| Priority |
Research Area |
Topics included |
High |
Assessment of the status of the stocks including management strategies that increase the NPFs ability for self- and/or adaptive management (target, byproduct species)
Ecosystem based management system options
|
Management strategy evaluation and reference points that integrate economic and biological objectives; catch and effort analysis including the effect of new technologies on fishing power; stock or yield per recruit modelling useful for management esp. in the context of adaptive management; economic analysis of the performance of the fishery including economic efficiency indicators, data poor methods for minor target or byproduct species; cost-effective management strategies;
Developing effective management strategies for ecologically sustainable fisheries and their associated ecosystems including self management options; spatial management options; |
High |
Effects of fishing; improved efficiency in fishing gear and techniques in order to reduce bycatch and discarding, increased survivorship of bycatch and environmental impacts on the benthos |
Ecosystem effects of fishing including: risk assessment of bycatch; effects of trawling on the seabed; sustainability of bycatch species (especially – sawfish, rays and sea snakes); effects of discarding; development and improvement of bycatch reduction devices; development of monitoring programs for BRDs under commercial conditions; development of alternate fishing practices. |
High |
Improved knowledge of environmental factors of importance to the fishery |
Relationships between spawning areas and recruitment; studies of the nursery habitats of prawns; monitoring of state of critical habitats; establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs); effect of the environment on prawns; assessing the impact of fishery closure areas and MPA’s for conservation; understanding of the key physical, biological and anthropogenic processes that affect species dynamics and ecosystem productivity and stability; effect of climate change. |
High |
Improved ability to address the Ministerial Directive
|
Methods for setting TACs, economic and biological harvest strategies in the context of output controls, estimating impact of past management changes on bycatch; future options for further reducing bycatch.
|
Medium/High |
Increased cost-effectiveness of management |
Cost-effective compliance systems, tools for reducing compliance costs |
Medium/High |
Improved efficiencies in the economics of fishing |
Development of more fuel efficient technologies; improved trawler and trawl gear design |
Medium |
Utilisation of bycatch species |
New byproduct species |
Low |
Post harvest technology and harvesting |
Improved catch handling systems; improvement of product quality |
