The current assessment of the Northern tiger prawn fishery is based upon a separate analysis of the fishery for each of the two species (Wang & Die, 1996). An alternative stock modelling approach, which considered both species together (Haddon, 1997, 1998), supports the results of the first method but is somewhat more pessimistic. This alternative model provides an independent view of the status of the tiger prawn stocks and the uncertainties affecting the analysis are also different. That both approaches produce a similar conclusion (that the stocks appear to be vulnerable and fishing mortality is currently too high to be sustainable in the long term), increases confidence in the conclusion that there are serious problems with the fishery.

A weakness of the alternative model is that it is based upon commercial catch-effort data summarized over the statistical reporting areas and for each year. It is likely that this aggregation of catch and effort data is obscuring or biasing details of the stock dynamics. If the seasonal fishing behaviour of the trawl fleet, in terms of its use of the fishing grounds, has altered either in a steady manner or over shorter periods, this could have large implications for the real status of the tiger prawn stock which may have been obscured by the aggregation of the commercial catch-effort data. This may lead to the stock appearing to be more stressed than it is in reality. To test whether the alternative model is overly pessimistic, and to refine the analysis of stock dynamics, it would be necessary, using the same approaches as in the earlier model, to investigate stock and fleet dynamics at finer spatial and temporal scales.

The proposed modelling should reduce uncertainty over the present status of the tiger prawn stocks.

The live Coral Trout fishery is currently conservatively valued at $3.5 million. Demand for live Coral Trout is not being met and it is clear that the market could accept additional product. Anecdotal information also indicates that competing countries supplying the 14000T live tropical fish market in Hong Kong are suffering from over-fishing and demand is expected to further increase as a result.

A major limitation preventing the live Coral Trout industry expanding to fill the available market is the mortality due to injury and disease. Although developments in technology and skill level have occurred in the last 12 months, these developments are not industry wide and are generally specific to particular (eg very large) vessels. Most boats are presently restricted to a maximum of 5 to 6 days at sea as they are unable to hold the fish live for longer. In addition, although mortality of live fish may be as low as 2% from processor to market, mortality between capture and transfer to processors may reach 50% at some times of the year. Whilst current practice means that fish showing imminent sign of death are sacrificed to obtain fillet, this results in significant devaluing of the product. This leakage of product from the high value live market (@ $35+/kg) to the fillet market (+ $14+/kg) results in significant loss of value in this fishery with loss of income to all sectors of the industry.

The adoption of strategies to target the live trout, rather than the fresh frozen fillet, market also results in reduced total catch per boat due to the significant price advantage and larger on-board facilities required to hold the product. By providing information that will allow a code of practice to achieve World Best Practice, information that is not currently available for coral trout, this project that will facilitate the movement of boats into the live fishery. It is likely that the total catch will be reduced and the long-term sustainability of the fishery will be enhanced.

The proposal addresses a number of specific needs, as expressed in the FRDC research and development plan:

- Effects of fishing activities on fish and their ecosystems (Program 1, Strategy 3) - information on the spatial distribution and intensity of catch of species and effort is fundamental to assessing the effects of fishing on the environment. It is also very useful in assessment of individual stocks.
- Access to fisheries resources (Program 1, Strategy 8) - the distribution and value of fishing, as well as the potential social and economic impacts, is a vital consideration in multiple use planning (eg. Marine Protected Area planning).
- Fisheries and ecosystems management (Program 1, Strategy 10) - the proposal would make a significant contribution to ecosystem based and multiple use planning under the Regional Marine Planning process.
- Economic and social values of the industry and its impacts (Program 2, Strategy 2) - the proposal specifically aims to investigate socio-economic aspects of fisheries and connect these to marine resources. This will also assist in fulfilling ESD requirements.
- Community education (Program 3, Strategy 4) - the two major outputs (paper and web) will be widely available and comprise a valuable information resource for all Australians.

A tight schedule has been set for the development of Regional Marine Plans across Australia. Planning will require detailed information on the nature and extent of marine fishing activities. Nowhere has this information been drawn together to provide a body of data for use in regional marine planning. To ensure that the interests of the fishing industry are appropriately represented in the planning process it is important that accurate information is presented in a form that will be useful.

Similarly, the socio-economic nature of coastal communities and their degree of dependence on marine fisheries resources is poorly understood. The proposed research will provide a basis for identifying the social impacts of proposed changes to fisheries management arrangement and developing strategies for appropriate government interventions to reduce adverse impacts.

The management of northern elasmobranchs has a strong need for research to address local and regional management issues. The need is fundamental, the Northern Shark Stock Assessment Review Workshop (QLD, NT, WA and the Commonwealth), Broome 2000, identified the lack of species identification in NT and QLD catches in target and bycatch fisheries as a major concern. This has been clearly recognised at State/Territory, national (NAFM) and international (FAO, IUCN) levels. The sustainability of these species is also an explicit priority with stakeholders. The Northern Australian Fisheries Management (NAFM) Workshop (QLD, NT, WA and the Commonwealth) identified research into elasmobranchs as high priority in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The NAFM Workshop agreed to write to FRDC to reiterate the high priority of this project. Professor Carl Walters, at a Stock Assessment Workshop in Darwin, examining northern shark catches, also highlighted the issue of inadequate data (Walters and Buckworth 1997) while the National Shark Advisory Group (Nov. 2000) also identified similar issues. There is also a clear need to determine the extent of shared stocks, both within Australia and with Indonesia, to ensure the management scale is appropriate. This project will also address the critical need for information on the biology and catch of sawfishes in northern Australia, research for which Environment Australia have also indicated their support. The first phase of this project (Jul 2001 - Jul 2002) received a high priority from QFIRAC 2000 and was funded by FRDC (FRDC 2001/077). Environment Australia and ACIAR have also funded complementary research on sharks and rays in northern Australia and Indonesia. The current project is critical to ensuring these studies have valid, up to date information on the current catches in northern fisheries. QFIRAC has given this project very strong support, ranking it second of all proposals submitted.

Appropriate monitoring strategies and harvest control rules are needed to ensure sustainability and
maximum economic benefit from the coral trout stocks in the Queensland Coral Reef Fin fish Fishery
(CRFFF). This is not an easy accomplishment in a fishery that is as spatially complex as the CRFFF,
and so in order to determine whether monitoring programs and harvest control rules are worth
implementing, it is better to try several techniques on a virtual fishery before doing so in reality. This
can be done by testing alternative procedures in a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) framework.
The project will test in an MSE framework the effectiveness of:

1. several potential monitoring and sampling regimes of the coral trout stock, including the existing
Long Term Monitoring Program (LTMP) surveys,

2. different ways of analysing the data collected from a monitoring program, and

3. candidate harvest control rules that translate the perceived state of the fishery into a TAC.

Comparisons of alternative monitoring, analysis and harvest control rules will help DEEDI assess their
cost effectiveness. Lastly, since quota trading was introduced, industry has stressed the fact that the
economic conditions of the fishery have changed substantially, and so an update of economic data is
needed urgently for the evaluation of the above management strategies to be relevant and useful.