State of the Fisheries Report 2008/09

The State of the Fisheries Report summarises the outcomes of many departmental activities undertaken during 2008/09 including management changes, compliance work and research to assess stock levels, monitor breeding stocks and undertake environmental assessments. This document provides a valuable reference point for the status of Western Australian fisheries of major importance to the commercial and recreational sectors, the aquaculture industry and for those interested in aquatic management.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/an_sofar/1001/thumbnail.jp

State of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Report 2009/10

As outlined in the CEO’s overview, this year’s renamed State of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Report 2009/10 reflects that the Department of Fisheries has now fully adopted an Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) framework as the basis for management of Western Australia’s aquatic resources (Fletcher, et al., 20101). Consequently, the format for this document has been updated so that it is consistent with this risk-based approach to resource management.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/an_sofar/1002/thumbnail.jp

Status reports of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Western Australia 2013/14. State of the fisheries

The Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia (SRFAR) provide the public with an annual update on the state of the fish stocks and other aquatic resources of Western Australia (WA) managed by the Department of Fisheries (Department). These reports outline the most recent assessments of the cumulative risk status for each of the aquatic resources (assets) within WA’s six Bioregions using an Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approach.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/an_sofar/1006/thumbnail.jp

State of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Report 2010/11

This is the second edition of the newly named State of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Report. Each year this report provides the public with an update on the status of all the fish and fisheries resources of Western Australia that are managed by the Department. The report outlines the current risk status for the ecological resources (assets) within each of WA‘s six Bioregions by taking a bioregional, Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approach.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/an_sofar/1003/thumbnail.jp

Status reports of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Western Australia 2014/15. State of the fisheries

The Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia (SRFAR) provide the public with an annual update on the state of the fish stocks and other aquatic resources of Western Australia (WA) managed by the Department of Fisheries (Department). These reports outline the most recent assessments of the cumulative risk status for each of the aquatic resources (assets) within WA’s six Bioregions using an Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approach.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/an_sofar/1007/thumbnail.jp

Assessment of the risks associated with the release of abalone sourced from Abalone hatcheries for enhancement or marine grow out in the open ocean areas of WA

The virus that causes Abalone Viral Ganglioneuritis (AVG) is considered to be exotic to Western Australia (WA). The known distribution includes Victoria, Tasmania and Taiwan. There are a number of known strains of the virus; Tasmanian strains do not (to date) cause mortalities in wild abalone (but do so in farms and processing facilities). Victorian and Taiwanese strains cause high mortalities in wild abalone. Despite active surveillance, the virus has not been found in NSW, South Australia or Western Australia but there is a low likelihood that WA specific strains may exist undetected. The risk posed by AVG virus occurring in juveniles sourced from hatcheries in WA and translocated to the open ocean in southern Western Australia either for stock enhancement (reseeding) or for marine grow-out (sea-ranching) purposes has been assessed using standard risk assessment methodology with the outputs having been independently reviewed. While the likelihoods of the AVG virus occurring in the hatchery range from “negligible to “low” should no additional management measures be applied, the consequences of detection (including biological, economic and environmental) are generally “High” and in two cases the resultant risks were “unacceptable” with just the current legal management requirements. Given that the initial risks associated with oceanic deployment of abalone were assessed as Moderate to High, additional formal management intervention is required to reduce these to acceptable levels. The primary concern is that the virus could become established in a hatchery facility and then be more likely to infect wild stock through the release of hatchery released juveniles into the oceanic waters. The likelihood of this outcome occurring has been assessed as very low if the suggested hatchery management measures that could be applied to mitigate the risk to an acceptable level are adopted. Protocols are in place to ensure that any emergence of AVG in a hatchery would be detected. If the virus was ever detected in the hatchery the water supply should be immediately shut down. This can be done using existing legislation (FRMA r177(2) so there is no legislative impediment to limiting effects of a disease outbreak in a hatchery). The placement of grow out structures and juvenile releases could also be planned in a manner to both minimise the likelihood of transmission to wild stocks and limit the spread of any infection

Status reports of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Western Australia 2011/12. State of the fisheries

The Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia provide the public with an annual update on the state of the fish and other aquatic resources of Western Australia managed by the Department. These reports outline the cumulative risk status for each of the ecological resources (assets) within WA’s six Bioregions using an Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approach.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/an_sofar/1004/thumbnail.jp

Movement of Coconut Crabs, Birgus latro, in a Rainforest Habitat in Vanuatu

Patterns of movement in the coconut crab, Birgus latro (L.), were studied using mark-recapture and radio-tracking techniques at a number of sites in the rainforest regions of eastern Santo, Republic of Vanuatu (South Pacific). Movement was assessed both for crabs caught and released in one place (indigenous) and for crabs caught and then released at a new location (introduced). Recapture rates in eastern Santo were very small ( < I%), whereas on the small islet sites (area <2 ha) the rate approached 20%. There were no significant relationships between distance moved and either time at liberty or size of the individuals for introduced crabs. But for indigenous crabs, size of individual was negatively correlated with distance moved. Recapture rates of introduced and indigenous crabs were similar , but introduced crabs moved significantly further from their point of release. Almost all radio-tagged crabs moved from their point of release; smaller crabs tended to move further. On eastern Santo, only two of five radio-tagged crabs were located again ; both had moved over 250-m away from their release point. On the islet sites, all radiotagged crabs were found again at least once; some of these returned to a number of different sites, indicating that B. latro seems to be able to home to particular locations. Nonetheless, dispersal of animals from an area, at least after handling, is a common feature

Status reports of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Western Australia 2015/16. State of the fisheries

As part of the transition to ultimately using a web based, hierarchical interface, this years’ edition of the Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia 2015/16 is adopting a more streamlined format. These changes include updates to the summary table which, in addition to displaying the stock and fishery performance levels, now includes current performance and risk levels for each of the other EBFM outcomes (e.g. bycatch, listed species, economics etc.).https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/an_sofar/1008/thumbnail.jp

Review of potential fisheries and marine management impacts on the south-western Australian white shark population

Following five fatal incidents involving white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) off the lower west coast of Western Australia between September 2011 and July 2012, as well as other highly-publicised non-fatal encounters with this species, in 2012 the State Government funded several new initiatives to better understand white sharks in Western Australia and the likely effectiveness of any community safety interventions in Western Australian waters