This discussion document Management of the Proposed South Coast Trawling (Fisheries Management Paper No. 199) is intended to inform the fishing community and the general public about the issues and management proposals related to the proposed South Coast Trawling. For additional copies of the newspaper, contact the Southern Regional Office of the Department of Fisheries at .
INTRODUCTION
FISHERY OVERVIEW
P HYSICAL AREA
C ATCH DATA
C URRENT FISHING METHODS
Catch declarations submitted to the Ministry of Fisheries do not (at present) distinguish between demersal trawling and midwater trawling. Mid-water trawl gear is used to target fish that occur somewhere between the surface and the seabed.
MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES
P OSSIBLE IMPACT OF PROPOSED MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS ON OTHER USER
JURISDICTION
This condition is currently set out in permits issued by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority for the small pelagic fishery.
THE EXISTING LAW
L EGISLATION
L ICENSE ARRANGEMENTS
NATIVE TITLE
NATIONAL COMPETITION POLICY
ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
POTENTIAL MANAGEMENT OPTIONS UNDER THE FISH
- S ECTION 43 O RDERS
- S ECTION 251 - EXCLUSIVE LICENCES
- R EGULATION LICENCES
- M ANAGEMENT PLANS
The FRMA provides for the development of fisheries management plans - effectively a set of fisheries rules. Management plans can provide a wide spectrum in the degree of sophistication in fisheries management. Management plans may also designate a fishery as a “Managed Fishery”, a “Temporary Managed Fishery” or a “Development Fishery”.
Management plans contain rules that deal with permitted species, time and/or area closures, gear use, transfers of rights and licences, variations and cancellation of licenses and also define clear processes for managing the fishery. Statutory consultation is required for the development, amendment and withdrawal of Managed Fisheries Management Plans. Interim Management However, Fisheries Management Plans have a defined end date and fewer consultation requirements in the development stages.
PROPOSED MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS
L EGISLATIVE BASE
F ISHERY DEFINITIONS
A description of the proposed fishery describing the target species (finfish or scallops) and the use of fishing nets on the south coast east of Cape Leeuwin would cover the areas referred to in Notice 556 and 586. Prior to jurisdictional issues east of 125 degrees east longitude being established, the proposed eastern fishing limit should be 125 degrees east longitude. Catches of species other than scallops are likely to occur when operators are fishing for scallops, and catches of species other than scallops are likely to occur when operators are trawling.
It may therefore be sensible to specify certain by-product species in the management arrangements. In defining these byproduct species, it may also be beneficial to determine the allowable total levels of byproduct that can be taken and the nature of the reaction if these levels are exceeded. Scallop class” permits to allow the use of bottom trawl gear to target scallops and “fish class” permits to allow the use of fishing trawl gear to target finfish.
A CCESS CRITERIA
Fishing for scallops in the Recherche Archipelago is prohibited between 1 December and 1 March each year, but at present there are no other fishing gear or time limits for state-managed trawling off the south coast. At present, operators may choose to trawl or scallop trawl under the authority of condition 73 (but not in the Recherche Archipelago) or scallop trawl under the authority of condition 79 in the Recherche Archipelago. The most logical set of entry criteria for a temporary managed fishing permit for trawling would be that the person applying for the permit, on the day before the announcement of the management arrangements, was the holder of a fishing boat license endorsed with both condition 73 and 79.
In order to differentiate and regulate scallop fishing and fish trawl fishing, it may be appropriate to create two different 'classes' of permits within the one temporary management plan. One permit class could be used to carry out trawling and another permit class could apply to fishing trawls. The result of this arrangement, given the current number of fishing vessels likely to meet the criteria, is that four "shell trawl class" temporary managed trawl fishing licenses will be issued, and four "fish trawl class" temporary managed fishing licenses will be issued. issued.
S CALLOP TRAWL - UNITISATION OF FISHING GEAR AND FISHERY CAPACITY
A part of a permit must be endorsed with 16 units for that part of the permit to fish. Outcome: One vessel can be used to catch fish under the authority of each of the four permits in the fishery. A maximum of four boats (each attached to Part 1 of each permit) could be used to fish.
A part of the license must be signed with 8 units for that part of the fishing license. Result: Two vessels may be used to fish under the authority of each of the four fishing permits. A boat will be allowed to fish when its license share is approved with the minimum number of units specified in accordance with the Definition described in 4.1.
F ISH TRAWL - UNITISATION OF FISHING GEAR AND FISHERY CAPACITY
In this way, it would be possible to rank all the permits in the trawl component from those with the greatest fin history to those with the least fin history. If the Executive Director has determined that only one "section" of a trawl permit will be allowed to be fished in a given period, only the first section of the highest ranked permit will be allowed to be fished. If there were two parts of the permit for operation, the first part of the first and second ranked permit could operate.
For trawling, rather than pooling fisheries, it may be more appropriate to simply limit effort in terms of the number of hours that can be spent on each part of a permit - this concept is discussed further in section 10.6 . For the purposes of determining the 'order' of the permit in the finfish component of the fishery, it may be appropriate to consider the last catch of the fish. The relative ranking of permits should be permanent and the ranking list should be published in the Government Gazette.
D ETERMINATION OF CLOSED WATERS , SEASONS , FISHING TIME AND ZONING
Catch by scallop trawlers is usually minimal due to the large mesh size (100 millimeter mesh size - small fish can escape through the net) and the relatively low drag speed required for scallop trawling (allowing larger fish to move forward and out of the net). The Department of Fisheries is currently reviewing the management of commercial shark fisheries with a view to limiting them to the recognized commercial shark fisheries (ie the demersal gillnet and longline fisheries). If so, the trawl fisheries would also have to be prohibited from keeping any sharks taken in trawl nets.
In any case, trawlers should be prohibited from keeping any rock lobster or deep sea crab caught in trawl nets. Industry members have previously suggested that fishing could be banned on the landward side of the 100m isobath. The waters seaward of the 100 meter isobath shall be determined by describing a number of lines closely following the 100 meter isobath between 115 degrees east and 125 degrees east longitude.
S CALLOP FISHING GEAR RESTRICTIONS
These areas will be defined by describing a rectangular area immediately adjacent and offshore to the city. The gear would also be compatible with existing gear and no other gear would be required to be constructed for scallop fishing on the south coast. The use of bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) is now mandatory in other trawl fisheries operating in the state.
Although the capture of turtles is unlikely in the proposed fishery, it may be appropriate that fishing vessels should also operate with appropriate BRDs, as such gear is useful in preventing the capture of sharks and rays.
F ISH TRAWL FISHING GEAR RESTRICTIONS
SPF vessels, any restrictions imposed by the state will be more restrictive than restrictions placed on vessels operating in the SPF. Western Australia has experience in managing demersal trawl fisheries using input effort (time) controls in the Pilbara Fish Trawl Interim Managed Fishery. The Department of Fisheries intends to propose that similar restrictions on the demersal trawling equipment currently in place in the Pilbara trawl fishery are also applied to vessels operating under the authority of a trawl class permit in the South Coast trawl fishery.
In terms of midwater trawling in the fishery, the species most likely to be targeted by this method is blue mackerel (a species managed by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority). A minimum mesh size of 50 millimeters when using midwater trawl gear will enable commercial fishermen to catch this species. Midwater trawl gear will be distinguished from bottom trawl gear by the presence of 'bobs' which are spherical devices attached to the front line that prevent bottom trawl nets from damaging (and damaging) the seabed.
G ENERAL TRAWL FISHING REQUIREMENTS
Generally, a transceiver will cost in the neighborhood of $5,000 (although there are different models that may cost slightly more or less). VMS is currently used in the Northern Bottom Scale Fishery, Pilbara Trap Fishery, Pilbara Trawl Fishery, Shark Bay Prawn Fishery, Shark Bay Scallop Fishery, Exmouth Gulf Prawn Fishery, Onslow, Nickol Bay, Broome and Kimberley Prawn Fisheries, and the Abrolhos Islands and Mid -West Trawling. Nomination arrangements allowing boats to enter and/or pass through closed areas are also defined in the management plans for these fisheries.
Vessels that will be used in the South Coast trawl fishery will likely already be equipped with ALCs due to their likely involvement in trawling in other parts of the state. The proposals in section 10.4 and section 10.5 do not include allowing a vessel to be entered against two licenses of the same class in the fishery (ie two fishing trawl class licences). However, the Department of Fisheries does not propose to prevent vessels from being listed on two different types of permit (ie a scallop trawl class permit and a fishing trawl class permit) as long as there is a requirement for the operator of the vessel to designate to the Department , what class of permit they intend to operate before leaving port.
M AXIMUM BOAT SIZE
Fishing, as it is highly unlikely that smaller, less powerful vessels will be able to trawl fast enough to catch fast swimming species such as blue mackerel. The largest boat currently approved to ply the waters of the south coast is 32 meters long.
O FFENCES AND MAJOR PROVISIONS
12 Report of the Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee to the Honorable Minister for Fisheries, 24 September 1987. 103 Future Management of the Water Lobster Industry in Western Australia by the Tourism Operators Fisheries Working Group (September 1997). A discussion paper prepared by Kevin Donohue on behalf of the Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee.
185 Management Plan for the Point Quobba Fish Habitat Protection Area (July 2004) No. 186 Management of the West Coast Lobster Fishery - Advice to Stakeholders on Resource.
