The D'Entrecasteaux Channel scallop fishery: its past and possible future

The history of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel scallop fishery is discussed and its past and present structure and management are examined, with a view to providing a basis for future management. It has opened or closed over the years as production has fluctuated, closure being forced again in 1986 by evidence of overfishing and the sudden appearance of the toxic dinoflagellate alga Gymnodinium catenatum Graham. Lack of a comprehensive management plan impedes dealing with difficult administrative and biological problems or unexpected developments such as increased amateur participation or the present preponderance of the doughboy scallop (Chlamys asperrimus Lamarck) over the commercial scallop (Pecten fumata Tate). This is a serious obstacle to successful conservation and utilisation of the resource. Recommendations concerning the future of the fishery are made, in particular that the the fishery should be amateur-only while scallop stocks remain low. Key Words

A review of past and present inshore gill netting in Tasmania with particular reference to the Bastard trumpeter Latridopsis Forsteri Castelnau

The evolution of regulatory control of inshore gill netting in Tasmania is documented and compared with that of the mainland Australian States; the historical catch records of one fish in particular, the bastard trumpeter (Latridopsis forsteri Castelnau), are used to discuss the appropriateness of past and present management of the Tasmanian inshore scale fishery. The need for regulation of inshore gill netting first became apparent in the late 1870's; limited control measures were introduced in Tasmania in 1890, primarily to protect juvenile and adult breeding stocks of salmonids. The regulations have been altered little since that time and, at present, lag behind those of the mainland States. Declines in the recorded commercial catch of the bastard trumpeter occurred in the late 1870's and early 1880's and again between 1910 and 1918; more recently a general decline has been shown from the mid-1950's to the present. These declines are discussed in relation to inshore gill netting effort and regulatory control of gill netting in Tasmania, and to the known biology of this species