Volume 3, Issue 22, 24 November 2006 [see previous editions]
AFMA has moved!
AFMA has changed premises and is now located at 73 Northbourne Ave, Canberra City. Please note that AFMA’s postal address, PO Box 7051, Canberra Business Centre ACT 2610, and the AFMA Direct number, 1300 723 621, have remained the same.
However, contact phone numbers for staff have changed. Please see our updated contact details on AFMA’s website, ring the old number of the staff member you wish to contact and a recorded message will provide you with their new number, or for assistance you can phone AFMA Direct 1300 723 621.
Bycatch Reduction Device workshop
More than 60 people turned out in Cairns this week for the tropical prawn trawl fisheries Bycatch Reduction Workshop. The Workshop brought together fishers, net makers and scientists to evaluate the potential of a range of new, innovative options to reduce bycatch and improve fishing efficiency in tropical prawn trawl fisheries.
The workshop heard presentations by Australian and international speakers and information on electricity or water turbulence to ‘attract’ fish towards escape openings of a Bycatch Reduction Device (BRD), sound or light to repel bycatch ahead of an approaching trawl, new otter boards that are fuel efficient and seabed friendly and much more. Some promising results were presented from the recent trial of a new type of BRD in the Northern Prawn Fishery.
Workshop participants discussed the merits and potential application of these innovative options to their fishery and had the opportunity to present their own ideas for bycatch reduction and fishing efficiency. Watch this space for more information on the outcomes of the workshop.
For more information contact Wade Whitelaw at AFMA on (02) 6225 5353 or wade.whitelaw@afma.gov.au.
End of 2006 fishing season information for operators
Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery:
This is a reminder to all Concession holders in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) of their requirements and responsibilities for the end of the 2006 SESSF fishing season. These are the critical dates in December, January & February that you need to be aware of:
6 December 2006 - AFMA will be issuing a Quota Transaction Statement package to all concession holders.
AFMA requires that all concession holders/operators have sufficient quota to cover any catches for the year by either leasing/transferring in additional quota or by making sure that any overquota position does not exceed the allowed percentage of 10% (excluding school shark, gummy shark, elephant fish and saw shark, for which the overcatch percentage is set at 0%).
Catch Disposal Records for 2006 not returned to AFMA will not been included in the statement. You should include these when reconciling your statement.
If your overquota position for a species is 10% or less (excluding those species that are set at 0% overcatch), AFMA will deduct this amount from your 2007 quota holdings in late February. Note that for these four shark species the undercatch (carry-over) is set at 10%.
8 December 2006 - Permanent trading for the 2006 SESSF fishing season closes at 5PM Eastern Standard Time.
29 January 2007 - All seasonal trading (leasing), including that to cover any over quota status, closes at 5PM Eastern Standard Time.
28 February 2007 - Please also note that to receive your undercatch (carry-over) on your 2006 holdings you must hold at least one Statutory Fishing Right for that species on this date.
Southern Squid Fishery:
The last date for permanent trading for the 2006 fishing season in the SQJ is 5PM Eastern Standard Time on 8 December 2006. The new fishing season will commence on 1 January 2007.
Any current boats nominated will remain nominated for the new season. Please make sure that any new or different boats are nominated to SFRs. To nominate a boat, please use the BN and BN-SQJ forms which can be found on the AFMA website. Lease arrangements for the 2007 season can be submitted on the LC and LC-SQJ forms also available on the website.
If you have any questions regarding any end of season processes, please call Licensing and Quota Management on AFMA Direct, 1300 723 621.
Over $1 million in research projects approved
AFMA has approved $1,117,630 in funding for research projects, each scheduled to start in the current financial year. $533,931 is to come from industry funds, with the remainder from government funds.
AFMA Funded Projects
|
||
|---|---|---|
Developing and testing harvest strategies for the NPF under input and output controls |
Catherine Dichmont, CSIRO |
$473,711 |
A workshop to develop a research program for fisheries economics in Commonwealth programs |
|
$10,000 |
Coral Sea Fishery Resource Assessment Group |
|
$34,860 |
Co-funding for the following projects is also being sought from AFMA’s funding partners, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and/or the Department of Fisheries and Forestry. AFMA has approved the following funding contributions to these projects:
Co-funded Projects
|
||
|---|---|---|
Integrated evaluation of management strategies for multi-species long-line fisheries |
Campbell Davies, CSIRO |
$64,510 |
Southern bluefin tuna aerial survey in the GAB 2007 |
Campbell Davies, CSIRO |
$250,000 |
Management zones from small pelagic fish species stock structure in southern Australian waters |
Catherine Bulman, CSIRO |
$21,818 |
Developing techniques to estimate total allowable catches for the NPF major prawn species |
Yimin Ye, CSIRO |
$247,732 |
Workshop to examine scenarios for development of the SPF fishery |
|
$15,000 |
AFMA also considered a large number of proposals that are scheduled to start next financial year. MACs will consider the financial implications of funding these proposals as part of AFMA’s normal fishery budget setting process that culminates with a Board decision in May 2007. For further information about AFMA’s research program, please contact our Research Manager, Dr Dave Alden, on (02) 6225 5317 or dave.alden@afma.gov.au.
