Proposed Standards And Guidelines For Bycatch Management In Commonwealth Fisheries
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$179,551.00
Summary
Through its policy on fisheries bycatch, the Commonwealth acknowledges that ecological sustainable development must be based on a strategic approach to addressing bycatch interactions. There is a need to mitigate fishery interactions with non-target species, particularly threatened, endangered and protected (TEP) species, consistent with AFMA’s aim of promoting the sustainable use of fisheries resources by conserving marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Industry, AFMA and researchers have previou ....Through its policy on fisheries bycatch, the Commonwealth acknowledges that ecological sustainable development must be based on a strategic approach to addressing bycatch interactions. There is a need to mitigate fishery interactions with non-target species, particularly threatened, endangered and protected (TEP) species, consistent with AFMA’s aim of promoting the sustainable use of fisheries resources by conserving marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Industry, AFMA and researchers have previously collaborated to address bycatch issues in Commonwealth fisheries, with outputs including the implementation of mitigation devices in specific fisheries, the development of bycatch action plans, bycatch workplans and the ecological risk management (ERM) process. In many cases, however, industry cannot readily demonstrate the benefits of these activities, which is critical for differentiating Australian seafood products from those of less environmentally-friendly competitors.
There is a need for an overarching approach to bycatch mitigation to ensure consistent standards across fisheries and transparent indicators of performance. Bycatch issues are often fisheries specific, but the development of mitigation strategies in individual fisheries needs to address the same core elements, e.g. stakeholder consultation, performance testing, monitoring and compliance. Standards are required to ensure that each of these core elements are adequately addressed in response to the emergence of a bycatch issue.
Standards will also assist the fishing industry in fostering positive public perception and meeting legislative requirements, e.g. strategic assessments under the EPBC Act . Standards are particularly important to fisheries seeking to move to co-management where there is a need for greater transparency and accountability. Objectives: 1. Develop standards for mitigating bycatch in Commonwealth fisheries, including an accompanying set of guidelines for establishing technical criteria for assessing the performance, ongoing monitoring and review of bycatch mitigation measures. 2. Test the proposed standards and guidelines on a bycatch issue in a key Commonwealth fishery. Read moreRead less
Tactical Research Fund: Rapid Response To Abalone Virus Depletion In Western Victoria: Information Acquisition And Reefcode Assessment Models
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$70,000.00
Summary
The workshop review concluded that (1) there are significant gaps and limitations in the existing information on the status of the abalone populations across reefs in western Victoria (West and Central zones) and exposure of these populations to the virus and (2) that the current regional model was inadequate to represent the current situation in the western zone or to evaluate management options.
In relation to the information needs, it was concluded that there was an urgent need for ....The workshop review concluded that (1) there are significant gaps and limitations in the existing information on the status of the abalone populations across reefs in western Victoria (West and Central zones) and exposure of these populations to the virus and (2) that the current regional model was inadequate to represent the current situation in the western zone or to evaluate management options.
In relation to the information needs, it was concluded that there was an urgent need for a repeat of the scientific surveys at all the standard monitoring sites in the western zone, and far enough into the central zone to be ahead of the virus outbreaks, during July-August 2007. The standard sampling should be augmented by genetic sampling and broad survey of aggregations on the reefs.
The current quantitative regional model is not adequate to represent the current situation in the western zone or to evaluate management options. This is because the current situation in the western zone provides both a form of depletion that is very different from fishing, in terms of the size classes affected and extent of depletion. Reefs are affected differently and the management options are also likely to vary by reef, but the existing regional model does not represent reefs. Because the current situation is unique, there is no longer a basis for assuming that the previously-used industry-based semi-quantitative assessment of reef codes will continue to be reliable.
Thus there is a need to develop and apply a quantitative model that is spatially resolved to at least the reef-code level, and to use this for assessment of population status and examination of management options at the reef-code level. Objectives: 1. Conduct the scientific surveys at the DPIR reef-code sites, using the Victorian survey methods, augmented by genetic sampling and extended survey of the extent of aggregations. 2. Develop a long-term monitoring strategy for continued assessment of reef-stock status and management options. 3. Use existing models to broadly illustrate the likely impacts of the outbreaks. 4. Compile existing information on the outbreaks in an accessible, informative form, develop reef-code growth, maturity and abundance trajectories, and agreed catch histories. 5. Develop and apply a quantitative model that is spatially resolved to the scale of reef-codes, and use this to assess the status of populations and inform the Total Allowable Catch setting process. Read moreRead less
Aquafin CRC - SBT Aquaculture Subprogram: Risk And Response - Understanding The Tuna Farming Environment
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$1,594,867.00
Summary
Representatives of the tuna industry have expressed a clear need to understand the oceanography of the Port Lincoln tuna farming region so that they could predict likely trajectories and effects of phytoplankton blooms and any instances of dirty water on tuna farming, enabling them to develop emergency management protocols for such events. They also need to identify the range of variation in environmental conditions in both the water column and sediments within the farming zone and how this mi ....Representatives of the tuna industry have expressed a clear need to understand the oceanography of the Port Lincoln tuna farming region so that they could predict likely trajectories and effects of phytoplankton blooms and any instances of dirty water on tuna farming, enabling them to develop emergency management protocols for such events. They also need to identify the range of variation in environmental conditions in both the water column and sediments within the farming zone and how this might impact on farming practices, particularly if fish are to be kept for longer periods and if stocking numbers increase. In the event of an emergency (e.g. algal bloom, oil spill, disease outbreak), the industry needs to identify areas likely to be impacted and safer areas where pontoons might be relocated. Industry would also benefit from real-time weather and oceanographic information being available at the farm site to optimize visits to the farms for feeding, maintenance etc.
To meet this need, we propose to develop an integrated hydrodynamic and biogeochemical model of the tuna farming area, based on that which CSIRO have developed for the Huon Estuary. Based on the knowledge that CSIRO have gained from this previous study, and our knowledge of the data available for the Port Lincoln area, a number of knowledge gaps have been identified that need to be addressed before we can have confidence in the outputs of any model that is developed. These gaps include the extent and nature of benthic-pelagic coupling in the area (ie how do nutrients move between the water column and the sediments), the nature and role of phytoplankton in the system, the nature of the hydrodynamic regime in the area, and how prone the sediments are to resuspension under different wind and wave regimes. While it will still be possible to develop a basic modeling framework without addressing these knowledge gaps, we feel that doing this will result in the development of a poorly calibrated and inadequately verified model that could provide misleading results, possibly resulting in decisions by farmers and managers that are detrimental to the industry.
The industry depends on a healthy marine environment to maintain production and profitability. Tuna farms are a significant point source of nutrients into the marine environment (most of the nitrogen in the feed is excreted as ammonia), but this needs to be put into the context of natural nutrient levels and their seasonal variations. It is important to establish the carrying capacity of the farming region which both maintains a healthy and productive industry and protects marine environmental values. Phytoplankton blooms, including potentially harmful species such as Chatonella, are known in the Port Lincoln area but the causative factors are poorly understood and the influence of advection from regions further off-shore (e.g. upwelling cells) is unknown. Thus the risk they pose to the industry is unknown, and needs to be assessed.
Sediments are a key site for regeneration of nutrients back into the water column, but their quantitative importance in nutrient recycling in the Port Lincoln area is presently poorly known. Also, sediments are resuspended by waves and tide presenting an additional threat to penned tuna through gill damage, reduced feeding and as a possible source of harmful algal species from released cysts. The consequences of sediment resuspension can be dramatic as seen in the high mortality associated with the April 1996 event when tuna were held in pens located in shallow water inside Boston Island. While this is less likely with current farming practices, it would still be wise to properly asses the threat of a repeat event. Alternatively, during milder resuspension events, organic wastes may be dispersed over a larger area, allowing them to be assimilated more rapidly. The dropping of the nets to the seafloor at the end of the farming season may also act to disperse wastes and increase their assimilation.
This combination of issues and risks constitutes a significant scientific challenge. While we must continue to guard against any major environmental changes due to eutrophication, it is clear that more subtle environmental effects (phytoplankton bloom frequency and composition, zooplankton and jellyfish swarms, sediment resuspension) may affect industry production and profitability. Equally, regulators need assurance that marine ecosystems will not undergo unacceptable environmental change as industry develops. Industry and managers not only require knowledge of environmental changes, but a capability to resolve and predict the environmental response to changes in the offshore ocean regime, changes in catchment loads, and effects of the industry itself. Advances in observation technologies, in scientific understanding, and in modelling capability, together make it possible for scientists to develop the knowledge, understanding and prediction needed to underpin both long-term planning and short-term operational decisions. The goal here is for the CRC to work with industry and managers to provide an environmental information and prediction system which allows industry and regulators to manage environmental risk. Objectives: 1. Characterisation of the main oceanographic features of the tuna grow-out region at Port Lincoln through field studies and calibration of the three dimensional hydrodynamic model previously developed for salmonid farming in Tasmania. 2. Identification and description of dynamics of phytoplankton and benthic microalgal species, the factors causing algal blooms and the role, if any, of nutrients released from tuna farming. 3. Integration of phytoplankton and nutrient data into a 3D biogeochemical model for the Port Lincoln farming area that will allow movement of blooms etc to be predicted. 4. Refine description of variations in sediment type and assimilative capacity for organic matter including an assessment of the role of microbial and faunal communities in carbon remineralisation and nutrient release. 5. Application of sediment models to identify likelihood of sediments being resuspended and identification of factors affecting this together with an assessment of their role in algal blooms. 6. Further development of the near real-time telemetered environmental observation system with web access. 7. To develop an integrated hydrodynamic and biogeochemical model of the Port Lincoln tuna farming area, that will assist managers and farmers to assess how external and internal disturbances are likely to move through the area, and thus allow them to make informed decisions on how to best mitigate the risks associated with any given disturbance, and to develop pre-prepared emergency management protocols for particular events. Read moreRead less
Seafood CRC: Protecting The Safety And Quality Of Australian Oysters With Integrated Predictive Tools
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$57,723.00
Summary
Molluscan shellfish are high-valued seafood products that require careful supply chain management to guarantee both product safety and quality. Together, storage time and temperature exert the greatest influence on microbial food safety and must be controlled during oyster production, processing, transport and storage. The microbiological safety status of oysters is initially controlled by testing, monitoring and classifying growing waters as safe for harvest. As stated above, Vibrio species are ....Molluscan shellfish are high-valued seafood products that require careful supply chain management to guarantee both product safety and quality. Together, storage time and temperature exert the greatest influence on microbial food safety and must be controlled during oyster production, processing, transport and storage. The microbiological safety status of oysters is initially controlled by testing, monitoring and classifying growing waters as safe for harvest. As stated above, Vibrio species are a natural component of marine and estuarine environments, unlike faecal bacteria which are typically introduced into growing waters by land run-off. Consequently, it is prudent to assume that all live shellfish may potentially contain naturally-occurring Vibrio spp. Of these, V. parahaemolyticus is the most common species which can cause human infection if present in high numbers. This risk can be controlled by proper cold chain management, but may reach unacceptable levels with the loss of temperature control. This is particularly a concern for the oyster producer who has carefully managed the growth and characteristics of the oyster to yield the highest value, and who then looses control of value and the brand due to mismanagement down-stream. Even when human illness is an isolated event, the negative consequences can easily be spread across the entire industry. Thus, a proactive strategy is required to control and predict risk, with added benefits for also maintaining product quality. This can be achieved, in part, by producing a tool (proposed Refrigeration Index) that allows companies to monitor real-time conditions of the cold chain and thus the safety and quality of a highly-valued seafood product. The likely impact will include: 1) improved product safety, 2) an optimised cold chain, 3) higher product quality, 4) greater access to export markets and 5) a more cooperative regulatory environment. Objectives: 1. To produce a validated and robust Vibrio parahaemolyticus model that is approved by Australian and international regulatory bodies to manage the live oyster cold chain, control the risk of Vibrio diseases and provide greater access to national and international markets. Read moreRead less
Review Of The Assessment Of School Shark In The Southern Shark Fishery
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$32,183.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. To ensure that best available scientific advice is available for management decisions and that industry has confidence in the outcome of the stock assessment. 2. To review estimates of abundance and basic biological parameters used in assessing school shark stock status. 3. To review statistical and modelling methods used in the school shark stock assessment. 4. To improve industry understanding of the stock assessment process and acceptance of the results. < ....Objectives: 1. To ensure that best available scientific advice is available for management decisions and that industry has confidence in the outcome of the stock assessment. 2. To review estimates of abundance and basic biological parameters used in assessing school shark stock status. 3. To review statistical and modelling methods used in the school shark stock assessment. 4. To improve industry understanding of the stock assessment process and acceptance of the results. Read moreRead less
Proposed Northern Australia Water Developments Pertinent To The Northern Prawn Fishery: Collation And Review
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$50,000.00
Summary
River flow is crucial in the life cycle of a suite of estuarine and marine species important in commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries in northern Australia, including highly valuable commercial species and iconic recreational and Indigenous target species - banana prawns, barramundi, mudcrabs, threadfins and grunter. Interannual and seasonal cycles of flood- and low-flows sustain both the integrity of species lifecycles and of habitats on which they depend. Iconic species, such as s ....River flow is crucial in the life cycle of a suite of estuarine and marine species important in commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries in northern Australia, including highly valuable commercial species and iconic recreational and Indigenous target species - banana prawns, barramundi, mudcrabs, threadfins and grunter. Interannual and seasonal cycles of flood- and low-flows sustain both the integrity of species lifecycles and of habitats on which they depend. Iconic species, such as sawfish, and supra-littoral and coastal habitats, such as salt flats, also depend on river flows. These species and habitats have conservation, cultural value and/or economic significance. Water flowing from the northern rivers supports substantial economic and social value, but water is a valuable commodity more broadly, in other sectors. Irrigated agriculture and water development infrastructure also have commitment within substantive government initiatives to develop northern Australia, exemplified by the recent report, “Our North, our future: White paper on developing Northern Australia” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015).
Various policy outputs by State, Territory and Federal governments, and private industry, comprise a large suite of plans for northern Australia water use. It is difficult to appreciate the extent of these plans, or access detail, as there appears to be no single listing, or collation that summarises features. The current NPF high priority Research Area is “Develop an understanding of ecological and economic tradeoffs of the impact of existing and proposed water resource development in Northern Australia”. As a first step in addressing this priority, this desktop research will collate and review information on the water developments likely to be of interest to northern Australia’s fisheries, principally the Northern Prawn Fishery. Additionally the project will provide the conceptual framework for the future development of ecological modelling to enable multispecies predictions and capture higher order and system level ecological interactions. Objectives: 1. Identify available information on planned water development in northern Australia 2. Collate the information and review these plans, providing an accessible summary 3. Identify sources of information that might be used to evaluate impacts of water development on fisheries and ecological values 4. Develop a conceptual framework for the future elaboration of ecosystem models, addressing multispecies and ecosystem-level predictions of the impacts in the estuarine and marine environments of water resource development Read moreRead less
Develop A Strong Current Warning System And Inform Knowledge Of The Nearshore Current Regime Influencing The Western Rock Lobster Fishery
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$199,000.00
Summary
By combining this greater coverage with information derived from commercial fishers (e.g. days when gear is drowned or lost to determine key current velocities) a purpose built webapp can be developed, hosted on an existing service, which allows fishers to asses the risks posed by ocean currents to their fishing operation before they set their gear. This would also allow for fishers to predict days when drowned gear may resurface and therefore the fishing operation may continue.
In addi ....By combining this greater coverage with information derived from commercial fishers (e.g. days when gear is drowned or lost to determine key current velocities) a purpose built webapp can be developed, hosted on an existing service, which allows fishers to asses the risks posed by ocean currents to their fishing operation before they set their gear. This would also allow for fishers to predict days when drowned gear may resurface and therefore the fishing operation may continue.
In addition to this helping the fishing operation, greater current modelling coverage over this part of the fishery will allow for the fine-scale assessment of the links between water movement and puerulus settlement. As part of FRDC project “2016-260 WRL IPA: assess causes and implications of anomalous low lobster catch rates in the shallow water areas near the centre of the Western Rock Lobster fishery” 40 additional puerulus collectors will be added to the current DOF monitoring program which will provide extensive coverage of settlement rates between Seven Mile, Dongara and Jurien Bay.
Objectives: 1. Establish additional coastal radar station 2. Establish a predictive warning system for ocean conditions that can be used by the WRL fishery to improve efficiency 3. Assess the relationship between water circulation and puerulus settlement rates Read moreRead less
Aquafin CRC - SBT Aquaculture Subprogram: Tuna Environment - Development Of Regional Environmental Sustainability
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$292,923.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Establish a steering committee of stakeholders and hold a SCFA-ESD reporting workshop to develop a set of operational parameters for regional scale ESD assessment. 2. Develop a set of methodologies for measuring and evaluating each of the parameters in order to provide an ESD assessment. 3. Using knowledge gained through this process and in consultation with stakeholders develop target levels for key parameters as a basis for effecting management responses. 4 ....Objectives: 1. Establish a steering committee of stakeholders and hold a SCFA-ESD reporting workshop to develop a set of operational parameters for regional scale ESD assessment. 2. Develop a set of methodologies for measuring and evaluating each of the parameters in order to provide an ESD assessment. 3. Using knowledge gained through this process and in consultation with stakeholders develop target levels for key parameters as a basis for effecting management responses. 4. In collaboration with researchers involved in the development of ecosystem scale models for salmon farming identify the key information/data required to parameterise and validate these models for the tuna industry. 5. Integrate the field and remote data collection systems, necessary to provide the data required for the parameterisation of these ecosystem scale models, into the regional ESD assessments. Read moreRead less
Spatial And Seasonal Stock Dynamics Of Northern Tiger Prawns Using Fine-scale Commercial Catch-effort Data
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$44,681.00
Summary
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 ....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. Objectives: 1. Determine whether the spatial and temporal scales of fleet behaviour bias the interpretation of the tiger prawn stock dynamics when analyzed by a non-equilibrium stock-production model. 2. Prepare NPFAG Working Papers which will include full descriptions of the model structure, data analyses, and potential management implications. 3. Communicate to the Northern Prawn Fleet and Industry the results of the analyses in a format such that the implications become clear to everyone and that permits comments and criticisms by Industry members. Read moreRead less
Environmentally Sustainable Development Of Barramundi Cage Aquaculture
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$226,632.00
Summary
Development of a major barramundi industry in Lake Argyle in the Kimberley region of WA is proceeding, with a developer obtaining approvals for a 600 tonne production licence and production rising rapidly as the fish approach market size. In the process of seeking these approvals, and also through a strategic environmental review of the opportunities for aquaculture in this area by Department of Fisheries (Report No. R700), the issue of environmental impacts by barramundi aquaculture has been co ....Development of a major barramundi industry in Lake Argyle in the Kimberley region of WA is proceeding, with a developer obtaining approvals for a 600 tonne production licence and production rising rapidly as the fish approach market size. In the process of seeking these approvals, and also through a strategic environmental review of the opportunities for aquaculture in this area by Department of Fisheries (Report No. R700), the issue of environmental impacts by barramundi aquaculture has been considered a key-limiting factor to expansion towards a major 10,000 tonne industry in Lake Argyle. Presently, the capacity of the Lake Argyle ecosystem to sustainably maintain certain levels of barramundi cage culture is unknown and models need to be developed that will assist in determining the carrying capacity of specific areas of the lake. By comparison to other cage aquaculture scenarios in Australia, the one at Lake Argyle is largely unique, in that large-scale aquaculture in a tropical lake system is not being conducted elsewhere in Australia. However, a sound understanding of the environmental sensitivity of the Lake Argyle ecosystem is lacking. Clearly, for long-term management of this industry, an improved understanding of the level of hydrodynamic and environmental variability and key control points for environmental management of barramundi cage culture need to be defined. Similarly, critical control points of barramundi cage culture environmental discharge (both soluble and solids) also need to be more fully explored.
This project will build on from an existing project of the principal investigator’s, presently underway at Lake Argyle, auditing the nutrient discharge characteristics associated with barramundi fed existing commercial diets. Objectives: 1. To determine the environmental sensitivity of the Lake Argyle ecosystem to additional nutrients 2. To develop a diet which addresses the environmental sensitivities of the Lake Argyle ecosystem 3. To optimise feed management strategies for optimal efficiency 4. To develop carrying capacity assessment models of the Lake Argyle ecosystem Read moreRead less