The progression of abalone fishery performance indicators
The FRDC has requested the development with respect to abalone of “an application that takes a national approach to management strategy evaluation development and implementation. This should include economic, environmental, social and governance indicators.” In order to achieve this a workshop is proposed that brings together representatives from Industry, Management and Research from the abalone producing States plus other invited experts in abalone and management strategy evaluation.
There are R&D initiatives in most Australian fisheries and NZ to collect finer scale and more comprehensive data about abalone populations and fishing. These initiatives are also highlighted in the “Harvest Optimisation” and “Sustainability and Environment” investment platforms of the ACA Strategic Plan, within several Objectives including to “Establish management tools and models that enable targeted harvesting of fish to optimise market returns”. It is not yet clear how or what finer scale data will be used to generate the most informative fishery Performance Indicators, although MSE will provide the structure to assess this.
To maximize the value of outcomes from the proposed Workshop, the ACA needs to focus on the strategic direction of finer scale data collection, its incorporation into fishery Performance Indicators and their assessment through techniques such as MSE. Such a focus would allow the ACA to participate in the Workshop with a clear plan for R&D investment in these important directions.
Educating though Escape with ET
Assessing and managing interactions of protected and listed marine species with commercial fisheries in Western Australia
Incidental mortality in commercial fishing activities is acknowledged as an issue for many protected and endangered species throughout the world. Whilst Australia is considered a world leader in managing
these interactions, further improvements and development of additional knowledge is still required to
meet the expectations of the community. Within WA, to address the variety of interactions with protected
and listed marine species across all our commercial fisheries in a cost effective manner, an holistic and
integrated approach needs to be taken. Several protected species issues have already been identified through existing management processes, including entanglement of whales in fishing ropes and interactions between seals and demersal gillnets. These two issues involve protected species on the Commonwealth threatened list (i.e the Australian sea lion, Humpback and Southern Right Whale) which generates attention from both an ecological and political respect. A greater understanding of the factors involved in these interactions will be needed to design mitigation programs. Assessments at both the individual fishery and bioregional level will be required to input into the ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) frameworks that are being developed for each WA bioregion. There is also the ongoing requirement for all fisheries to satisfy the protected species criteria under the EPBC Act which for some is vital to maintain their export certification. Moreover, there is the potential for significant pressure from advocacy groups to press for regulation of fishing effort or methods unless well-formulated management systems to address these pressing issues are developed.
Final report
Strategic revenue options for the recreational fishing sector
For many years it has been difficult to find a means whereby the recreational and sport fishing sector of the fishing industry can secure a reliable and equitable source of revenue to provide the capability for the sector to develop and grow.
Equity issues are always difficult to overcome when it comes to financing a proposal e.g. under the current state arrangements if we were to ask for a contribution (from licence funds) from the states with fishing licences then not all states would contribute equitably as some have no or limited licence arrangements. However if a levy was imposed, for example, at the wholesale point of sale for fishing tackle or boat sales and this passed on to the end user then the end user will be contributing on a user pays basis i.e. the more you buy the more you pay. And this would be equitable across the country with no exceptions. The alternative funding options identified in the paper will be assessed for equity, effectiveness and ease of implementation.
Programs such as the Recreational Fishing Community Grant Program are not long term (20 yrs) and it is increasingly evident that the recreational sector must be able to support its direction and to take responsibility for the future. A reliable and secure funding source is essential for this.
Final report
Historically, the recreational fishing sector in Australia has always relied on governments to provide resources to develop and promote the sector. The idea of a long term, strategic revenue stream independent of government formed the basis of this scoping study.
An independent revenue stream would allow the sector’s representative groups to develop long term plans for capacity building, succession planning, promotion and marketing of recreational fishing, Research, Development & Extension, restoration projects, etc which in turn will deliver direct benefits to the fishing public.
Several options for strategic funding mechanisms were considered including hypothecation of existing taxes and the raising of new levies on fishing related purchases. Most of these were rejected based on government policy or difficulties with implementing new “taxes”. A broader roll out of general fishing licences or boating levies was considered as one possible source of funding at state/territory level while the establishment of a permanent recreational fishing trust was considered as an option at a national level to fund activities of national importance. Both of these streams, however, rely on some form of government involvement.
The only options for a truly independent stream for the recreational fishing sector involves the development of partnerships with corporate sponsors and reliance on money collected directly from recreational fishers through donations or membership. Provision of professional services may establish a revenue stream for peak representative organisations.
Keywords: Recreational fishing, funding, revenue, grants, strategic.
Towards responsible native fish stocking: Identifying management concerns and appropriate research methodologies
Better understanding of the impacts of stocking was flagged as a key national issue by the recent FRDC sponsored workshop on fish stocking. Stocked fisheries now represent an alternative recreational fishery that simultaneously reduces fishing pressure on marine fish stocks and delivers considerable social and economic benefits to regional communities. An aging population and increased leisure time for workers will create additional demands for fishing in the future. The continued success of freshwater fish stocking in Queensland and other States is contingent on demonstrating it is sustainable under the principles of ESD. The impacts of fish stocking on recipient ecosystems and wild fish stocks are poorly understood and these activities have drawn adverse criticism from conservation groups and environmental management agencies.
On a national scale, the Department of the Environment and Water Resources are driving sustainability issues via the EPBC Act with stocking fish outside their native range being nominated as a threatening process. Within Queensland all native fish stocking applications are assessed on their risk to local aquatic communities; other States have similar procedures. However, the decision making processes are poorly supported by data related to the likely ecological risks of the proposed stocking activities. These data cannot be obtained solely from desk-top studies that draw largely on overseas literature. What is urgently needed is pertinent research, done in an Australian context, to address key data deficiencies including impacts of stocking fish outside their natural range, displacement of natural populations and loss of genetic diversity. To do this effectively and to promote “world’s best practice” in our stocking industry, the issues first need to be succinctly defined and then appropriate methodologies developed to address them in research projects.
Final report
Small pelagic fishery resource assessment group workshop
Independent environmental certification for Australia's Northern Prawn fishery marine stewardship council pre-assessment
Climate Change and Fisheries Status Report
Climate is variable. Primary producers deal with this variability on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis. However, there is strong evidence that shows that there is fundamental shift in the variability of the earth’s climate.
Significant climate change is not a new concept for the earth – there have been many instances over time of significant change. What is different about the current change is it is well above the upper limits of the historical changes. This change is attributed to human activity in the form of greenhouse gas emissions.
The two options available to address the affects of climate change are adaptation and mitigation. While fisheries make only a minimal direct contribution to greenhouse gas emissions relative to other sectors, if carbon credits are built into energy usage, energy costs will significantly increase. Therefore, for mitigation, there will be an increased focus on alternative fuels and energy efficiency. This aside, the main focus for Australian fisheries will be adaptation to the possible impacts rather than on mitigation. The problem will be ensuring each of the fisheries sectors are economically and ecologically viable while adapting to the long term effects of climate change on the marine ecosystems that support them.
Given our knowledge gaps on the nature of the impacts of climate change on Australian fisheries, climate change needs to be considered in the context that it is just one business risk. As such climate change needs to begin to be factored into business planning along with other risks, such as competition, skills availability, currency fluctuations etc. This is certainly true within the framework of ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM), where climate is just one of the variables considered.
The questions for Government are:
• Where should it invest its resources to assist the fishing industry adapt to climate change?
• What policy changes are needed to support this adaptation?
• How to develop a predictive capacity to inform decision making?
Obviously, the decisions of individuals are beyond the control of Government. However, governments can provide the business environment through appropriate policy settings such that those involved in fishing can make decisions about future adaptation strategies. And this is where R&D is important. Industry needs knowledge so it can make informed decisions on the risks that climate change poses to business/lifestyle/culture and adjust accordingly. Scientists, economists and policy makers advise that early adaptation will reduce the cost to industry and Government in the long term. Further, for some sectors, delays in adapting may result in those industries no longer having a sustainable resource base.
Governments will need to put in place an R&D and policy framework to support adaptation to climate change within fisheries. In the current absence of a specific climate change policy for fisheries there is an opportunity for R&D to get ahead of policy and perhaps inform it. However, in the first instance there is a need to determine current relevant R&D activities and available information and what the research needs and gaps are.
This last point is the objective of the status report – where is fisheries climate change R&D now and where does it need to be?
Regional impact assessment for the Moreton Bay Marine Park - sponsorship to attend UN world environment day awards ceremony
The review and amendment of existing Marine Parks Zoning Plans in Queensland (including the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Representative Areas Program (GBRMPA RAP), complimentary state zoning of inshore areas has had significant social, economic (and environmental) impacts on industries that rely on marine resources for their existence. These plans have also often displaced fishing effort and increased pressure on other areas and have considerably impacted on the supply of seafood to the Queensland consumer.
The announcement that the Marine Parks (Moreton Bay) Zoning Plan 1997 would be reviewed in 2007, coupled with the track record of government decisions on Marine Park Plans within Queensland, indicates that there are potentially considerable implications for the three fishery sectors who operate within Moreton Bay, and for the supply of seafood to the Queensland consumer.
The various industry groups involved in the Moreton Bay Access Alliance (MBAA) have decided on a proactive strategy to address potential implications, on the understanding that the:
- EPA will commence review of the Marine Parks (Moreton Bay) Zoning Plan 1997 in February 2007 and will release a Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) in September 2007 for public comment and stakeholder consultation; and
- EPA’s RIS proposals are negotiable.
The project aims to validate and quantify the impact of fishing activities on the Moreton bay environment and make a scientifically defensible case for boundary changes or alterations to the existing Marine Park Zoning Plan. The development of a defensible report will ensure that all parties have a common reference point in negotiations following the release of the RIS.
Given that the Marine Park or MPA in question is managed under state legislation, it is likely that the findings of this project may be relevant for other industry groups facing similar legislative reviews (or introduction of MPA’s) Australia-wide.