Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

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 …

Fisheries Report No. 81 - A Research Vessel Survey Of Pearl Oyster And Prawn Resources North-West Of Broome Western Australia, J. W. Penn, R. Dybdahl

Fisheries Research Reports

Data from a research vessel survey in September and October 1987 and commercial catch records have been used to assess the pearl oyster and prawn stocks along the Broome coastline between 17°S and 18°S latitudes. Observations made by pearl divers indicated that the survey zone contained commercially significant quantities of unfished pearl oysters particularly in the depth range 10 to 27 m, but also extending out to 44 m depth. The pearl oysters in the survey zone were found to be predominantly mature animals and appeared to be part of the now lightly fished deep water spawning population extending from …

Fisheries Report No 80 - Potential For The Development Of A Tuna Industry In North West Australian Waters, J. P. Robins

Fisheries Research Reports

Information available on the abundance of tuna off north west Australia, gathered on surveys by both ship and aircraft, the presented in order to identify opportunities for the sourcing of raw material for the Western Australian tuna canning industry. Identification of the constraints and potential for industry development of these resources is made focusing on the area considered most favourable, types of vessels used, fishing methods and strategies required for the development of such resources in the event that there is some identified prospect of viable commercial development.

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 74 - Marine Resources Map Of Western Australia- Part 2 - The Influence Of Oil On Marine Resources And Associated Activities With An Emphasis On Those Found In Western Australia, H. E. Jones

Fisheries Research Reports

Part 1 of the text accompanying the marine resources maps dealt with the resources and the morphological, hydrological and meteorological characteristics of the Western Australian coastal environment. This subsidiary part is concerned with the effects of oil on marine resources and associated commercial and recreational activities.

Accounts of oil on the seas due to natural seepages appeared in Europe in the sixteenth century on the return of Spanish and Portuguese ships from voyages to the Americas. One of the earliest reports of oil pollution from a man-made source was in 1754 when leakages from wooden petroleum barges were prevalent in …

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 …

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 …

Fisheries Report No 62 - The Commercial Fisheries Of Temperate Western Australian Estuaries: Early Settlement To 1975, R C.J. Lenanton

Fisheries Research Reports

This report provides a quantitative description of the commercial estuarine fisheries of temperate Western Australia. An account is given of the Long series of historical events which influenced the development of the fisheries and led to their current status. All available catch and effort data covering the years 1898 - 1975 are presented. The use of this long series of historical catch and effort data as an aid to the management of the estuarine fisheries resources is discussed. It is emphasised that interpretations of these data cannot be undertaken effectively without a knowledge of factors such as Life history strategies, …

Fisheries Report No 59 - Potential Fisheries Capability Of The Ord In The Short, Medium And Long Terms, Dr N. Morrissy

Fisheries Research Reports

This report examines the history, future and problems of various methods for development and exploitation of the fisheries resources of the Ord.

The primary resource is the array of native fish and crustacean species, with the possible introduction of other desirable or noxious species being a subject for consideration.

Water resources, supporting these species, are the remaining natural Ord River downstream from the Diversion Dam at Kununurra, the stillwaters of Lake Kununurra and Lake Argyle, and, for aquaculture, the controlled distribution of water supply over the flat land of the irrigation system (Fig. 1). Another recognized resource is the climatic …

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, …

Fisheries Report No 50 - Feasibility Trawling Activities In The Great Australian Bight By The Korean Trawlers Dong Ban 91 And Dong Won 509 During The Period 15.11.79 To 12.1.80, Michael H. Walker, Stuart J. Blight, Gerald M. Cliff

Fisheries Research Reports

Four Korean fishing trawlers operated in Western Australian waters, largely on the Northwest shelf, during 1979 under State/Commonwealth feasibility fishing arrangements. Two of these vessels, Dong Bang 91 and Dong Won 509, were given permission by Government, late in 1979, to conduct demersal trawling operations in the Great Australian Bight between longitudes 116°£ to 138°E and outside of 12 miles from shore.

Two observers from the Western Australian Department of Fisheries and Wildlife were involved with monitoring the activities of these vessels at sea in the Bight.

This report describes the operations of these Korean vessels in detail and represents …

Fisheries Report No 51 - 'Taiyo Maru 71" Demersal Trawling Cruise In Western Australian Coastal Waters South Of 21 S, July-September, 1979, D. I. Heald, M. H. Walker

Fisheries Research Reports

A Japanese demersal trawler, 'Taiyo Maru 771' was given special permission to conduct exploratory trawling in the period 73.7.79-16.9.79 off the Western Australian coast between 21°S Latitude and 35°30'S Latitude, an area which partly overlapped the fishing grounds for the western rock Lobster. The vessel was required to complete a catch, fishing effort and species composition log book issued by the Commonweath Department of Primary Industry. Two Western Australian Department of Fisheries and Wildlife observers on board monitored fishing operations for the entire duration of the cause and undertook research.

Details of each trawl conducted are given and discussed. Catch …

Fisheries Report No 57 - Exploratory Fishing For Spanish Mackerel In Waters Off Western Australia During The Period June 16 To October 16, 1981, K. Donohue, P. Edsall, J. Robins, R. Tregonning

Fisheries Research Reports

The results of catching Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson) by gillnet and troll lines during a survey extending from June 16 to October 16 1981 are presented.

The catch rate of mackerel obtained by trolling with six lines was found to be 14.35 times greater than that by gillnet, measuring 0.75 miles in length.

From the results presented, a professional fisherman should be able to assess the economic viability of fishing commercially for Spanish mackerel.

Analysis of biometrial and biological data on fish caught allowed determination of (a) length/weight relationship of (i) Spanish mackerel (ii) wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri); (b) sex ratios …

Fisheries Report No 52 - The Present State Of The Western Australian Fishery For Australian Salmon, Michael H. Walker

Fisheries Research Reports

In 1975, following a number of years of research by the CSIRO Division of Fisheries and Oceanography, it was decided to conduct. a renewed programme cooperatively between CSIRO and W.A. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. The results of the joint programmes will be presented elsewhere. Meanwhile this paper. describes the Western Australian salmon fishery in 1981 and over the life of the current CSIRO/W.A. salmon research programme i.e. 1975-1981. It considers both the professional and amateur fishery, the disposal of the catch and attempts to discuss any changes in technique, effort, etc. which may have occurred in the period 1975-1981. …

Report No 41 - A Survey Method For Identifying Roadside Flora Suitable For Conservation In Western Australia, John K. Scott

Fisheries Research Reports

A survey method for identifying flora suitable for conservation alongside roads in south-western Australia was derived from an examination of characteristics of road verges. Two roads, from Midland to Toodyay and from Armadale to Bunbury, were examined. Width of verge, weed cover, soil disturbance, vegetation structure, presence of public utilities, evidence of fire and the type of adjoining land were measured at one mile (1.6 km) intervals on both sides of the road. Also recorded were aesthetic qualities such as stands of beautiful trees and sites of special interest, e.g. the presence of rare plants.

Three variables, percentage weed cover, …