The Ministerial-working group has recommended a package of measures aimed at recovering spawning biomass of the inner gulf snapper stocks to take effect in 2003. In the eastern gulf, in the first year following the fishery’s re-opening, a combination of daily bag limit, ‘slot’ size limit, and an extended seasonal closure will be used in an attempt to limit the catch to 12–15 tonnes. Although 3 tonnes has been allocated to the commercial sector (based on catch history), no decision has been made in relation to allocation of the remaining 12 tonnes (approximately 4000 individual fish) between the local charter sector and independent recreational fishers. This conventional management approach may achieve the objective of sustainability but a seasonal closure (to protect spawning fish) will alter the nature of the recreational fishery and is unlikely to be popular with many visiting fishers. To overcome this, the working group has agreed to trial an alternative, output-based approach in the eastern gulf in 2004 that would allow some snapper fishing during the peak winter period while still meeting sustainability objectives. A unique opportunity therefore exists, to develop and assess an alternative management approach, i.e. capable of constraining the recreational snapper catch to a sustainable level while preserving the seasonal aspect of the fishery. The daily egg production method, used to provide estimates of adult stock size since 1997, requires considerable resources (particularly in the laboratory) and is therefore relatively expensive. There is a need to investigate the potential of an alternative, independent measure of stock size that may be incorporated into a future research framework. At a broader scale, there is a need to compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of output-based (manage to predetermined catch) and more conventional models for the management of recreational and multi-sector finfish fisheries with a major recreational component. Such information will allow improved decision-making around the choice of research and management tools for similar marine fisheries elsewhere.
Project number:
2003-066
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$204,735.00
Principal Investigator:
Gary Jackson
Organisation:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA
Project start/end date:
29 Jun 2003
-
16 Feb 2006
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES
1. To assess an alternative output-based management model capable of constraining the pink snapper catch within sustainable limits in the inner gulf of Shark Bay
2. To develop an alternative measure of stock size for future use in management of the fishery
3. To provide a detailed comparison of the relative advantages and disadvantages of output- and input-based models for the management of key recreational, and multi- sector finfish fisheries, using the Shark Bay inner gulf pink snapper fishery as case study
ISBN:
1-877098-78-7
Author:
Gary Jackson
Final Report
•
2006-10-10
2003-066-DLD.pdf
This study has provided for the first time in Australia, an empirical comparison of different management models with a recreational marine finfish fishery. A TAC-based system was introduced for pink snapper in the inner gulfs of Shark Bay for the first time in 2003-2005, to explicitly manage levels of recreational catch. We developed an alternative, output-based management model - limited issue of management-tags allocated to recreational fishers via a lottery system - to ensure that the annual catch of pink snapper in the Freycinet Estuary was no more than the TAC of 5 tonne per year. This tag-based system was assessed against a range of criteria - capacity to limit the pink snapper catch, social equity, fisher acceptance, compliance and cost - and against more conventional management used in the Eastern Gulf and Denham Sound. The tag-based system in the Freycinet Estuary was effective at limiting the recreational catch as was the four month spawning closure in the Eastern Gulf. The management-tags allowed recreational fishers in the Freycinet Estuary to chose when they landed their pink snapper. In contrast, the extensive closure in the Eastern Gulf prevented fishers from retaining snapper during the traditionally most popular winter period. Although management-tags were not initially popular with recreational fishers, an increase in lottery applications between 2003 and 2005 indicates their increased acceptance. The study has provided a comparison of two methods of estimating population size of pink snapper in the Eastern Gulf; population estimates from tagging were not significantly different from those obtained using the daily egg production method. The study has also provided a model-based assessment of the status of each inner Shark Bay pink snapper stock using data collected during the project. The study has shown that quantifiable management objectives were unclear or absent in many of Australia’s key marine recreational fisheries. Output from the project will be of interest to stakeholders involved in the management of the inner Shark Bay recreational fishery and more broadly to fishery managers involved with snapper and other important recreational finfish species in Australia and possibly New Zealand. Results from this project were used as the basis for developing management strategies for inner Shark Bay pink snapper stocks for the three year period 2006-2008.
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2019-129
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT
Potential transition of shark gillnet boats to longline fishing in Bass Strait - ecological, cross-sectoral, and economic implications
1. Conduct a trial using automatic longlines to target gummy shark in SESSF waters in Eastern and Western Bass Strait
ORGANISATION:
Fishwell Consulting Pty Ltd
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2019-106
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
Minor use permit for oxytetracycline in non-salmonid finfish
1. Obtain data to satisfy identified gaps and collate available data to satisfy requirements of minor use permit application.
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide
PROJECT NUMBER
•
2019-085
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED
National Snapper Workshop - Rebuilding our iconic Snapper stocks
1. To identify key issues and challenges for Snapper, review Snapper research, and critique jurisdictional management arrangements.
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA)
