Introduction
It covers how to report on performance for target species and the rest of the ecosystem. In the longer term, this will involve an explicit recognition of the role of social and economic aspects in the decision-making process for fisheries management (including resource allocation).
Overview
Research and monitoring of the SBP fishery has been conducted by the Department of Fisheries since the late 1960s. Of the seven issues identified for the SBP fishery, three (impact on sand/shell and coral/sponge habitats and discarding of fish) were assessed as a risk average, one (trophic interaction) was rated as low and three (impact on seagrass, turbidity and drift) were rated as negligible.
Background on SBP fishery
DESCRIPTION OF THE FISHERY
From the start of the season (mid-March) until the estimated start of juvenile recruitment to the fishery (mid-April), fishers are restricted to the northern part of Shark Bay and the Western Gulf (see Figure 8). Western king prawns are the dominant species in the SBP fishery and make up about 65% of the catch.
BIOLOGY OF WESTERN KING PRAWNS
After hatching, larvae called nauplii swim freely in the water column but do not feed. During the nauplii stages, the larvae use the food stored by the egg, completing a series of six molts before developing into the next larval stage (Penn and Stalker, 1979).
BIOLOGY OF BROWN TIGER PRAWNS
Regarding western king prawns, when tiger prawns mate, the male must be hard-shelled and the female must be soft-shelled (freshly shed). The female's ovary develops rapidly and the eggs are released into the water before the female molts again, which in Queensland is about 27 days (Crocos and Kerr, 1983).
BIOLOGY OF ENDEAVOUR PRAWNS
This spermatophore remains inside the female reproductive organ (thelycum) until the female is ready to lay eggs. Endeavor shrimp spawn year-round, with peak spawning in Queensland in March and September (Courtney et al., 1989).
BIOLOGY OF CORAL PRAWNS
Juvenile blue shrimp are most commonly associated with seagrass beds in shallow estuaries, although they are occasionally found in other areas (Staples et al., 1985).
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTS
Physical Environment
The Shark Bay region has a multitude of different habitat types, including hard corals, soft corals, sea grass, and a variety of soft bottom communities. The shrimp fishery operates within the last tractable temperate zones from Cape Peron in the south to the Quobba Point area and the Cox Island area in the north.
Economic Environment
Social Environment
Outline of Reporting Process
SCOPE
OVERVIEW
A comprehensive assessment of the fishery has been completed, including an action plan for the activities that will need to be implemented to allow an acceptable level of performance to continue or, where necessary, improve the performance of the fishery.
ISSUE IDENTIFICATION (component trees)
The stakeholders present at this meeting included the commercial sector, recreational fishermen, environmental groups, local government, Environment Australia, the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Fisheries staff and an independent facilitator (full attendance list in Annex 2.1).
RISK ASSESSMENT/PRIORITISATION PROCESS
COMPONENT REPORTS
APPLICATION TO MEET EPBCA REqUIREMENT
OVERVIEW TABLE
Topic Objectives Developed Indicator Measured Performance Objectives Current Performance RobustnessEA Guidelines Actions Covered 5.2.2.2 Interaction with Loggerhead Turtles No - Minor RiskN/AN/AN/AN/A Review of Risk at Next Major Assessment 5.2.2.3 Interaction with Dugongs and Minor RiskAN RiskAN No/ Cetaceans /A Review of risk at the next major assessment GENERAL ENVIRONMENT (component tree). Acceptable low Development of more detailed and comprehensive studies of the spatial distribution of corals and other habitats in Shark Bay 5.3.1.4 Impact on sea grass No negligible riskN/AN/AN/AN/A Review Risk at next major assessment 5.3.2.1 Re-release of fishYesAmount of dismissals before the season and the ratio of dismissals to goal catches.
Performance Reports
RETAINED SPECIES
Primary species
- Tiger prawns
- King prawns
The level of tiger shrimp spawning stock during the main spawning season (measured as a standardized catch per unit effort). To maintain the required level of breeding stock (see also background material for full descriptions): . A).
By-product species
- Coral and endeavour prawns
- Taking of scallops
- Taking squid and cuttlefish
- Taking blue swimmer crabs
- Sharks
- Mulloway
- Taking of tuna
- Other species
- Snapper
The full assessment of this species is contained in the Environmental Assessment of the Shark Bay Managed Scallop Fishery, which includes the catch of scallops from the SBP fishery. Therefore, the populations of cuttlefish species in Shark Bay are only a small part of the total range of these species. The SBP fishery takes only a very small portion of the total catch of blue swimmer crabs.
This trawl crab catch represented approximately 8% of the total commercial catch of swimmer crab in Shark Bay (Fisheries WA, 2002).
NON-RETAINED SPECIES
Captured in nets
- Threatened/listed species loggerhead turtles
- Threatened/listed species green turtles
- Protected species seasnakes
- Protected species syngnathids
- Discarded fish
- Invertebrates
From the start of the 2002 season, it is expected that 100% of vessels will fish with two BRD nets. Following the risk assessment workshop, the Ministry of Fisheries conducted a risk assessment for individual discarded fish species caught in the SBP fishery. Ensuring that Shark Bay has adequate refuges for discarded by-catch species from the SBP fishery.
It should be noted that the interpretation of the survey data is critical due to the large amount of background variation in the natural systems that will be investigated.
Interaction but no capture
- Threatened/listed species green turtles
- Threatened/listed species loggerhead turtles
- Interaction with dugongs and cetaceans
There is a gap of approximately 20 centimeters between the ground chain and the net leg rope. This component addresses the issue of the interaction between fishing turtles and loggerhead turtles, which does not result in capture - in particular, the issue of turtles being struck head-on by the hull of fishing vessels, and the disturbance of turtle breeding aggregations. Interesting habitats are of importance to the well-being of female nesting turtles and are also currently unknown.
Dugong interactions will be reassessed at the next major review (about five years from now) of the fishery.
GENERAL ENVIRONMENT
Impacts from removal or damage to the environment
- Taking of prawns and by-product species
- Impact to sand/shell habitat
- Impact to coral/sponge habitat
- Impact to seagrass habitat
The total area open to trawling is approximately 40% of the area of Shark Bay Region. The impact of the shrimp trawling activities on the coral and sponge habitats in Shark Bay is considered low. Large areas of the Great Barrier Reef (160,000 km2) are subject to trawling (at the time of the study) and this may have had an impact on vulnerable species in places where trawling is significant in the same area (they have now imposed closures such as, for example, that 35% of the Great Barrier Reef is closed to trawling).
No more than 20% of the remaining coral and sponge habitat in the shark bay must be kept within the legal ferry zone.
Addition of materials to the environment
- Discarding fish
The amount of discards will be monitored at intervals as a long-term measure of performance against the target. Reduction in the ratio of discards to target catch by pre-bycatch reduction device levels. In order to determine this data, in addition to the amount of discards (above), data on the amount of the target catch would be required.
The partial introduction of BRDs has led to a significant reduction in discards and this will continue to decrease with the full introduction of BRDs.
General impacts on the environment
- Creation of turbidity from trawling
- Translocation
Vessels have been fishing with one BRD and one standard net for the past two seasons and will be fishing with 100% BRDs from the start of the 2002 season. Also, studies of the sediment composition of all trawl soils (Hall and Penn, 1979) indicated that the bulk of the soil was dominated by coarse sand. The hulls of the shrimp trawlers alone offer the possibility of translocation, as these vessels do not contain any ballast.
It should also be noted that most ships' hulls are cleaned at the beginning of each season before being returned to the Gascoyne region.
GOVERNANCE
- Department of fisheries – management
- Management effectiveness (outcomes)
- Arrangements
- Compliance
- Allocation among users
- Department of Fisheries – legal arrangements
- OCS arrangements
- Department of Fisheries – consultation
- Consultation
- Department of Fisheries – reporting
- Assessments and reviews
An explicit description of the management unit – The management unit is explicitly described in the section "Declaration on fishing" in the SBP plan. The Ministry of Fisheries and SBPMAC maintain a monitoring record on the functionality of the management arrangements. The Minister or ED (or the department on their behalf) complies with the consultation requirements of the FRMA and the management plan.
Current affairs: To report annually to parliament and society on the status of fisheries.
Bibliography
Spawning and fecundity of the western king prawn, Penaeus latisulatus Kishinouye, in Western Australian waters. Spawning-stocking relationships and management of the Penaeid Prawn fishery in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Burrow feeding and spatial distribution of a school of shrimp Metapenawus macleayi (Haswell) in the Hunter region of Australia.
A study of the effects of shrimp fishing on benthic communities in two South Carolina sounds.
Appendices
Terminology
Attendees lists
David Adams, Exmouth RFAC Errol Sporer, Department of Fisheries Felix Correia, Correia Holdings Pty. of Fisheries Keith Shadbolt, Denham RFAC Les Moss, Earl of Shark Bay Lindsay Joll, Department of Fisheries Mark Hook, Earl of Shark Bay Martin Holtz, Recfishwest. Mervi Kangas, Department of Fisheries Nic Dunlop, Conservation Council of WA Paul Bowers, Aboriginal Lands Trust.
Rick Fletcher, Department of Fisheries Rod Berg, Office of the Auditor General Robert Prince, KALM.
National ESD consequence levels and likelihood definitions for risk
By-product/Other not retained: Area where fishing is insignificant compared to where the relevant population of these species resides (< 1%) Protected species: Relatively few are affected. Minor targets/non-retained: Possibly detectable, but small impact on population size, but none on their dynamics. By-product/Other non-retained: The harvest from this fishery is small (< 10% of the total) compared to the total harvest from all fisheries, and these species are explicitly covered elsewhere.
By-product: Other, not retained: No information is available on the relative range or susceptibility to capture, or on the vulnerability of life characteristics of this species.
Acronyms
Research
Ensure periodic review of the performance of fisheries management arrangements and management strategies, objectives and criteria. In addition, all anglers in the SBP fishery are required to record information on several bycatch components of the fishery. Data from the SBP fisheries observer program showed that 99% of sea snakes caught were returned alive.
A formal risk assessment has been carried out (see section 5.3 for details) for each of the identified issues relevant to SBP fisheries (see component tree for issues).
Materials supplied to Environment Australia against their specific guidelines . 106
