Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons^™

Mitigation Measures To Reduce Entanglements Of Migrating Whales With Commercial Fishing Gear, Jason How, D Coughran, M Double, K Rushworth, B Hebiton, J Smith, J Harrison, M Taylor, D Paton, G Mcpherson, C Mcpherson, A Recalde Salas, C Salgado-Kent, Simon De Lestang

Fisheries Research Reports

The West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (WCRLMF) transitioned to a quota based fishery, and year-round fishing, which corresponded with a spike in whale entanglements in 2013. This presented industry with a challenging social issue, to reduce entanglements without impacting on the financial benefits that the shift to year-round quota fishing had afforded.

Review Of Recreational Fishing Surveys In Western Australia, Alissa Tate, K. L. Ryan, Claire B. Smallwood, Cameron J. Desfosses, S.M Taylor, E.K. Lai, Stuart Blight

Fisheries Research Reports

Recreational fishing has been a popular activity in Western Australia for many years, with an estimated 25% of the population participating in this activity in 2017/18. Recreational fishing surveys have been implemented by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (formally Department of Fisheries) since 1976.

Statewide Survey Of Boat-Based Recreational Fishing In Western Australia 2017/18, K. L. Ryan, N.G. Hall, E.K. Lai, Claire B. Smallwood, Alissa Tate, S.M Taylor, Brent S. Wise

Fisheries Research Reports

The statewide survey of boat-based recreational fishing includes three components: (i) off-site Phone Surveys (encompassing an initial Screening Survey, a longitudinal Phone-Diary Survey, and Post-Enumeration Surveys); (ii) on-site Boat Ramp Surveys; and (iii) Remote Camera Surveys. The main data collection period was the 12-months from September 2017 to August 2018 inclusive, with the Post-Enumeration Surveys occurring from September to December 2018.

Invertebrate And Reef Health Research And Monitoring At Cocos (Keeling) Islands – 2019 Update, N Konzewitsch, S. N. Evans

Fisheries Research Reports

The five long term reef monitoring sites implemented by DPIRD in 2010, and surveyed annually until 2014, were resurveyed in April 2016 and February 2017. In 2016, a sixth monitoring site (site 6) was established in the marine protected area of the Pulu Keeling National Park (PKNP).

Integrated Survey Of Boat-Based Recreational Fishing In Inner Shark Bay 2018/19, S.M Taylor, Claire B. Smallwood, Cameron J. Desfosses, K. L. Ryan, Gary Jackson

Fisheries Research Reports

Inner Shark Bay is a popular recreational fishing destination. As recreational fishing occurs in a World Heritage Area and Marine Park, there is a need for ongoing reliable information on catches. Many boat-based recreational fishers in inner Shark Bay target Pink Snapper (Chrysophrys auratus).

Recovering A Collapsed Abalone Stock Through Translocation. Seafood Crc Project No. 2011/762, Lachlan W.S. Strain, Jamin M. Brown, Anthony M. Hart

Fisheries Research Reports

A Roe’s Abalone (Haliotis roei) fishery in Western Australia (Area 8) suffered catastrophic mortality (99.9%) due to an anomalous environmental event in the summer of 2011. During this extreme marine heatwave there was a sustained period of elevated sea surface temperatures that rose to lethal levels for this species and effectively wiped out an entire stock at its northern distribution. Natural recovery within the foreseeable future was considered unlikely, thus providing a unique opportunity to test fishery restoration strategies for abalone. Over the course of this assisted recovery program (5.5 years) no natural recovery was observed in the region most …

Biological, Ecological And Structural Monitoring Report: Southwest Recreational Fishing Artificial Reef Trial, Geographe Bay, Western Australia, Paul D. Lewis, Mark Pagano

Fisheries Research Reports

This report details the key findings from the Biological and Ecological monitoring of the Southwest Artificial Reef Trial over the first four years after they were deployed in autumn of 2013.

Summary Of The West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery Science And Modelling Review, Simon De Lestang, Jason R. How, Nick Caputi, Emma-Jade Tuffley, Mark Rossbach

Fisheries Research Reports

An independent peer review of the science and modelling associated with the West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery was undertaken in May/June 2018. The impetus behind this review was two-fold, i) to address industry concerns that stock assessment modelling was not reflecting what was being experienced by fishers on-water, and ii) to increase stakeholders understanding of, and confidence in, the stock assessment process while ensuring that the process was commensurate with contemporary scientific practices.

Development Of An Industry-Based Habitat Mapping/Monitoring System Frdc Project No 2011/021, Simon De Lestang, Matthew B. Pember, Dirk Slawinski

Fisheries Research Reports

Mapping / monitoring in the marine environment can be a very costly exercise. Scientists from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development; Fisheries Division (FD) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have developed a small, low-cost automated camera system that, when fitted to commercial fishing gear, can achieve this at minimal cost. The POTBot (Pictures Of The Bottom) system is a cheap, small “smart” camera that can track its position globally and the date and time, and can record high-definition video and water temperature readings when it determines it has been deployed into the ocean.

Resource Assessment Report Temperate Demersal Elasmobranch Resource Of Western Australia, Matias Braccini, Nick Blay, S. A. Hesp, Brett Molony

Fisheries Research Reports

Whiskery (Furgaleus macki), gummy (Mustelus antarcticus), dusky (Carcharhinus obscurus) and sandbar (C. plumbeus) sharks are the main (~80% of the shark catch) shark species of the Temperate Demersal Elasmobranch Resource (TDER).

A Survey Of Boat-Based Recreational Fishing In Inner Shark Bay 2016/17, S.M Taylor, Aldo S. Steffe, E.K. Lai, K. L. Ryan, Gary Jackson

Fisheries Research Reports

Monitoring the temporal and spatial variability in recreational fishing provides necessary information for assessing resource sustainability, monitoring resource allocation and informing fisheries management. This is particularly important in inner Shark Bay because recreational fishing occurs in a World Heritage Area and Marine Park. The majority of boat-based recreational fishers in inner Shark Bay target Pink Snapper (Chrysophrys auratus) and three genetically distinct stocks of this species occur in the Denham Sound, Eastern Gulf and Freycinet Estuary Management Zones.

Weight-Length Summaries For Western Australian Fish Species Derived From Surveys Of Recreational Fishers At Boat Ramps, C.B. Smallwood, Alissa Tate, Karina L. Ryan

Fisheries Research Reports

Estimates of recreational catch from boat-based recreational fishers have been generated in Western Australia since 2011/12 using an integrated survey comprising off-site Phone-Diary Surveys, on-site Boat Ramp Surveys and Remote Camera Surveys. The primary purpose of the Boat Ramp Surveys is to determine an average weight for key species to convert estimates of recreational catch by numbers (determined from the Phone-Diary Survey) to harvest weight for comparison with catches from the commercial sector.

Decision Tree And Rapid Appraisal Methodology For New Fisheries, Anthony M. Hart

Fisheries Research Reports

The objective of this report is to provide a process (RAM – Rapid Appraisal Methodology) for assessing proposals for new fisheries. If adopted, the methodology could extend to a potential new initiative, referred to as WildCulture in this report. The RAM process is designed to be a modern, forward thinking, opportunity creating instrument for enhancing seafood production from renewable aquatic resources.

Australian Herring And West Australian Salmon Scientific Workshop Report, October 2017, Brent S. Wise, Brett Molony

Fisheries Research Reports

A scientific workshop was held on 25th – 29th September 2017 to review available data for Australian herring (Arripis georgianus) and determine current stock status using the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) Risk-based Weight of Evidence Approach (Appendix 1). Recommendations for future monitoring and assessments required to reduce uncertainties and establish sustainable catch levels were also made.

Risk Assessment Of The Potential Impacts Of Seismic Air Gun Surveys On Marine Finfish And Invertebrates In Western Australia, F J. Webster, Brent S. Wise, H Kemps, Warrick Fletcher

Fisheries Research Reports

Seismic surveys have the potential to affect marine life, including commercially and recreationally important finfish and invertebrate species and their prey. There is, however, considerable uncertainty around the degree of impact and relevant pressure-response pathways across the different taxonomic groups.

Improving Confidence In The Management Of The Blue Swimmer Crab (Portunus Armatus) In Shark Bay Part Ii: Socio-Economic Significance Of Commercial Blue Swimmer Crabs In Shark Bay. Frdc Project No. 2012/15, R Daley, I Van Putten

Fisheries Research Reports

The Shark Bay crab fishery is faced with substantial changes. The fishery reopened in late 2013 after a 18 month closure due to a significant stock decline from adverse environmental conditions. The stock is now recovering and The Department of Fisheries Western Australia (DFWA) has implemented substantial management changes including the introduction of catch quotas to limit the catches of individual fishing businesses and a Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) for the fishery. Fishers are challenged with adapting to the changes in management and inter-annual variability in crab catch volume linked to environmental conditions.

Improving Confidence In The Management Of The Blue Swimmer Crab (Portunus Armatus) In Shark Bay. Part I : Rebuilding Of The Shark Bay Crab Fishery. Frdc Project No. 2012/15, Arani Chandrapavan, Mervi Kangas, Danielle Johnston, Nicolavito Caputi, Alexander Hesp, Ainslie Maree Denham, Errol Sporer

Fisheries Research Reports

This, and the accompanying Part II report, summarise the results of the research activities undertaken on the blue swimmer crab stock in Shark Bay by the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, which were done in collaboration with commercial fishers, fishery managers and economic analysts between 2012 and 2016.

Improving Confidence In The Management Of The Blue Swimmer Crab (Portunus Armatus) In Shark Bay Part Iii: Proceedings Of The Third National Workshop On Blue Swimmer Crab Portunus Armatus Western Australian Fisheries And Marine Research Laboratories, Hillarys, Perth, 3 – 4 June 2015. Frdc Project No. 2012/15, Arani Chandrapavan

Fisheries Research Reports

The ‘Third National Workshop on Blue Swimmer Crab’ was organised and held at Department of Fisheries (Western Australia) in Hillarys (3-4 June, 2015), almost 15 years after the second workshop in 1997. The workshop brought together fisheries scientists, managers, university researchers, consultants, industry stakeholders and fishers from across Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia and addressed six broad themed sessions;

• State overview of blue swimmer crab commercial fisheries

• Monitoring, stock assessment and harvest strategy

• Environmental drivers and climate change

• Blue swimmer crabs….from the sea to the plate

• Recreational fishing and surveys …

Statewide Survey Of Boat-Based Recreational Fishing In Western Australia 2015/16, Karina L. Ryan, Norman G. Hall, Eva K. Lai, Claire B. Smallwood, S.M Taylor, Brent Stephen

Fisheries Research Reports

The statewide survey of boat-based recreational fishing includes three components: (i) off-site Phone Surveys (encompassing an initial Screening Survey, a longitudinal Phone-Diary Survey, and Post-Enumeration Surveys); (ii) on-site Boat Ramp Surveys; and (iii) a Remote Camera Survey.

Framework For Integration Of Data From Remotely Operated Cameras Into Recreational Fishery Assessments In Western Australia, Aldo S. Steffe, S.M Taylor, Stuart Blight, Karina L. Ryan, Cameron J. Desfosses, Alissa Tate, Claire B. Smallwood, Eva K. Lai, Fabian I. Trinnie, Brent S. Wise

Fisheries Research Reports

Remotely operated cameras can be used for cost-efficient monitoring of recreational fishing activities. This report provides an overview of the current usage of cameras in recreational fishery assessments by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. Since 2006, 32 remotely operated cameras have been installed at 26 locations throughout Western Australia and currently 28 cameras are in use.

Demographic Performance Of Brownlip Abalone : Exploration Of Wild And Cultured Harvest Potential, Lachlan W.S. Strain, Alexander Hesp, Frank Fabris, Anthony M. Hart

Fisheries Research Reports

This research provides the most comprehensive evaluation of Brownlip abalone (Haliotis conicopora) biology and fisheries assessment to date, thereby laying a solid foundation for future management of the Brownlip abalone fishery in Western Australia (WA). For wild populations, it has provided the most reliable estimates of natural and fishing mortality, size composition and the first to model growth throughout all stages of life.

Adopting A Citizen Science Approach To Develop Cost-Effective Methods That Will Deliver Annual Information For Managing Small-Scale Recreational Fisheries: The Southwest Recreational Crabbing Project, David Harris, Danielle Johnston, Josh Baker, Michelle Foster

Fisheries Research Reports

Fishing for the blue swimmer crab, Portunus armatus, represents an iconic Western Australian recreational fishing experience. State-wide integrated surveys of boat-based recreational fishing conducted by the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia (DoF) in 2011/12 and 2013/14 reported that three times more blue swimmer crabs were caught than any other recreational species (Ryan etal., 2013; Ryan et al., 2015).

Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Western Australia’S Commercially Important Sharks, Matias Braccini, R. Mcauley, Alastair Harry

Fisheries Research Reports

This project took advantage of an unprecedented deployment of acoustic receiver infrastructure around the Western Australian coast to monitor a large number of sharks implanted with acoustic tags. This research was undertaken to better understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of commercially-important sharks in Western Australia, which has enabled a re-evaluation of the risks of cryptic sources of catch and bycatch to dusky and sandbar shark stocks and development of population simulation models with which to test the implications of spatially-different histories of fishery management, as well as future spatial-management arrangements for whiskery and gummy sharks stocks.

Status Of Southern Garfish (Hyporhamphus Melanochir) In Cockburn Sound, Western Australia, K Smith, C Dowling, S Mountford, A Hesp, A Howard, J Brown

Fisheries Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Resource Assessment Report Western Rock Lobster Environmental Resources Of Western Australia, Lynda M. Bellchambers, Jason R. How, Scott Evans, Matthew B. Pember, Simon De Lestang, Nick Caputi

Fisheries Research Reports

This document presents information for the Western Rock Lobster Fishery for MSC re-certification process in 2017.

Measurement Of Fisheries Compliance Outcomes : A Preliminary National Study : Frdc Final Report, E Price, Roy Melville-Smith, D King, Timothy J. Green, W Dixon, S Lambert, T Spencer

Fisheries Research Reports

This report presents the results of a project undertaken by a group of Australia and United States based fishery compliance experts to assess and compare methods for measuring fisheries compliance outcomes that can be used to assess and compare the effectiveness of fishery enforcement and compliance assistance activities. This eight month project was requested in 2013 by Australia’s National Fisheries Compliance Committee (NFCC) as a way to provide fisheries compliance groups with improved methods for measuring and tracking the effectiveness of their activities and for justifying and managing their budgets.

Status Of Inshore Demersal Scalefish Stocks On The South Coast Of Western Australia. Nrm Project 12034 Final Report, Jeffrey Norriss, E.A Fisher, Sybrand Alexander Hesp, Gary Jackson, P.G Coulson, T Leary, A.W Thompson

Fisheries Research Reports

Inshore demersal scalefish in waters of 20-250 m depth in the South Coast Bioregion (SCB) are an important resource targeted by commercial, recreational and charter fishing sectors.

Review Of Potential Fisheries And Marine Management Impacts On The South-Western Australian White Shark Population, S M. Taylor, J M. Braccini, R Mcauley, Wayne J. Fletcher

Fisheries Research Reports

Following five fatal incidents involving white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) off the lower west coast of Western Australia between September 2011 and July 2012, as well as other highly-publicised non-fatal encounters with this species, in 2012 the State Government funded several new initiatives to better understand white sharks in Western Australia and the likely effectiveness of any community safety interventions in Western Australian waters.

Improving Efficiency In Generating Submissions And Consistency Of Outcomes For Marine Stewardship Council (Msc) Based Assessments, Warrick Fletcher, Daniel J. Gaughan, Lynda Bellchambers Dr

Fisheries Research Reports

The prevalence of fishery certification schemes and associated ecolabels has grown over the last ten years with numerous ecolabels now in the marketplace e.g. Friends of the Sea, Naturland, SAI Global Trust (Parkes et al. 2010, Washington and Ababouch 2011, Ward and Phillips 2013). However, one of the most prominent and well regarded, particularly by eNGOs, is the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) (Gutiérrez et al. 2012, Ponte 2012, Bush et al. 2013, Ward and Phillips 2013) which accounts for greater than 10 % of annual global harvest of wild capture fisheries (MSC 2014b).

An Update Of The Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia, Invertebrate And Reef Health Research And Monitoring At Cocos (Keeling) Islands, S.N Evans, N Konzewitsch, Lynda Bellchambers Dr

Fisheries Research Reports

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are an Australian External Territory located in the Indian Ocean (12° 12" S, 96° 54" E). The group is comprised of two separate coral atolls, consisting of 27 islands. The southern atoll consists of 26 islands, surrounding a shallow lagoon, two of which are inhabited with a total population of approximately 600 people. Since 2002, a Service Delivery Arrangement (SDA) has been in place between the Department of Fisheries, Western Australia (DoF) and the Commonwealth Government of Australia to manage the fish resources of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (CKI).