.79, M. H. Walker, D. P. Clarke

Fisheries Research Reports

A joint fishing venture between a Western Australian company, Southern Ocean Fish Processors, and a United Kingdom company, British United Trawlers, operated three large Othello class stern trawlers in the Great Australian Bight in the period 19.11.77 to 28.5.79. This report documents the catch and effort data collected from the vessels’ demersal trawling activities. Descriptions of gear and fishing operations are provided in Fisheries Research Report 85, 1989. The three trawlers made a total of 20 trips to Great Australian Bight waters. A daily trawling log was kept for each trip, recording position and time of trawls, net type, and …

Fisheries Report No 82 - Effects Of Fish Trapping On The Shark Bay Snapper Fishery, M. J. Moran, J. Jenke

Fisheries Research Reports

Traps have been a controversial method of catching pink snapper Chrysophrys auratus (Sparidae) around Shark Bay, Western Australia, since 1959. The history of the issue and the relevant regulations are reviewed; and results of in­vestigations into specific concerns about trap fishing are reported. Concerns of ghost-fishing by lost traps have been largely allayed by underwater TV film of snapper escaping from a standard snapper trap.

A major concern was that traps might physically damage the benthic fauna, e.g. corals. A TV survey showed that while fragile hard corals are abundant in shallower water nearby, the deeper snapper grounds themselves are …

Temporal And Spatial Variation In Pelagic Fish Abundance In Lake Mead Determined From Echograms, Gene R. Wilde, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

Echograms have been used extensively to locate and estimate the relative abundance of marine fish stocks (Cushing 1973). In freshwater, echograms have been used to describe vertical (Netsch et al. 1971; Eggers 1978; O'Brien et al. 1984; Matthews et al. 1985), spatial (O'Brien et al. 1984; Wanjala et al. 1986) and temporal (Baker and Paulson 1983) patterns in fish abundance. Although most uses of echograms have been qualitative, Mullan and Applegate (1969) and Matthews et al. (1985) obtained relative estimates of fish abundance by counting targets (fish) on echograms. However, neither Mullan and Applegate (1969) nor Matthews et al. (1985) …

Characterization Of The Aquatic Environment In Lake Mead Near The Proposed Spring Canyon Pumped-Storage Project, And Assessment Of Potential Aquatic Impacts, Charles R. Liston, Stephen J. Grabowski, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

A pumped storage system consists of an upper reservoir and lower reservoir separated by an elevation difference. During low demand energy periods such as nights and weekends water is pumped from the lower to the upper reservoir using available energy from conventional steam electric power plants. During high energy demand periods, such as mornings and afternoons of weekdays, upper reservoir water is allowed to drop back down through the same system of water conduits and turbines, generating electricity to conveniently meet abrupt electrical energy requirements. The same water turbines thus act both as pumps and as conventional hydroelectric turbines. Because …

Thermal Tolerances And Preferences Of Fishes Of The Virgin River System (Utah, Arizona, Nevada), James E. Deacon, Paul B. Schumann, Edward L. Stuenkel

Publications (WR)

Critical thermal maxima (CTM) and thermal preferenda of the common fishes of the Virgin River were examined. Differences in final temperature preferenda and CTM for species with low thermal lability (speckled dace, spinedace, roundtail chub) correspond well with differences in their distribution and abundance in the river. These species shifted their acute thermal preferences relatively little as acclimation temperature increased. For thermally labile species (woundfin, red shiner, desert sucker, and fiannehnouth sucker), the final preferendum is a less precise indicator of probable distribution. The woundfin, an endangered fish, has a high CTM (39.5 C at 25 C acclimation) and a …

Fisheries Report No 76 - The Australian Herring Fishery In Western Australia, 1973 - 1985, Michael H. Walker, Diane P. Clarke

Fisheries Research Reports

The Australian herring (Arripis georgianus) ts a pelagic, largely marine, species which is relatively abundant in the south western waters of Western Australia. It is a close relative of the Australian salmon with a similar life history and habits which includes migrating for the purpose of spawning. The Australian herring is keenly sought both as a food fish and for bait. This report documents the fishery for this species as it has developed during the period 1973 to 1985.

Fisheries Report No 75 - The Commercial Shark Fishery In Temperate Waters Of Western Australia, D. I. Heald

Fisheries Research Reports

The Western Australian-based mixed gear fishery for edible shark generally operates from Geraldton to Esperance in waters shallower than 10 fm to a maximum depth of 100 fm. In 1983/84, the total catch was 1262 tonnes live weight. The total shark catch was taken by 158 gillnet boats, 45 longline boats and 152 handline boats. However, nearly two thirds (62%) of these boats caught 1 tonne or less in 1983/84 and were assumed to rely more heavily on other target fisheries than shark.

Of the 20 or so species of shark caught in W.A., 3 species together comprise two thirds …

Fisheries Report No 77 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1983 - 1984, R. S. Brown, E. H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus is one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and an important export earner for the State. Western Australia produced 10,576 tonnes in 1983/84, out of a total Australian rock lobster catch, with the exception of Queensland, of 15,777 tonnes. The fishery is governed by a complex set of regulations which are designed to limit the total fishing effort to acceptable levels and to enforce a legal minimum size (Bowen 1971, Hancock 1981). Thus, it is important to monitor the state of the fishery constantly both to ensure that the …

Fisheries Report No 79 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1984 - 1985, R. S. Brown, E. H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus is one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and an important export earner for the State. Western Australia produced 8,966 tonnes in 1984/85, out of a total Australian rock lobster catch (excluding New South Wales and Queensland) of 13,651 tonnes. The fishery is governed by a complex set of regulations which are designed to limit the total fishing effort to exceptable levels and to enforce a legal minimum size (Bowen 1971, Hancock 1981). Thus, it is important to monitor the state of the fishery constantly both to ensure that …

Fisheries Report No 78 - A Re-Examination Of The Methods Used For Handling Undersize Western Rock Lobsters, R. S. Brown, C J. Dibden

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus (George) is the most important single species fishery in Australia, and one of the major rock lobster fisheries of the world, with catches over the last ten years (1973 to 1983) averaging approximately 9.8 million kg annually.

The continuing success of the fishery can be attributed mainly to effective management, which involves a complex system of regulations, the majority of which were introduced in 1963 and which are constantly being revised to accommodate changes in the fishery. One important piece of legislation, effective from 17 December 1965, was the introduction of …

Fisheries Report No 73 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1981 - 1982, R. S. Brown, E. H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus is one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and an important export earner for the State. Western Australia produced 10,548 tonnes in 1981/82, out of a total Australian catch of rock lobster of 15,764 tonnes. The fishery is governed by a complex set of regulations which have been reviewed by Bowen (1971) and Hancock (1981) and which are designed to limit the total fishing effort to acceptable levels and to enforce a legal minimum size. It is thus important to constantly monitor the state of the fishery both to …

Fisheries Report No 69 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1979 - 1980, R. S. Brown, E. H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and an important export earner for the State. Western Australia produced 10 724 tons in 1979/80, out of a total Australian catch of rock lobster of 14 739 tons. The fishery is governed by a complex set of regulations which have been reviewed by Bowen (1971) and Hancock (1981) and which are designed to limit the total fishing effort to acceptable levels and to enforce a legal minimum size. It is thus important to constantly monitor the state of the fishery both …

Fisheries Report No 72 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1980 - 1981, R. S. Brown, E. H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus is one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and an important export earner for the State. Western Australia produced 9 957 tonnes in 1980/81, out of a total Australian catch of rock lobster of 15 565 tonnes. The fishery is governed by a complex set of regulations which have been reviewed by Bowen (1971) and Hancock (1981) and which are designed to limit the total fishing effort to acceptable levels and to enforce a legal minimum size. It is thus important to constantly monitor the state of the fishery …

Fisheries Report No 70 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1982 - 1983, R. S. Brown, E. H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus is one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and an important export earner for the State. Western Australia produced a record 12 416 tons in 1982/83, out of a total Australian rock lobster catch of 18 192 tons. The fishery is governed by a complex set of regulations which have been reviewed by Bowen (1971) and Hancock (1981) and which are designed to limit the total fishing effort to acceptable levels and to enforce a legal minimum size. It is thus important to constantly monitor the state of the …

Fisheries Report No 68 - The Commercial Fishery For Barramundi (Lates Calcarifer) In Western Australia, Dr N. Morrissy

Fisheries Research Reports

Commercial catch and effort data from the Western Australian fishery for barramundi, Lates calcarifer, over eight years to 1982-83 were analysed. Major stocks and areas of this fishery are Cambridge Gulf (Ord River, port of Wyndham), Kimberley coast, King Sound and Broome coast (Fitzroy River, ports of Derby and Broome), and Pilbara coast (ports of Port Hedland, Roebourne and Onslow) where the Ashburton River is the southern limit to the distribution of barramundi on the west coast. As elsewhere, barramundi stocks are associated with river systems. The Low annual catch of about 30 tonnes appears to be due to the …

Fisheries Report No 71 - An Investigation Of The Mortality Of The Pearl Oyster, Pinctada Maxima, In Western Australia, Rand Dybdahl, David A. Pass

Fisheries Research Reports

A three year investigation into the cause of abnormally high mortality rates of the pearl oyster, Pinctada maxima, on the cultured pearl industry's lease sites in the North West of Western Australia was completed on 30 June 71983. The objective of this study was to determine environmental, physiological and pathological factors predisposing farm oysters to excessive Levels of mortality and, if possible, make recommendations to alleviate this problem.

As mass mortalities may have complex causes, complementary field and laboratory studies were instigated. The culture industry's method of collection, transportation and farm husbandry were examined. Environmental parameters were monitored. Various empirical …

A Proposal To Fertilize The Overton Arm And Gregg Basin Areas Of Lake Mead, Larry J. Paulson

Publications (WR)

Several limnological studies have been conducted in Lake Mead during the past decade. The recent studies clearly show that most of Lake Mead is deficient in nutrients, especially phosphorus, and very low in productivity. The reservoir-wide average total phosphorus concentration for 1981 - 1982 was only 9 mg/m³. This is below levels found In most oligotrophic lakes and reservoirs. Algal biomass, as measured by chlorophyll-a, averaged only 1.5 mg/m³. That also places Lake Mead in the oligotrophic range. Transparency, as measured by a Secchi disc, averaged 9-5 m in Lake Mead during 1981-1982. That far exceeds …

Seasonal And Spatial Heterogeneity In The Limnetic Zooplankton Community Of Lake Mead, Gene Robert Wilde

Publications (WR)

Zooplankton samples collected from throughout Lake Mead, in 1981-1982, demonstrate the presence of a statistically significant seasonal and spatial heterogeneity in zooplankton densities. Seasonally, the major zooplankton groups were most abundant in the spring and fall, coincident with maxima in chlorophyll-a concentrations. Successions among the various rotifers, cladocerans and copepods present in the reservoir were influenced by food availability, diapause, predation by planktivorous fish and, possibly, water temperatures. Spatial heterogeneity in zooplankton densities was unrelated to water temperature, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen concentrations, but was related to the abundance of phytoplankton (chlorophyll-a concentrations) and fish. Statistical analyses indicate that …

Fisheries Report No 66 - The Fishery For Perth Herring, Nematalosa Vlaminghi (Munro), C F. Chubb, N. G. Hall, R C.J. Lenanton, I. C. Potter

Fisheries Research Reports

Perth herring fishery over the last 30 years have been examined. While there are pockets of catches between Broome and Bunbury, those from the Swan Estuary and nearby inshore marine waters make by far the most important contribution to the fishery. In the Swan Estuary, the catches started rising in the 1950s in response to a demand by the rock lobster industry for bait and reached peak values in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Data are provided which demonstrate that catch per boat is a good index of catch per unit effort (CPUE) in the period since 1967 when …

Fisheries Report No. 65 - The Amateur Fishery For Marron (Cherax Tenuimanus) In Western Australia - Summary Of Logbook Data 1971-83, N. Morrissy, C. Fellows, N. Caputi

Fisheries Research Reports

The large, native crayfish called marron, Cherax tenuimanus, supports an extensive recreational fishery in the southwest of Western Australia. This report examines annual catch and effort statistics gathered from a Logbook programme, initiated in the 1971/72 season and supplemented by an end of season telephone survey from 1977. Logbook data gave estimates of relative abundance, but were too biased for projection to total catch and effort for the fishery, while telephone surveys gave unbiased estimates of total annual fishing effort (trips)l.

Relative abundance showed a significant decline in the major rivers and the most popular dam (Wellington) over the monitoring …

Fisheries Report No 60 - Amateur Net Fishing Survey Of Two Western Australian South Coast Estuaries In January 1981, D. I. Heald

Fisheries Research Reports

Following the return of the administration of fishing activities in Wellstead estuary and Beaufort Inlet to the Western Australian Government in October 1980, a survey of the amateur net fishing in these two estuaries was undertaken in January 1987, The purpose of the survey was to document usage, species catches and size composition of fish caught in respect of mesh size used and the success rate of amateur net fishermen as compared to their expectation. At the time of the survey, Wellstead estuary had been closed to the sea for 13 months and Beaufort Inlet for 27 months and the …

Fisheries Report No 63 - Assessment Of Artificial Feeds For Battery Culture Of A Freshwater Crayfish, Marron (Cherax Tenuimanus) (Decapoda: Parastacidae), Dr N. Morrissy

Fisheries Research Reports

Performance of juvenile crayfish, 0.1-5 g, on a variety of commercial crustacean feeds was tested under conditions of individual housing ("battery culture"), where sources of additional feed were minimized (detritus), or eliminated (cannibalism) Survival was close, or equal, to 100% over 50 day test periods, a reflection of optimal battery conditions rather than feeding, since survival over 100 days for an unfed (control} group was also 100%. No ecdysiad mortality, or trauma, occurred with crayfish, up to 10g, in compartments of area 75 cm. Growth performance in tests was rated by separate ratios for ecdysial increment and frequency, relative to …

Fisheries Report No 64 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1977 - 1978, R. S. Brown, E H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus is one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and an important export earner for the State. The fishery is governed by a complex set of regulations which have been reviewed by Bowen (1971) and which are designed to limit the total fishing effort to acceptable levels and to enforce a legal minimum size. It is thus important to constantly monitor the state of the fishery both to ensure that the effort is remaining within the accepted limits and that the regulations are adequately performing their function of maintaining reasonably …

Fisheries Report No 67 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1978 - 1979, R. S. Brown, E H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus is one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and an important export earner for the State. Western Australia produced a record 11 388 tons in 1978/79, out of a total Australian catch of rock lobster of 15 400 tons. The fishery is governed by a complex set of regulations which have been reviewed by Bowen (1971) and Hancock (1981) and which are designed to limit the total fishing effort to acceptable levels and to enforce a legal minimum size. It is thus important to constantly monitor the state of …

Report No 49 - Geographically Restricted Plants Of Southern Western Australia, Barbara L. Rye

Fisheries Research Reports

This publication lists 527 angiosperm species native to southern western Australia whose known geographical ranges are less than 100 kilometres long. A further 128 angiosperms are listed with geographical ranges between 100 and 160 kilometres. No fern or gymnosperm species in the region are known to be geographically restricted.

Apart from the presently unnamed species, a large majority of the rare plants of southern Western Australia are believed to be listed, including 86 of the species that have been gazetted as rare flora.

Less than 40% of the listed species are known to occur on conservation reserves and less than …

Fishery Report No 55 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1961 - 1971, G. R. Morgan, E H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

The fishery for the western rock lobster, Panulinus cygnus is one of the most important single fisheries in Australia and one of the major rock lobster fisheries of the world with catches in recent years averaging some 8000 tonnes annually. The history of the commercial fishery extends back to 1944/45 factory when a canning was opened at the Abrolhos Islands (Figure 1) with a view to supplying the Australian armed forces. After the World war, an export market for fresh frozen rock lobster tails was quickly established in the U.S.A. and the industry, sharing in the advantages of postwar reconstruction, …