The need for the study is clearly defined in the FRDC terms of reference for the project:
- Fisher experience is regarded as an important measure of defining optimal resource use for non-commercial fishing sectors.
- The lack of recreational fisher experience data has been highlighted at a national level and was explored in FRDC project 2018-161.
- Key fishing stakeholders have identified their desire to include experiential performance indicators into fisheries harvest strategies to optimise the management of available resources in the Northern Territory. This is especially important in fishery management areas where management for optimised recreational outcomes have been prioritised (e.g. Barramundi).
- The need to apply and test existing frameworks for measuring fisher experience (or satisfaction) is necessary to validate their utility in the Northern Territory and more broadly across jurisdictions.
- This includes understanding the interaction between fisher satisfaction/experience and catch settings and other administrative arrangements that may influence fisher experience.
In summary, there are currently no data available that would enable the linkage of experiential performance indicators into fisheries harvest strategies to optimise the management of available resources in the Northern Territory. The objective of this study is therefore to fully explore recreational fisher experience and associated satisfaction levels as they relate to harvest strategies. In simple terms, NT Fisheries is flying blind in this respect and this study is aimed at providing the department with the information they need for informed decision making. Importantly, the report will include recommendations for the implementation of the identified strategies by Fisheries NT.
