Comment invited on draft IAAP report

Comments are invited on the Independent Allocation Advisory Panel’s (IAAP) Draft Report for the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF).

The IAAP was appointed in early 2009 to provide advice to AFMA on the most appropriate method and formula for converting hook-based longline and minor line statutory fishing rights (SFRs) granted under the existing ETBF Management Plan into individual transferable catch quota (ITQ) for each of the 5 key species in the ETBF. These species are Albacore Tuna, Bigeye Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Broadbill Swordfish and Striped Marlin.

The AFMA Commission has agreed to release the draft report for a four-week public comment period, and AFMA has written to all ETBF stakeholders inviting their comments. 

Comments on the draft report can be provided by Monday 28 September 2009 to:

The Manager
Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery
Australian Fisheries Management Authority
Box 7051
Canberra Business Centre ACT 2610

or fax to: (02) 6225 5439
or email to: Yvonne.zunic@afma.gov.au

The draft report and contact information can be found on the AFMA website.

The AFMA Commission will consider the IAAP’s final report at its 30 October 2009 meeting in Mooloolaba following consideration of submissions received on the draft report.

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Northern Prawn Fishery to move to ITQ management

The AFMA Commission has agreed to introduce individual transferable quotas (ITQs) in the Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF).

At its meeting on 21 August 2009, the Commission carefully considered a number of submissions received from the industry, the summary and recommendations from the Chair of the Northern Prawn Fishery Management Advisory Committee (NORMAC), and an industry-funded cost benefit analysis on implementing output controls in the fishery. In coming to the decision, the Commission also took into account AFMA’s legislative objectives and other information on the risks and issues surrounding the implementation of a quota management system.

The Commission agreed to:

“implement output controls in the NPF through an ITQ system for both the Banana (with an east and west zone) and Tiger Prawn fisheries, subject to amendment of the management plan in accordance with the provisions of the Fisheries Management Act 1991.” 

AFMA will work closely with the NPF industry to develop the operational details of the quota system for the fishery. It is expected that the first draft management plan will be available for consideration by NORMAC in June 2010.

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Marine Bioregional Planning information sessions

The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) is holding multi-sectoral information sessions on the progress of Bioregional Planning in the North and North-west Marine Regions.

The sessions will bring all key stakeholder groups up to date on DEWHA's progress on research undertaken in these regions. DEWHA will be showcasing the areas within the North and North-west that have been identified for further assessment.

Following this, DEWHA will commence individual meetings with stakeholders to discuss the areas in more detail, and address their individual needs.

The Darwin meeting will focus on the North Bioregion, with some discussion on the North-west. Western Australian meetings will focus on the North-west Bioregion, with some discussion on the North.

Times and venues are:

Darwin
22 September 2009, 9:30am - 11:30am
CSIRO Seminar Room
564 Vanderlin Drive
Berrimah NT 0824

For Darwin session, please contact Tania Hoban on tania.hoban@environment.gov.au

Perth
22 September 2009, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
CSIRO Auditorium
Underwood Avenue (cnr Underwood + Brockway)
Floreat

Broome
25 September 2009
9:00am - 11:00am
DEC Offices
111 Herbert Street

Exmouth
To Be Confirmed

For Western Australian sessions, please contact Anna-lee Stravens on (08) 9383 7924.

For more information on AFMA’s involvement in Marine Bioregional Planning, please contact Paul Ryan on (02) 6225 5366 or paul.ryan@afma.gov.au.

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Blue Warehou rebuilding strategy gets the tick

The AFMA Commission has approved a stock rebuilding strategy for Blue Warehou in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF), the rebuilding strategy has also been given final approval by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

According to Bureau of Rural Science (BRS) fishery status reports, over recent years the status of Blue Warehou has varied between ‘not subject to overfishing’ and ‘uncertain’ in the fishery.

AFMA is required to develop a rebuilding strategy as a condition the SESSF’s Wildlife Trade Operation accreditation, and as part of the Commonwealth Harvest Strategy Policy to rebuild stocks below their limit reference point.

The rebuilding strategy includes:

• a voluntary closure to operate from August to end September each year, to protect historical spawning grounds, to be reviewed annually;

• accurate recording of discards - although discards over the last two years have been reduced in both the east and west, more precise information is still needed to assist in stock assessment;

• catch limits for the east and west, to be monitored through a series of trigger limits; and

• increased observer coverage.

A copy of the Blue Warehou Stock Rebuilding Strategy is available on AFMA’s website.

For more information, please contact Steve Auld on steve.auld@afma.gov.au or (02) 6272 5306.

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Improving assessments of stock status

Since their inception in 1992, annual Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) Fisheries Status Reports have shown an increasing number of fish stocks classified as ‘uncertain’.

Uncertain stocks are those where there is not enough information to determine whether the stock is overfished or whether overfishing is occurring.

In 2008, the Commonwealth Government committed to undertaking research and developing systems to reduce the number of uncertain stocks, which currently amount to about one-third of the stocks classified by Fisheries Status Reports.

The Reducing Uncertainty in Stock Status (RUSS) project is designed to provide an enduring legacy of datasets, tools, and assessment methods that will improve the assessment and management of Commonwealth fisheries. It is lead by BRS in collaboration with CSIRO.

RUSS consists of three work streams:

• removing impediments to status determination by facilitating data access;

• applying alternative methods to determine stock status where high-level ‘Tier 1’ stock assessment models cannot be used; and

• assessing the capacity of each fishery’s harvest strategy to prevent overfishing and stocks becoming overfished.

Please contact James Larcombe at james.larcombe@brs.gov.au for further information about the RUSS project.

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E-monitoring pilot study

AFMA has started a pilot study of e-Monitoring on ten boats in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF), with installation of the systems expected to be completed by mid-October 2009.

The aim of the e-monitoring project is to objectively measure the worth and effectiveness of e-Monitoring over a number of areas that are currently considered to be observer functions.The field component of the project will extend over 10 months, with a further 6 month reporting and evaluation period.

Over the same period, two single vessel, small scale trials are planned in the Northern Prawn and the Pilbara Trawl Fisheries. The focus in these trials will be protected species interaction and catch handling/retention, with the ultimate aim of being a possible cost-effective alternative to high level observer coverage.

There is a lot of interest in the potential of e-Monitoring in Australian fisheries as a cost-effective monitoring option to complement logbooks, observers and other management needs. The Commonwealth Fisheries Association (CFA) has nominated Mike O’Brien as their member with a special interest in e-Monitoring and other technologies.  AFMA has worked closely with the CFA and other industry workshop participants in developing and promoting the pilot program and the previous proof of concept trials that have been undertaken in a number of fisheries.

Following the pilot study in the ETBF, there will be an examination of what service provider model might best allow these technologies to become a regular part of cost effective monitoring for a number of sectors within Commonwealth fisheries.

Further information on e-Monitoring and developments over the course of the pilot project will be made available through AFMA Update and via the AFMA website. For information on the project, contact Matt Piasente on (02) 6225 5587 or Matt.Piasente@afma.gov.au. If you require further technical information, please contact Bob Stanley, Technical Manager On Boat Information Systems (02) 6225 5416 or Bob.Stanley@afma.gov.au.

Research projects endorsed

The AFMA Commission has endorsed the following AFMA research funding proposals for 2010:

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Other fishery updates

ANTARCTIC FISHERIES

Annual Industry Scientific Management Consultation meeting
Stakeholders from the Heard and McDonald Islands Fishery met on 24 – 25 August in Hobart for the annual Industry Scientific Management consultation in the lead up to the Commission for the Conservation of Marine and Living Resources (CCAMLR). The major item discussed was the preliminary stock assessment for Patagonian Toothfish and Mackerel Icefish.

For further information, please contact Peter Neave on (02) 6225 5302 or peter.neave@afma.gov.au.

2008 Macquarie Island TAC caught
Fishing operations have now finished at Macquarie Island, with the total allowable catch (TAC) for Patagonian Toothfish caught at both the Aurora Trough and Macquarie Ridge.

For further information, please contact Peter Neave on (02) 6225 5302 or peter.neave@afma.gov.au.

BASS STRAIT CENTRAL ZONE SCALLOP FISHERY (BSCZSF)

Potential changes to allowable area for scallops
Over half of the 2,500 tonne TAC for the BSCZSF 2009 fishing season has now been landed. Following reports from fishers of declining catch rates as the season progresses, AFMA is currently considering whether to extend the area to allow access to a further proportion of the scallop stock.

AFMA will be holding a ScallopMAC/RAG meeting in late September to discuss this issue. To assist in this process, fishers are reminded to send in their logbooks as soon as practicable following a fishing trip. AFMA will keep fishers informed of the outcomes of its considerations on this issue.

If you would like to discuss this issue further, please contact Shane Gaddes (BSCZSF Manager) at shane.gaddes@afma.gov.au or Natalie Couchman (BSCZSF Senior Management Officer) at natalie.couchman@afma.gov.au, or phone (02) 6225 5555.

EASTERN TUNA AND BILLFISH FISHERY (ETBF)

Changes to Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) zones
From Thursday 10 September 2009, the SBT zones in the ETBF are located at:

Core Zone: The northern boundary of the Core Zone will commence at the intersection of latitude 35°00’S with the coast, then continue due east.
Buffer Zone: The northern boundary of the Buffer Zone will commence at the intersection of latitude 34°30’S with the coast, then continue due east.

For more information and maps, visit AFMA’s website, or please contact Darci Wallis on (02) 6225 5303 or darci.wallis@afma.gov.au.

SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SCALEFISH AND SHARK FISHERY (SESSF)

Upper-slope dogfish management strategy
A workshop for the management of upper-slope dogfish was held in Melbourne on 18 August 2009. The objective of the workshop was to discuss management options for upper-slope dogfish with the outcomes feeding into the Upper-Slope Dogfish Management Strategy.

A redrafted version of the strategy will be circulated to the South East Management Advisory Committee (SEMAC) for consideration out of session, and will also be discussed at the SEMAC meeting on 23 - 24 September. This strategy will be provided to the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC) for consideration during the threatened species listing process for Harrisson’s, Southern and Endeavour Dogfish. For further information please contact Shane Gaddes on (02) 6225 5315 or shane.gaddes@afma.gov.au.

- Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery (GABTF)

First Resource Assessment Group (RAG) meeting
The GABTF held its first GABRAG meeting for 2009 in Adelaide on 2-3 September 2009. GABRAG reviewed the fishery independent survey (FIS) design and total allowable catch (TAC) setting decision rules for Deepwater Flathead and Bight Redfish. A final agenda and papers for GABRAG have now been distributed. The Great Australian Bight Industry Association (GABIA) met prior to GABRAG on 2 September. For further information please contact Timothy Emery, GABRAG Executive Officer, on (02) 6225 5368 or Timothy.Emery@afma.gov.au.

- Gillnet, Hook and Trap Fishery (GHATF)

Upcoming Shark Resource Assessment Group (SharkRAG) meeting
The most recent meeting of SharkRAG was held on 10-11 September in Melbourne. The aim of this meeting was to provide the recommended biological catches (RBCs) for School Shark, Gummy Shark, Elephantfish and Saw Shark for next year’s Total Allowable Catches (TACs). For further information, please contact Sally Weekes, SharkRAG Executive Officer on (02) 6225 5341 or sally.weekes@afma.gov.au.

SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA FISHERY (SBTF)

CCSBT Extended Scientific Committee
The 14th Meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) Scientific Committee (incorporating the Extended Scientific Committee) occurred on 5 – 11 September in Busan, Korea. The major agenda items discussed included the SBT stock assessment, the operating model and review of the fishery’s indicators. For further information, please contact Matthew Daniel on (02) 6225 5338 or matthew.daniel@afma.gov.au.

SMALL PELAGIC FISHERY (SPF)

SPF Management Advisory Committee (SPFMAC)
The SPF Management Advisory Committee (SPFMAC) will meet on 16 September 2009. The Committee will the review the Harvest Strategy for the SPF. For further information on the upcoming SPFMAC meeting, please contact Ann-Maree Lynch on (02) 6225 5360 or Ann-Maree.Lynch@afma.gov.au.

New Executive Officer (EO) to the SPFMAC and RAG
Ann-Maree Lynch has been appointed as the acting Executive Officer to the SPF Management Advisory Committee (SPFMAC) and the SPF Resource Assessment Group (SPFRAG). Ann-Maree can be contacted on (02) 6225 5360 or Ann-Maree.Lynch@afma.gov.au.

TORRES STRAIT FISHERIES

Meeting with Papua New Guinea
The annual bi-lateral meeting with Papua New Guinea will be held in Madang, PNG on 22-23 September. The meeting will agree on catch sharing arrangements for Torres Strait Prawn, Tropical Rock Lobster, Spanish Mackerel, and Beche de Mer.  Catch sharing is a requirement of the Torres Strait Treaty. For further information, please contact Annabel Jones on (07) 4069 1990 or annabel.jones@afma.gov.au.

Torres Strait administrative review
Public comment on a review of the administrative arrangements for fisheries management in Torres Strait closed on 31 August after an eight week public consultation period. Comments will be collated and provided to the Protected Zone Joint Authority. For further information, please contact Malcolm Southwell on (02) 6225 5308 or malcolm.southwell@afma.gov.au.

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