Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management case study report
West Coast BioregionW.J. Fletcher, J. Shaw, D.J. Gaughan, S.J. Metcalf
Fisheries Research Report No. 225, 2011
Fisheries Research Division Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories PO Box 20 NORTH BEACH, Western Australia 6920
ii Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
Correct citation:
Fletcher, W.J., Shaw, J., Gaughan, D.J. and Metcalf, S.J. 2011 Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management case study report – West Coast Bioregion. Fisheries Research Report No. 225. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. 116pp.
Enquiries:
WA Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories, PO Box 20, North Beach, WA 6920 Tel: +61 8 9203 0111 Email: [email protected] Website: www.fish.wa.gov.au ABN: 55 689 794 771
A complete list of Fisheries Research Reports is available online at www.fish.wa.gov.au
© Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. November 2011. ISSN: 1035 - 4549 ISBN: 978-1-921845-29-1
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Contents
Executive summary .............................................................................................................. 1
Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 1
1.0 Background ................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Purpose .................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Context ..................................................................................................................... 3
1.3 WhatdoesEBFMmeanforfisheriesandmarinemanagement? ............................ 4
2.0 Outline of the EBFM process ..................................................................................... 8
2.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 8
2.2 Generaloperatingprocedures ................................................................................. 16
2.3 Work plan and EBFM report structure .................................................................... 16
3.0 The West Coast Bioregion ........................................................................................... 20
3.1 Aboutthebioregion ................................................................................................. 20
3.2 Summaryoffishingandaquacultureactivities ........................................................ 20
3.3 FisheriesmanagementinWestCoastBioregion ..................................................... 21
3.4 EcosystemmanagementinWestCoastBioregion ................................................... 21
4.0 Identification of the scope ............................................................................................ 23
4.1 AppropriatespatialscalesforapplyingEBFMinWesternAustralia ...................... 23
5.0 Identification, assessment and consolidation of assets and issues .......................... 26
5.1 Westcoastecosystemstructureandbiodiversityassets .......................................... 26
5.2 Captured‘fish’speciesassets .................................................................................. 27
5.3 Protected species assets ........................................................................................... 30
5.4 Benthichabitatcategories ........................................................................................ 31
5.5 Generalenvironmentimpacts .................................................................................. 33
5.6 Social and economic issues ..................................................................................... 34
5.7 Social issues ............................................................................................................. 35
5.8 Social issues (outcomes); direct stakeholders .......................................................... 35
5.9 General social outcomes; (indirect stakeholders) .................................................... 36
5.10 Economic outcomes ................................................................................................. 39
5.11 Economic outcomes: Direct stakeholders ................................................................ 39
5.12 Economic outcomes: Indirect stakeholders ............................................................. 40
5.13 Institutionalgovernance ........................................................................................... 41
5.14 Generalexternaldrivers ........................................................................................... 43
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6.0 Determining whole of agency priorities .................................................................... 47
6.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 47
6.2 Results ..................................................................................................................... 47
6.3 Implications ............................................................................................................. 48
7.0 Summary EBFM outcomes ......................................................................................... 51
7.1 Ecosystemstructureandbiodiversity ..................................................................... 52
7.2 Capturedfishspecies .............................................................................................. 54
7.3 Protected species ..................................................................................................... 57
7.4 Benthic habitats ....................................................................................................... 58
8.0 Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 60
8.1 General ..................................................................................................................... 60
8.2 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 62
9.0 References ..................................................................................................................... 64
10.0 Appendices .................................................................................................................... 67
Appendix 1 detailed EBFM reports .................................................................................. 67
Appendix references ............................................................................................................ 104
Appendix2Consequenceandlikelihoodtablesusedforriskanalysisofindividualecologicalassets. ..................................................................................................... 107
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 1
Executive summary
Thereisanincreasingworld-widerecognitionoftheneedtoshiftthemanagementofnaturalresourcestowardstheconceptknowninAustraliaas‘ecologicallysustainabledevelopment’(ESD).Thisconceptincludestheuseof‘wholeofecosystem’and‘bioregionalapproaches’based on ecosystem boundaries rather than sectoral or jurisdictional boundaries.
This report documents the outcomes of the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI)fundedstudytoexaminethecostsandbenefitsofusingabioregionallevel,EcosystemBasedFisheriesManagement(EBFM)approach.TheWestCoastBioregionofWesternAustraliawasselectedasacasestudyandtheoutputsfromtheuseofthedraftnationalEBFMframeworkwerecriticallyexaminedtodeterminewhethersuchanapproachwouldresultinmoreefficientandeffectivemanagementoffisheries.Inaddition,thisreportexaminedwhetherthisEBFMframeworkprovidedbetterlinkagesbetweenmanagementbodies,allowingbroadermarinemanagementcoveringallactivitiesandrelevantagencies–oftendescribedasecosystembasedmanagement(EBM).
UsingthedraftnationalEBFMframeworkasastartingpoint,thisstudymodifiedthisapproachtodevelopaframeworkthatenabledthecosteffectiveimplementationofEBFM.Thefour-stephierarchical,risk-basedapproachthatwasdevelopedavoidedacommonoutcomefromattemptingecosystemlevelassessmentsofmerelygeneratinganimpossiblylargeandcomplexset of issues, uncertainties and expectations.
InapplyingtheEBFMframeworktotheWestCoastBioregionofWesternAustralia(WA),thestakeholderworkshopsinitiallyidentifiedover600ecologicalassets,socialandeconomicoutcomes, governance systems and external drivers.This complexitywas reducedbyconsolidatingalloftheseinto60regional-levelrisks.Amulti-criteriaanalysiswasusedtointegrateallrelatedecological,socialandeconomicvaluesandrisksintojust24‘Agencylevel’prioritiesrangingfromurgenttoverylowpriorities.
Conclusions
This study found that taking an ‘ecosystemapproach’didnot requirehavingdetailedunderstandingoftheecosystemsortheconstructionofcomplexecosystemmodels.Instead,itonlyrequiredtheefficientandsystematicconsiderationofeachecologicalassetintheregionand their associated stakeholder outcomes, to identify those assets that mostrequiredirectmanagementtodeliverthe‘best’outcomesforthecommunity.ThecriticalstepsinachievingEBFMarethereforebeingabletoclearlyidentifytheecologicalassets,linkingthesetosocialandeconomicoutcomesthattheymaygenerateandobjectivelyassessingtheirrisksandoverallpriorityformanagementaction.
ThesimplesetofstepswedevelopedtoimplementEBFMinWAhasenabledadoptionofafullyregional,ecosystembasedapproachwithoutmaterialincreasesinfunding.Ithassuccessfullyreplacedtheprevious,disjointedplanningsystems,withasingle,coordinatedrisk-basedsystemthatisalreadygeneratingefficienciesfortheuseofDepartmental(government)resources.HavingacosteffectiveprocessmeansthatEBFMcanbeappliedinallcircumstances,notjustinthoseregionsoftheworldwherealargeamountofresourcesandscientificdataareavailable.
GiventhesuccessofthisapproachtotheWestCoast(e.g.Fletcher,etal.,2010),thisEBFMframeworkhasnowbeenappliedtoallsixbioregionsinWAandtheresultingprioritiesare
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nowusedasthebasisforannualbudgetsettingbytheDepartment(Fletcheretal.,2011).Thishasthereforebeenahighlysuccessfulproject,theoutcomesofwhichhavealreadyseenmajorchangestotheoperationsandplanningprocessesusedbytheDepartment.
Thegenerationofregionallevelplanningstrategiesastheoverarchingbasisforfisheriesmanagement,combinedwiththewideradoptionofthesamesetofstepsatanationalleveltoimplementEBMshouldfacilitatemoreefficientlinkagesandharmonisationwithothergovernmentpoliciesandprocesses.Consequently,wehavefoundthattherehavebeensignificantpositivebenefitsfromtheimplementationofanEBFMapproach,morethanmerelymeetingsomelongforgottenbroad-basedpoliticalcommitment.
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1.0 Background
1.1 Purpose
ThepurposeofundertakingthiscasestudywastoassesswhetherthedraftnationalEBFMframeworkcouldreallyassistinprovidingaNaturalResourceManagementplanningstructurefortheoptimalmanagementofmarineresourcesatthebioregionallevel.ThedraftEBFMframeworkwasinitiallydevelopedbytheNationalESDsubprogrambasedontheframeworkthatiscurrentlybeingsuccessfullyusedforsinglefisheryassessmentsanditwasproposedthatthisbetrialledasthemechanismtotryandcollateandutilisetherelevantregional,EBFM-relatedinformationandmanagementprocessesfortheentireWestCoastBioregionofWesternAustralia.
TheoutputsfromthiscasestudyweretoincludethegenerationofamodifiedsetofcomponenttreesthatidentifiedalloftherelevantEBFMlevelassets(ecological),issues(socialandeconomic)anddrivers(governanceandexternalfactors)fromwhicharefinedlistofpriorityissues,basedonariskassessmentprocess,wouldbeusedtoevaluatethecurrentstatusofeachissueandidentifytheneedforadditionalmanagementorresearchactivities.
Asthiswasthefirstfull-scaleattempttoapplyEBFMataregionallevel,itwasexpectedthattheoutputsfromthisstudywouldbereviewedinlightofthelevelofwhetherthisgeneratedimprovementintheoverallmanagementoffisheriesresourcesinacosteffectivemanner.
1.2 Context
Expectationsabout thebenefitsofundertakingmoreholistic formsofnatural resourcemanagementhaveincreasedgreatlyoverthepasttwodecades.Worldwidethishasresultedinalargenumberofconceptsandinitiatives,whichareoftentermed“ecosystem-based”(Sissenwine&Murawski,2004;Sherman,etal.,2005;Rice,2005;Fletcher,2006).Forinstance,intheearly1990stheneedtomanagemarineresourceswithinLargeMarineEcosystems(LME)wasrecognisedandsupportedbytheUnitedNationsConventionfortheLawoftheSea(UNCLOS).InAustralia,theconceptofholisticnaturalresourcemanagementwastermed‘ecologicallysustainabledevelopment’(ESD)andwasformallyadoptedbyalllevelsofgovernment(federal,stateandlocal)nearlytwentyyearsago(CoA,1992).Initially,suchholistic“ecosystem-based”approacheswerefoundtobedifficulttoapplyinapracticalmanner(e.g.Garcia,2000)duetounrealisticexpectations,datalimitationsandcomplexityofbothecosystemsandmanagementsystems;fewgovernmentagenciesinAustraliawereabletoimplementESDandgenerateoutcomesthatleadtoactualmanagementimprovements(ProductivityCommission,1999).
DuringthelastdecadetherehasbeensignificantprogressinthemanagementofnaturalresourcestowardsimplementingESD(Fletcher,2008).ThereforemanagementofindividualfisheriesinWesternAustraliaisalreadybasedonESDprinciplesthatrequirethattheimpactsontargetandbycatchspecies,habitats,andindirectimpactsonthebroaderecosystemareallmanagedusingariskbasedframework(Fletcher,2002;2005)foreachindividualfishery.InimplementingthispolicyandtomeettherequirementsoftheCommonwealthgovernment’sEPBCrequirements(CoA,2001,2007),separateESD-basedassessmentshavebeencompletedforeachmajorWAfishery(e.g.Kangasetal.,2006).AlthoughthisESDbasedprocessiscomprehensiveatanindividual-fisherylevel,theseassessmentsdonotaddressthecombinedeffectsofallfisherieswithinthesameareanordotheycoverthecross-fisheryallocationissues.
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TheDepartment,throughitsIntegratedFisheriesManagement(IFM)initiativeisnotonlyseekingtolimittheoverallharvestoftargetspeciestosustainablelevelsbuttoestablishspecificlevelsofaccessbyeachofthevariouscatchingsectors(seeDoF,2000).Theseallocationprocessescoverthesharingissuesamongstcommercialfisheries,recreational,andindigenoussectors(Fletcher&Curnow,2002).Anumberofothersectorsutilise,impactorhaveaninterestwithinthemarineenvironmentbutarenotcoveredbyfisherieslegislation(e.g.shipping,coastaldevelopment,marineparks,tourism).Therefore,conflictsassociatedwithaccessarrangementsarenotsolelyconfinedtoconflictsbetweenfishingsectorsbut,increasingly,betweentheentirewildcapturefishingsectorandotherstakeholdersandindustries(FletcherandCurnow,2002).Suchissuesareusuallyregionallybasedratherthanbeingassociatedwithaparticularresourceandrequiredifferentprocessesandframeworkstoachieveeffectiveoutcomes.Thisallsuggeststhatthemanagementofindividualfisheriessectorsmaybebestifnestedwithinaregionallevelframework.
1.3 What does EBFM mean for fisheries and marine management?
EcosystemBasedFisheriesManagement(EBFM)hasbeendefinedinAustraliaastheassessmentandmanagementofallimpactsandoutcomesrelatedtoanycommercial,recreational,charter,customary,or‘no-take’sectoroperatingwithinanecosystemorbioregion(Fletcher,2006).EBFMthereforedealswiththecumulativeimpactsontheenvironment(includingfishstocks,habitatsandecosystems)fromallthefisheries-relatedactivitiesoperatinginaregion,andincludesexplicitconsiderationoftheoverallsocialandeconomicoutcomesgeneratedbytheseactivities.Italsoidentifiesanyimpactsthatmightbeinfluencedby‘external’sources.Externalsourcescouldincludeclimateshiftsor,importantly,non-fishingactivitiesandprocesses,suchascatchmentmanagementandindustrialactivities,whicharemanagedbynon-fisheryagencies.
Manyofthenegativeimpactsonfisheriesoutcomesaregeneratedbyexternalsourcesoperatingataregionalorecosystemlevel.Consequently,managementplans(orsystems)arerequiredthatcaninfluenceorevenmitigatesuchregionalorecosystemimpacts.Thisisalsothescaleatwhichmostotherrelevantagenciesoperate,sotakingaregionalfocuswouldbetteralignfisheriesmanagementwithotherregionalmarineplanningprocessesthatmaybeoperatinginthearea.Thus,applyingtheEBFMriskassessmentframeworkcouldformastartingpointforahierarchyofthemanagementofindividualactivitiesuptotheholisticmanagementofalltheactivitiesoperatingwithinaregion(oftendefinedasEcosystemBasedManagement-EBM,seeFigure1).
EBFMassessmentsshould,therefore,coverthecumulativeimpactsontheenvironmentthatarisefromthecurrentsuiteoffisheries-relatedactivities.Theseassessmentsshouldalsodocumenttheoverallsocialandeconomicoutcomesthataregeneratedbytheseactivitiesgiventhecurrentallocationsofaccesswithinaregion.Managingfisheriesonanecosystembasisalsorequirestheassessmentofexternaldrivers(e.g.climatechange,environmentalvariability,pollution,introducedpestsanddiseases)onfishstocksandfisheries(Fletcheretal.,2010).
Themanagementoffisheriesandmarineresourcesmustbeecosystem-basedbecause,whilstthemaintenanceofthetargetstockshaslongbeentheprimarymanagementgoalforfisheriesagencies, thereisnowtherecognitionthatnon-targetstocksandthebroaderecosystemmustalsobemaintainedatacceptablelevelsinordertoachievestocksustainability.RecentlegislativechangesandpolicyinitiativesatboththeStateandCommonwealthlevel,reflecting
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thecommunity’sconcernsontheseissues,nowrequireacomprehensiveassessmentthatincorporatesecosystem-levelresponsestoextractionforeachcommercialfishery.Thisisimportantforsomefisheriesinordertoenablethemtomaintainaccesstolucrativeexportmarkets.
Giventheoverlapsinthecaptureofsomesuitesofspeciesbydifferentfisherieswithintheoneregion,theassessmentofecosystem-levelimpactshasprovendifficulttoachieveonanindividualfisherybasis(Fletcher,2008).Itwasrecognisedthatanoverallassessmentofeachofthekeyecosystemswouldbemoreappropriatefortheassessmentofthecumulativeimpactsoffisheries.ThemovetoundertakearegionallevelassessmentisthereforealogicalextensionoftheindividualfisherylevelESDassessmentsthathavebeencompletedbytheDepartmentoverthepast8yearsandshouldprovideasoundbasisfortheoverallmanagementofmarineresources.BecauseEBFMexplicitlyconsidersallelements(orvalues)withinanexploitedsystem,thedevelopmentandreportingofanEBFMplanwillalsofacilitatethedevelopmentofregionalmarineplans.
EBFMshouldbeseenasakeystrategytowardsthefullimplementationofESD,whichistheoverallgoalforgovernment(Fletcher,2006).Allthevarious‘ecosystembased’strategiesthatarecurrentlybeingpursuedare,inreality,variationsonathemewiththemaindifferencesbetweenthembeingthescopeofissuesmanaged(seeFletcher2006fordetails).Itisrecognisedthatinadditiontothemanagementoffishingactivities,broaderecosystembasedmanagementisalsorequiredinthemarineenvironment.ThevariousmanagementsystemsshouldpreferablyformahierarchywithinanoverallESDcontext,witheachlevelprovidingthebuildingblocksforthenext(Figure1).Specifically,thedifferencebetweenEcosystemBasedManagement(EBM)andEcosystemBasedFisheriesManagement(EBFM)isthatinEBFMthescopeofissuescoveredisrestrictedtothosethatcanbemanagedordirectlyinfluencedbyafisheriesmanagementagency.EBMwouldbeusedtoimplementbroaderlevelsofmanagementandtypesofimpactsinaregion.Forexample,EBMwouldincludeallactivitiesoperatingintheregion,ofwhichfishingisonlyonecomponent.
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Figure 1. Relationship between the three ESD framework levels. The elements included in the gold ovals represent the difference in external drivers between EBFM compared to EBM – modified from Fletcher (2006). Abbreviations have been used for aquaculture (Aqua.), Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and coastal development (Coast. Dev.).
AlthoughtheEBFMframeworkcanconsiderelementsthataremanagedbyotheragenciesorjurisdictions,itisclearlynotpossibletoeffectivelymanagetheoutcomes,orbeheldresponsible,withouttheauthoritytomanagetheimpact.Thisdoesn’tmeanthattheseelementsshouldbeignoredintheEBFMprocess;rathertheymustbetakenintoconsiderationforplanningactualmanagementactions.
The three types of issues to be considered by the Department of Fisheries are those that the Departmentcanmanage,influenceorreactto:
MANAGE TheseissuescomeunderthedirectlegislativeresponsibilityoftheDepartment(e.g.theamountofabalonetakeninthecommercialfishery).RegulationsandmanagementplansaregeneratedtodealexplicitlyanddirectlywiththeseissuesforwhichtheDepartmentmusttakefullresponsibility.
INFLUENCE TheseissuesarenotunderthelegislativeresponsibilityoftheDepartmentandthereforecannotbemanageddirectly,yetbecausetheycomeunderthelegislativeresponsibilityofanotherAgencyorDepartment,theiractionsmaybeinfluencedbyinputintotheirdecision-makingprocess.
REACT TO IssuesgeneratedbytheexternalenvironmentthatcannotbemanagedorinfluencedbytheDepartment.However,becausetheseissuesaffectfactorsforwhichtheDepartmentisresponsible,processesfordealingwiththeseissuesshouldbedeveloped(Fletcher2008).
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IftheDepartmentdoesnothavethepowertoregulateormanageanactivity,thereisnopoint(andnobasis)forestablishingobjectives,performancelevelsandthenecessarymanagementarrangements.However,iftheriskofanactivityisfoundtobemedium,highorsevere,thenanappropriatemanagementresponseistohaveaclearprocesstoreferthistotheresponsibleagency.
DuringtheEBFMprocessotherexternaldriversarealsoconsidered,suchasthecurrentglobalrecession,asthesemaycausesignificantchangeforsomeexportfisheriesandconsequentlyimpact the social andeconomicoutcomes. In such situations, alternativemanagementarrangementsthatdonotimpactstocksustainabilitymaybeconsiderediftheycouldassistinalleviatingtheseissues.Inaddition,ifpollutionorreducedwaterqualitywereanissueinestuaries,theimpactsofthiswouldbeconsideredindecision-makingforestuarinefisheries.However,aswaterqualitydoesnotcomeunderthejurisdictionoftheDepartmentofFisheries,theonlyactiontakenmaybetoencouragebettermanagementofoutfallsandpollutionbytherelevantauthority.BecausetheEBFMprocesshasahighlevelofstakeholderinputandthejustificationsreported,thereisareadilyunderstood,transparentreportingframeworkwithwhichtoexplaintherisksandpotentialimpacts.
Expandingthescopefromasingle-fisheryassessmenttoabroaderregionalEBFMapproachposesanumberoflogisticaldifficulties.Chiefamongtheseisthepotentialtorapidlybecomeextremelycomplexgiventhatitwouldcoverallecologicalassets(capturedandnon-capturedspecies,habitats,ecosystems)andthesustainability,socialandeconomicissuesrelevanttotheseassets(Fletcher,2008).Managershave,understandably,beenhighlyconcernedthatimplementingEBFMcouldresultinadramaticincreaseinthenumberofmanagementissuestheywillthenhavetodealwith,withoutincreasedresources,potentiallyleadingtoanoverallpooreroutcome.Inaddition,detaileddataregardingallaspectsoftheecologicalassetsandtheissuesaregenerallynotavailable.Suchdeficienciesoftenraiseunrealisticexpectationsamongstakeholders,andthefearamongmanagementagencies,abouttheprospectthatsignificantresourceshavetobespentbeforeEBFMcanbeimplemented.Tobesuccessfullyimplemented,theinitialEBFMprocessmustbeabletodistilthecomplexityandknowledgerequirementstoalevelthatisacceptablefromthemanagementperspective(i.e.non-threateningandabletobedealtwithintimeframesrelativetobothfisheriesmanagementandpoliticalcycles)withouttheexpectationthatalldatadeficienciesanduncertaintieswillberectified(Fletcher,2008,Garcia,2010).
Fortunately,theseconcernsandexpectationscanbealleviatedusingarisk-basedapproachtodeterminetheappropriatelevelsofmanagementresponse.Similarly,thelevelsofknowledgeavailableforanissueonlyneedtobeappropriategiventherisklevelandthelevelofprecautionadoptedinthemanagementarrangements.ItneedstobemadecleartostakeholdersthatimplementingEBFMdoesnotautomaticallygeneratetherequirementtocollectmoreecological,socialoreconomicdataorthedevelopmentofcomplexmodels.
FormanyfisheriesinWA,theimplementationofEBFMmaynotchangefisheriesregulationsormanagementsubstantially.Pragmatically,onlyassetsthathaveamoderatetosevereriskofchangeasaresultoffishingactivities,orissuesthatmayimpactthesustainabilityoffisheries(i.e.ecologically,economicallyorsocially)arelikelytogenerateadditionalmanagement,monitoringorotheractionsbeingundertaken.
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2.0 Outline of the EBFM process
2.1 Background
TheprocessforimplementingEBFMisbasedontheNationalESDreportingandassessmentframeworkofwildcapturefisheriesinAustralia(Chesson,2000,Fletcheretal.,2002,2005).TheEBFMframeworkisastep-wise,risk-basedassessmentprocessthatgeneratesreportsonallrelevantecologicalassetsforanindividualfishery,includingimpactsonthetargetspeciesandthe broader ecosystem, and the potential social and economic issues (or expected outcomes), as wellascurrentgovernancesystems.
Tohelpdealwiththeconfusionidentifiedduringtheconsultationprocessregardingthemeaningofterms,ecologicalresourcesweretermed“assets”,socialoreconomicconcernsorexpectedoutcomesweretermed“issues”andtogethertheseassetsandissueswerethe“components”ofinteresttothestakeholders.These“components”makeuptheEBFMcomponenttrees (seesection2.2).TheriskassessmentofcomponentswasbasedonthestepsoutlinedintheInternationalStandardRiskManagementguidelines (AS/NZ4360,2004;AS/NZSISO31000:2009)andisfullyconsistentwiththeEcosystemApproachtoFisheries(FAO,2003).
Figure 2. Outline of the EBFM Process.
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Step 1 – Determine the scope of the assessment and community values to achieve.
ThisstudyfocussedonimplementingEBFMforaregiontermedtheWestCoastBioregion(WCB),oneoffourmarinebioregionsrecognizedbytheDepartmentofFisheriesinWesternAustralia.ImplementingEBFMfortheWCBrequireddevelopingaverycleardescriptionofeachoftherelevantfisheriesandotheractivitiesthatarebeingmanagedinthisregion.Thisincludesthegeographicboundariesoftheareathatwillbeencompassedanddevelopingaverycleardescriptionofeachoftherelevantfisheriesandotheractivitiesthatarebeingmanagedinthisregion.FortheWCBexample,theregionencompassedforEBFMwasa1000kmstretchofcoastlineinthesouthwestofWAfromKalbarri(27°S)inthemidwest;southtoAugusta(115°30’E);outtothe200mdepthcontour;includingallfishingrelatedactivitiesthatoccurredinthosewaters(DoF,2011).
Thescopingprocessmustalsogenerateasharedunderstandingoftherelevantsocial,economicandecologicalvaluesdesiredbythevariousstakeholdergroups.Essentially,whatdoestheWAcommunitywanttoachievefromundertakingmanagementoftheregion’sresources?Thevalues(orhighlevelobjectives)canincludeecologicalsustainability,foodsecurity,socialamenityandeconomicdevelopment.Understandingwhichofthesevaluesisthemostimportanthasmajorimplicationsforwhatshouldbemanagedandhowbesttomanageit.IntheWestCoastcasestudy,theprimaryobjectivewasecologicalsustainabilitywithsocialandeconomicoutcomestakingasecondarylevelandfoodsecuritywasnotconsideredrelevant.
ThebroaderregionalscopeofEBFM,requireddocumentationoftherolesandresponsibilitiesofeachoftherelevantagenciesandstakeholdersinvolved.GiventhatthemainintersectionofEBFMwithEBMwillbeattheleveloftheecosystem,tosuccessfullyintegrateEBFMwithbroaderEBMorotherregionalmarineplanningprocesses,agreementmustbeobtainedbyallrelevantagenciesonthespecificecosystemspresentwithintheregion.
Thefinalpartofthisstepwastodocumenttherolesandresponsibilitiesofeachoftheagenciesandstakeholdersinvolved.Thisinvolveddiscussionswithstakeholdersand,importantly,obtainingagreementsfromothergovernmentagenciesinmulti-agencyforumstoclarifyjurisdictionalarrangementsorobjectives.
Step 2 – Asset and Issue Identification
UsingtheagreedscopeandvaluesfortheWestCoastBioregion,thenextstepwastoidentifyallthepotentialassets(ecological)andissues(social,economic,governanceandexternaldrivers)acrosseachofthefiveEBFMcomponents(dashedline,Figure3).Thecomponenttreestructuresetsouttheelements/valuesthatneedtobeconsideredforEBFM,whichincludestheenvironmental(ecologicalassets),socialandeconomicassetsaswellastheabilitytoachievemanagementoutcomes(institutionalgovernanceandexternaldrivers).TheassetsandissuesidentifiedacrosseachofthefiveEBFMcomponentswerereportedintheformofdetailedcomponenttreesforeachofthelowerbranches(e.g.ecosystemstructure&biodiversity,captured‘fish’speciesetc.)oftheWestCoastBioregiontreebelow(Figure3).
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Community Structure& Biodiversity
IntegratedElements
Suite 1
Suite 2
'Fish'Species
HabitatCategories
Protected Species
IndividualElements
EcologicalAssessments
DirectStakeholders
DependentCommunities
State/National
Socio-Economic WellbeingOutcomes
FisheriesAdministration
ExternalFactors
Ability to Achieve
BIOREGION
Figure 3. EBFM Component Tree Structure.
Thesetreeshelptostructuretheassignmentofissuesintoahierarchyofrelatedgroups,whichassistswiththeirlaterconsolidation.Theuseofthegenericcomponenttreeswithinthisframeworkmaximisesconsistencyandminimisesthechancesofmissingissues(Fletcher,etal.,2005).ThesetreescanalsobebeneficialforimplementingEBFMorEBMinotherregionsastheycanbetailoredtosuitindividualcircumstances.
AseriesofworkshopswiththeparticipationofrelevantstakeholdersexaminedeachofthehighlevelEBFMcomponentsandspecificallytailoredeachofthedetailedtreesbyaddingrelevantassetsandissuesnotalreadyincludedanddeletingthosethatwereconsideredbythegrouptobeirrelevant(nottobeconfusedwithhavingminimalknowledge).
ThemajordifferenceintheEBFMcomponenttreestructurecomparedtotheindividualfisheryassessmentsisthattheEBFMprocesshastheecologicalassetsastheprimaryfocusformanagement,ratherthantheactivityoffishingastheprimaryfocus.Inaddition,theEBFMtreehasaseparateEcosystemStructureandBiodiversitybranch,whichrecognisesthateachoftheindividualassetsthataredirectlyorindirectlyimpacted(e.g.habitats,targetspecies,protectedspecies)combinetogethertoformecosystems.Thesehigher-levelassetsusuallylinktotheactivitiesandobjectivesofotherstakeholdersandagenciesthroughEBMandthebroadercommunity.
Objectivestobeachieved,givenanylocal,regionalornationalrequirementsorglobalattitudes,weredetermined.Theseobjectivescouldhavebeenbasedonecologicalconcerns,economicrealitiesorsocialattitudes(seeTable1),withsomeassetshavingmorethanoneassociatedobjective.
Step 3 – Prioritising issues
Athree-partprioritisationprocessbasedonriskassessmentprincipleswasusedtodeterminewhatissuesneededdirectmanagementactions,andthelevelofactionthatshouldbetakenfromawholeofagencyperspective.Table1detailsthecommonlevelsofriskthatwereusedinthisprocess.
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Anumberofdifferentriskassessmentmethodsareavailableforuseinprioritisingissues(Scandoletal.,2010)andsomeofthesemethodscanoperatewithminimallevelsofdataandcanbecompletedwithinaworkshopenvironment.Thedeterminationofthemostappropriateriskassessmentmethodology(orprioritysettingprocess)inanyonecircumstancemayvarybaseduponthelevelofinformationavailableandthetypeofissuebeingexamined.TheriskmethodologyusedinthiscasestudywasbasedontheapproachusedintheNationalESDFramework(Fletcher,2005)whichhassubsequentlybeenmodifiedforuseintheassessmentofabroaderrangeofobjectives(Fletcher,2010).
Individual Risks-Therisksassociatedwitheachobjective(seeTable1)foreachindividualassetorissuewereexaminedseparatelyusingformalqualitativerisk(consequencexlikelihood)orproblemassessmentprocessesoutlinedinFletcher(2005,2009).ThesequalitativeriskanalysismethodsarebasedontheAustralian&NewZealandandInternationalStandardRiskAnalysis(StandardsAustralia,2000,2004;IEC/ISO31010,2009),andinvolvetheassessmentofallissuesagainstthespecificobjectivesandoutcomesthatthefisheryistryingtoachievebyexaminingthepotentialimpacts(consequences)thatmayresulttotheseobjectivesandthelikelihood(probability)thataparticularlevelofimpactwillactuallyoccur–whichwhencombinedtogethercalculatestherisklevel.
Asriskisnowdefinedas“theuncertaintyassociatedwithachievingobjectives”(AS/NZSISO31000:2009),alackofspecificdatacanbeexplicitlyincorporatedintothecalculationoftherelevantconsequenceandlikelihoodscoressuchthatthecalculationofriskcouldbecompletedwithwhateverdatawereavailable.Thesemethodsenabledtheanalysisofrisk(usingafiveyeartimehorizon)fortheobjectivesrelatedtospecies,habitatandcommunitystructure/ecosystemsustainability, plus social and economic risk outcomes to be completed (see Appendix 1 for detailsofconsequenceandlikelihoodtables).
Eachissuewasplacedintotheappropriatecombinationofconsequenceandlikelihoodlevels(Figure5)basedupontheinformationavailableandthecollectivewisdomofthepeopleinvolvedintheprocess.Ifmorethanonecombinationisconsideredappropriate,thecombinationwiththehighestriskscoreshouldbechosen(i.e.thistakesaprecautionaryapproach).
Thecombinationwasbasedontheriskoveradefinedtimeperiod-nottheriskofchangeoccurringatanypointinthefuture.Asthisprocessisassessingriskstoobjectivesbasedonamanagementplan,aconvenienttimeframetouseisthetimeframeofthemanagementplan-whichwasconsideredtobeinthevicinityoffiveyears.
Intheformalsystemdescribedpreviously,therisklevelforeachissueiscalculatedastheproductofthescoresforconsequenceandlikelihoodcombinationchosenasbeingthemostappropriatefortheissue.Thepossiblevaluesarebetween1–16(Figure5).
12 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
Consequence Level
Minor Moderate Major Severe
Likelihood 1 2 3 4
Remote 1 1 2 3 4
Unlikely 2 2 4 6 8
Possible 3 3 6 9 12
Likely 4 4 8 12 16
Figure 4. Risk Matrix. (see appendix 1 for details and descriptions of the consequence and likelihood levels)
Table 1. Risk categories, descriptions and likely management responses (modified from Fletcher 2008).
Risk Category Risk Value DescriptionLikely Reporting
Requirements
Likely Management
Response
Negligible 1 - 2 Not an issue Minimal Nil
Low 3 - 4Acceptable; no specific control
measures needed
Justification required
None specific
Medium 6 - 8
Acceptable; with current risk
control measures in place (no new
management required)
Full performance report
Specific management
and/or monitoring required
High 9
Not desirable; continue strong management
actions OR new and/or further risk control measures
to be introduced in near future
Full performance report
Increases to management
activities needed
Severe12 - 16
Unacceptable; major changes
required to management in immediate future
Full performance report
Increases to management
activities needed urgently
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 13
Consolidating risks–Thenumberof individualriskvaluesgeneratedacrosstheEBFMframeworkfortheentirebioregionwastoolargeforuseinundertakingsensiblemanagementplanning.Furthermore,manyoftheindividualassets,issuesandobjectiveswerealreadythesubjectofspecificmanagementactionsandplanningprocessesattheindividualfisherylevel.ToensurethattheEBFMprocessrecognisedandpreferablyaddedvaluetotheexistingfisherylevelactivities,notmerelyduplicatedthem,itwasnecessarytocombineissuesandriskstoregionalorcategorylevelassets.
Theconsolidationoftheindividualrisksintobroaderassetcategoriesutilisedthebranchstructurepresentinthecomponenttrees(Figure5).Inaddition,theconsolidationofriskscorrespondswithanexistingDepartmentalprocesswherebyallcapturedspeciesareassignedtooneofarelativelysmallnumberof‘speciessuites’thatareconsistentwiththekeyecosystemsub-branches (e.g.nearshore,inshore,offshoreetc.–seeDepartmentofFisheries2009).Thesameprincipleswereappliedtoeachoftheothertreesintheframeworkwiththerisksforeachbranchofthecomponenttreesconsolidatedintwoways:
• Forecologicalassets,specificindicatorspeciesorcomponentswereidentifiedwiththeriskvalueassignedtotheentire‘suite’ofspeciesorfunctionalgroupusingthehighestriskvalueofanyoftheindicatorspecies.Thisreflectsthatmanyfisherymanagementarrangementsoperateattheentiresuitelevelratherthanonlyaffectingasinglespecies;
• Forthenon-ecologicalissues,theconsolidatedriskvaluewastheaverageoftheriskratingsforeachoftheelementsinthesub-branchand,whererelevant,eachsub-branchwithinabranch.Thus,ahierarchicalapproachwasusedsuchthatconsolidationcouldoperateatanumberofdifferentlevelswithineachtree.
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Figure 5. Generic ecosystem structure and biodiversity component tree showing three larger ecosystems, which break down into smaller systems and components at the sub-branch levels. The consolidation of individual risks occurs at the mid-tree level (ovals). Sub-branch risks are consolidated into these components. Here the average risk has been used during consolidation as no specific indicator for each ecosystem has been identified.
Agency/bioregional priority setting – Thefinal,andarguablymostimportantpartoftheEBFMprocesswastogenerateawholeofagencypriorityforeachoftheconsolidatedecologicalassetswithinthebioregion.Theseagencyprioritiesincludetheassociatedsocialandeconomicrisksandcanbeusedtoprioritiseagencyinvestment.
TheintegrationofthevariousriskandvaluescoresintoDepartmentalprioritieswasachievedusingasimplemulti-criteriafunctionincludingrisk,GrossValueofProduct(GVP)andsocialamenity.ThecriteriaforassigningtheGVPandsocialamenityscoresarelocatedinTable2.Thepriorityscoreswerebasedonthequalitativeriskassessmentprocesswiththecriteriaforthevaluescoresmodifiedfromthosedevelopedtoassessthevalueofresearchproposals(Fletcheretal.,2003).Allofthescoringincludedthelevelofcurrentactivitiesormanagementcontrolsthatareinplaceorunderway.Hence,someofthescoresappearedtoberelativelylowbecauseofthecurrenthighlevelofcontrolsthatoperate.
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Table 2. Criteria used to assess the relative economic (Gross Value Product) and social amenity value associated with each ecological asset in the West Coast Bioregion.
SCORE Risk Economic Value Social Amenity
0 None No Commercial use
n/a
1 Negligible < $1 million Minimal – there is no recreational fishing for the asset and no specific broader community interests.
2 Low $1 – 5 million Some – the asset may be caught recreationally &/or there is some specific interest in the asset by the broader community.
3 Moderate $5 -10 million Important – this is an important asset locally &/or the use or existence of the asset is important to the broader community
4 High $10- 20 million Major – the asset provides a major source of the catch by recreational fishers for the entire region &/or the asset generates major interest for some of the general community.
5 Severe > $20 million Iconic - this is a primary asset targeted by recreational fishers across the region &/or it is an asset that is considered iconic by most in the general community
Agency Priority = (‘Stock’ Risk – External Impact)*((Economic Risk*GVP) + (Social Risk*Social Amenity))
TheAgencyPriorityFormulautilisesthevariousriskandvaluescoresassociatedwitheachassetandrecognisesthatthelevelofDepartmentalactivityshouldbemostlyrelatedtothecurrentecologicalriskfortheasset.ItalsorecognisesthatifthemajorityofthisstockorecologicalriskisgeneratedbyfactorsthatareoutsideDepartmentalcontrol(e.g.pollution),theoverallpriorityfordirectDepartmentalactivityislikelytobereducedaccordingly.Aformulaforusewithinan‘EBM’assessmentwoulddiffer,astherolesofallmanagementagencieswouldbeincludedandthis‘discounting’wouldnotberequired.
Inadditiontotheecologicalrisk,theformularecognisesthatthepriorityforundertakingactivitieswillbeaffectedbythevaluethecommunityplacesoneachasset.Thisvaluewillbebasedonthedirecteconomicbenefit(GVP)andfromindirectbenefitssuchassocialamenity,importancetorecreationalfishers,existencevaluefornon-users.Thereasonforindependentlyassessingtheriskandthevalueforthesocialandeconomicelementsisthattheindividualsinvolvedmayclearlybefacingahighriskofimpacttotheirobjectives,whichcanbeexplicitlyrecognised,butiftheoverallvaluetothecommunityislow,thisislikelytoreducetheprioritytoexpendsignificantagencyresources.Thus,anassetwillgenerateahighscoreandpriorityifitsecologicalsustainabilityriskishigh,plusitisvaluableeconomicallyand/orsociallytothecommunity.
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Step 4 – Generating management systems
y Wheredirectactionsarerequired,developclearmanagementsystemsthatincludeoperationalobjectivesandtheabilitytoassessperformance.
y Atperiodicintervalsassessprocessesandamendrisksifnewinformationbecomesavailable.
Thesetwoactivitieswerebeyondthescopeofthiscasestudy.
2.2 General operating procedures
FurtherinformationontheapplicationofeachofthesestepsandthebasicESDframeworkareavailablefromdocumentslocatedontheAustralianEBFMwebsite(www.ebfm.com.au).
ThegenerallybroadscopeoftheissuescoveredwithintheEBFMframeworkrequiresthattheoperationalproceduresforundertakinganEBFMprocessmustinvolvesubstantialstakeholderconsultationplusexpertinputfromscientistsandmanagers.Theinformationthatcanbeconsideredwithintheprocesscanbesourcedimplicitlyorexplicitlyusingacombinationofpublishedinformation,unpublishedrecordsand‘corporateknowledge’fromtheparticipantsandotherrelevantexperts.Thus,alltypesofinformationareconsidered.
Tofunctioneffectively, theEBFMprocesswillgenerallyrequireadedicatedexecutive/administrativeteamtomanagetheconsultationprocesses(e.g.workshops)andalsotheinformationflow(e.g.recordkeeping,generatinginterimandfinalreports).
2.3 Work plan and EBFM report structure
Theremainderofthisreportwastheresultofaseriesofworkshops,meetingsandotherconsultationprocesses(Table3).Alargeamountofmaterialandinformationwasgeneratedforreporting,muchofwhichislocatedwithintheappendices.Thus,thisEBFMreporthasbeenstructuredaroundgeneratingarelativelyhigh-leveldocumentthatcanbeusedbythefisheriesmanagementagenciesaspartoftheirplanningprocessesandalsoasthebasisfornegotiations/discussionswithotherrelevantagencies.
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 17
Meetings and workshops
Table 3. EBFM-related meetings, topics discussed and stakeholder consultation. Abbreviated names are Western Australian Department of Fisheries (DoF), WA Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), WA Department of Water (DoW), National Oceans Office (NOO), Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Department of Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts (Commonwealth, DEWHA), University of Western Australia (UWA), Australian National University (ANU), Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), National Heritage Trust (NHT) and Western Australian Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC).
Meeting Topics discussed Number of meetings held
Attendees / stakeholders
2006EBFM Working Group Embedding EBFM in a fisheries
strategic policy and management framework – steps forward, external consultation process
1 DoF staff
Abrolhos Island Risk Assessment workshop
Appropriate risk levels for assets 1 External stakeholders and DoF staff
2007EBFM steering committee
Terms of reference, appropriate scale of ecosystems, objectives and role of committee, assets, values and responsibilities, risk assessment
8 DoF staff
EBFM bioregions meeting
Spatial scale of bioregions 2 DoF, DEC, NOO, CSIRO, WAMSI
Component tree workshop and meetings
Ecosystems, ‘assets’ and components to include in EBFM reporting
7 DoF staff, WAMSI
EBFM scoping Project objectives, progress and scope
1 DoF, Murdoch University, WAMSI
Various WAMSI meetings
Node 4 Project progress 18 WAMSI, DoF, CSIRO
WAMSI show and tell WAMSI projects 1 Various attendees, WAMSI, DoF, CSIRO, Universities etc.
WAMSI launch and Node 5 symposium
WAMSI projects 2 Various attendees, WAMSI, DoF, CSIRO, Universities etc.
EBFM workshop What is EBFM? Further development of draft component trees
1 Marine Policy Stakeholder Group, DoF, DEC Marine Science Group, WAMSI, DEWHA
EBFM presentation for IFM
Explanation of EBFM process and expected outcomes
1 DoF staff
Ningaloo data 1 DoF, CSIRONingaloo modelling workshop
Ecosystem modelling 1 DoF staff, CSIRO, universities
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Meeting Topics discussed Number of meetings held
Attendees / stakeholders
Coastal and Marine Reference Group
How EBFM will work 1 DoF, CSIRO, Coastal and Marine Ref. Group
EBFM assets, responsibilities and objectives
Legislative responsibilities, commercial and non-commercial assets, external factors, acceptable impacts
1 EBFM Steering Committee, DoF Supervising Scientists, WC Regional Manager
The EBFM framework and linkages to Regional Marine Planning
How EBFM could be used in the regional marine planning process
1 EBFM steering committee, DEC, DEWHA
EBFM Social aspects Why study social aspects of fisheries? How study social aspects? Integration of social aspects into policy and management.
1 Jackie Schirmer- ANU/Forestry CRC, Murdoch University, DoF staff
Sustainable Marine Ecosystems: Ecologically Sustainable Development for the Marine State’s Fisheries, socio-economic and fisheries presentation
Social and Economic assessment methods- project objectives and discussion
2 Simon Vieira-ABARE, UWA, Murdoch University, EBFM steering committee
EBFM and WAMSI What are EBFM and WAMSI, what are their roles and objectives?
1 DoF staff
EBFM database Process to set-up online database for EBFM
5 DoF staff
EBFM communications How to communicate EVFM objectives effectively
2 DoF staff
South Coast regional marine planning
Marine planning 1 DoF staff, regional attendees
EBFM and NHT Coastal links, and NRM and EBFM
EBFM and NHT Coastal and NRM links
2 WAMSI, DoF, NHT
EBFM assets EBFM assets and links with DoW 1 DoW, DoFEBFM and pearling What is EBFM? How is it important
for pearling1 DoF staff
Qualitative modelling workshop
Modelling for EBFM 1 DoF, Murdoch University, University of Tasmania, CSIRO
2008 Senior Regional Managers meeting
EBFM process, objectives and qualitative modelling
1 DoF staff
Ecological risk assessment for EBFM
Appropriate risk levels 1 DEWHA, Conservation Council, DEC, South Coast NRM, WAFIC, The Wilderness Society, UWA, Recfishwest, EBFM steering committee
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 19
Meeting Topics discussed Number of meetings held
Attendees / stakeholders
EBFM steering committee
Develop plan for West Coast Case Study, cost-benefit analysis, update communications committee, draft social and economic policy, EBFM web-based search portal, EBFM report
6 DoF staff
Regional meeting- Geraldton (Gascoyne)
Discussion of EBFM concepts, objectives and qualitative modelling
1 Regional DoF staff
Social and Economic methodology workshop
Potential assessment methods, costs and requirements
1 ANU, ABARE, Murdoch University, WAFIC, DEWHA, UWA , DEC, Curtin University of Technology, EBFM steering committee
Regional meeting -Albany(South Coast)
Discussion of EBFM concepts, objectives and qualitative modelling
1 Regional DoF staff
Social policy group Discussion of objectives and draft social and economic policy
1 DoF staff
2009EBFM steering committee
Discussion and identification of governance components, social and economic policy, EBFM report
1 DoF staff
Gascoyne/South Coast/North Coast Risk assessment workshop
Appropriate risk levels for EBFM components in these bioregions
2 DoF staff (including regional managers)
External risk assessment workshop (Gascoyne/South Coast/North Coast)
Appropriate risk levels for EBFM components in these bioregions
1 Conservation Council, DEWHA, DEC, The Wilderness Society, WAMSI, Recfishwest, DoF Staff
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3.0 The West Coast Bioregion
3.1 About the bioregion
Themarineenvironmentof theWestCoastBioregionbetweenKalbarriandAugusta ispredominantlyatemperateoceaniczone,andisheavilyinfluencedbytheLeeuwinCurrent,whichtransportswarmtropicalwaterdownthecontinentalshelf.Asaresultofthiscurrent,thefishstocksoftheregionaretypicallytemperate.TheLeeuwinCurrentisalsoresponsiblefortheexistenceoftheunusualAbrolhosIslandscoralreefsatlatitude29°Sandtheextendedsouthwarddistributionofmanytropicalspeciesalongthewestandsouthcoasts.
Themostsignificantimpactoftheclear,warm,low-nutrientwatersoftheLeeuwinCurrentisonthegrowthanddistributionofthetemperateseagrasses.TheseformextensivemeadowsinallprotectedcoastalwatersoftheWestCoastBioregionindepthsofupto30mandactasmajornurseryareasformanyfishspeciesaswellasthelargewesternrocklobster(Panulirus cygnus) stock.Weakercounter-currentsonthecontinentalshelf,suchastheCapesCurrent,occurduringsummerandinfluencethedistributionofmanyofthecoastalfinfishspecies.
TheWestCoastBioregionischaracterisedbyexposedsandybeacheswithalimestonereeflineapproximately5kilometresoffthecoast.Seafloorsfurtheroffshoreonthecontinentalshelfaretypicallycomposedofcoarsesandinterspersedwithlowlimestonereef,whichareremnantofold shorelines.
Theonlysignificantmarineembaymentswithin thebioregionareCockburnSoundandGeographeBay.Therearefoursignificantestuarinesystems–theSwan/Canning,Peel/HarveyandLeschenaultestuariesandHardyInlet(Blackwoodestuary).Allofthesearepermanentlyopentotheseaandgenerallyformanextensionofthemarineenvironment.
3.2 Summary of fishing and aquaculture activities
Theprincipalcommercialfisheryinthisregiontargetsthewesternrocklobster,whichisAustralia’smostvaluablesingle-speciesfisherywithalong-termannualcatchof11,000tandavalueof$300million.Therearealsosignificantcommercialfisheriesforotherinvertebrates,includingscallopsandabalone.Commercialfisherstakearangeoffinfishspeciesincludingsharks, dhufish (Glaucosoma herbraicum), snapper (Pagrus auratus),baldchingroper(Choerodon rubescens) and emperors (Lethrinusspp.)usingdemersallineandnetmethods.Beachbasedmethodssuchasbeachseiningandnear-shoregillnetting,andhand-haulednetsareusedtocapturewhitebait(Hyperlophus vittatus),mullet(variousspecies)andwhiting(Sillago spp.).Speciestargetedbyrecreationalfishersinestuariesincludeblackbream(Acanthopagrus butcheri),flathead(Platycephalus spp.)andblueswimmercrabs(Portunus pelagicus)whileherring(Arripis georgianus), tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix)andmulloway(Argyrosomus hololepidotus)aretargetedfrombeaches.
TheWestCoastBioregion,whichcontainsthemajorpopulationcentresofWesternAustralia,isthemostheavilyusedbioregionforrecreationalfishing(includingcharterbasedfishing).Therangeofrecreationalfishingopportunitiesincludesestuarine,beachandboatfishingeitherinembaymentsoroffshorefordemersalandpelagic/gamespecies.Manyoftheseresourcesaresharedbetweenthecommercialandrecreationalsectors.
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 21
TheprincipalaquaculturedevelopmentactivitiesintheWestCoastBioregionaretheproductionofblue mussels (Mytilus edulis)andmarinealgae(Dunaliella salina)forbeta-caroteneproduction,andtheemergingblackpearlindustrybasedontheproductionofPinctada margaritifera at theAbrolhosIslands.ThemainmusselfarmingareaisinsouthernCockburnSound,whereconditionsareshelteredandthenutrientandplanktonicfoodlevelsaresufficienttopromotegoodgrowthrates.OwingtothegenerallylowproductivityoftheWesternAustraliancoastlineundertheinfluenceoftheLeeuwinCurrent,areasoutsideembayments(wherenutrientlevelsareenhanced)areunsuitableforbivalveaquaculture.
3.3 Fisheries management in West Coast Bioregion
Mostcommercialfisherieswithinthisregionhavebeenundersomeformoflimitedentrymanagementthatrestrictsaccesstoaspecificnumberoffishersand/ortheireffort/catchlevelsforsometime.Thisincludesthecommercialrocklobsterfisherywheretherearealimitednumberofpotunitsavailableamongothermethodsoflimitingeffort.Similarly,anumberofthelargerdemersalfinfishfisherieshavetime-gearaccesslimitstoregulatethetotallevelsofcapture and those of the key indicator species. Fisheries such as abalone and deep sea crabs usequotastolimitcommercialcatchlevels.Mostofthesefisheriesarealsosubjecttovarioustimeandspatialclosures,aswellasotherregulationssuchassizelimitsforspeciesthatcanberetained.Thesmalltrawlfisheries,inparticular,areheavilyrestrictedintheareaswheretheycanfishwithmuchofthecontinentalshelfinthisregionpermanentlyclosedtotrawling (Figure6a).
Recreationalfishinginthisbioregioniscomingunderincreasinglystronglevelsofmanagement.Bagandsizelimitsarestillthemainmechanismforrestrictingcatch,buttheuseoftimeclosuresisnowbeingappliedtoabalone,lobsters,anddemersalscalefish.
3.4 Ecosystem management in West Coast Bioregion
ThemarinebenthichabitatsandtheirassociatedbiodiversityarelargelyprotectedalongmostoftheWestCoastfromanyphysicalimpactofcommercialfishingduetotheextensiveclosurestotrawling.Theseclosuresinside200mdepthwereintroducedinthe1970sand1980s,inrecognitionofthesignificanceofextensiveareasofseagrassandreefasfishhabitat(Figure6b).Theextentoftheseareasmeansthatover50%oftheWestCoastBioregioninside200mdepthcouldbeclassifiedasamarineprotectedareawithanIUCNcategoryofIV(Table4).
Fishhabitatandbiodiversityprotectionisalsoprovidedwithinindividualmarineprotectedareasalongthewestcoastincluding:
• FishHabitatProtectionAreas(FHPAs)attheAbrolhosIslands,LancelinIslandLagoon,CottesloeReef,andKalbarriBlueholes;
• ReefObservationAreaswithintheAbrolhosIslandsFHPAandclosurestofishingunders.43oftheFishResourcesManagementAct1994atYallingupReef,CowaramupBay,theBusseltonUnderwaterObservatory,andaroundthewrecksoftheSaxonRanger(ShoalwaterBay)andSwan(GeographeBay);and
• MarineconservationareasproclaimedundertheConservationandLandManagementAct1984atJurienBay,Marmion,SwanEstuary,ShoalwaterIslands,andtheproposedCapesMarineParkbetweenCapeLeeuwinandCapeNaturaliste(Figure6b).
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TheAustralianGovernment’sDepartmentofEnvironment,WaterHeritageandtheArts(DEWHA)isalsoundertakingaMarineBioregionalPlanningprocessforCommonwealthwatersbetweenKangarooIsland,SouthAustraliaandSharkBay.ThedraftSouthWestMarineBioregionalPlan(MBP)wasreleasedinlate2011andincludesaseriesofproposedmarineprotectedareaswithintheCommonwealthwatersofftheWestCoast.Thisisnotdetailedinthisreport.
Figure 6. a: Map showing areas of permanent and extended seasonal closures to trawl fishing in the West Coast Bioregion. b: Map showing current and proposed marine protected areas in the West Coast Bioregion.
Table 4. The areas and proportions of the West Coast Bioregion making up continental shelf waters (<200 m depth) where habitats are protected from the physical disturbance of trawl fishing. The areas which are formally closed to trawling would be equivalent to meet the IUCN criteria for classification as marine protected areas as category IV. The area of habitat effectively protected refers to the area where trawling doesn’t occur.
Total Area of Shelf
Area of shelf equivalent to IUCN marine protected area <= category IV (%)
Maximum area of actual trawling activity
Total area of habitat effectively protected (%)
19,600 sq nm 11,000 sq nm(56%)
300 sq nm 19,300 sq nm(98%)
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 23
4.0 Identification of the scope
ThefirstandarguablymostimportantstepinEBFMistoagreeonthescopeofwhatwillbemanagedwithinthesystem.Wherearetheboundariesandwhatelementsaretobemanaged?Thisisimportanttoclarifyasmanagementsystemscanoperateatmanydifferentspatialscalesanditisnecessarytoavoidconfusionandthereforeincreasetheefficiencyoftheprocess.
4.1 Appropriate spatial scales for applying EBFM in Western Australia
Large scale units
ThemarinewatersofWesternAustraliahavepreviouslybeencategorisedinvariouswaystomeetdifferentobjectivesorcriteriaincludingecological,geomorphologic,jurisdictionaloracombination of these criteria. The Department of Fisheries utilises a set of boundaries that dividetheStateintoanumberofmarineregions,termedbioregions.TheseincludetheNorthCoast,GascoyneCoast,WestCoastandSouthCoastbioregions(Figure7).Itisrecognisedthatwithineachofthesebroadscalebioregionstherewillbeanumberofsmallerecosystemunits.
Figure 7. Map showing the IMCRA ecosystems (coloured regions) and the Department of Fisheries regional boundaries (black lines).
TohelpachieveEBFMandtobetterintegratethisprocesswithotherregionalinitiatives,agreementontheappropriatespatialextentofecosystemsinWesternAustraliawasachievedacrossallthekeyWAgovernmentagenciesthathaveanoperationalorpolicyinterestwithin
24 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
themarineandcoastalregions.ForthepurposesofEBFMandotherregionalinitiatives,itwasagreedbytheWAInterdepartmentalCommittee(IDC)thattheIntegratedMarineandCoastalRegionalisationofAustralia(IMCRA)v3.3regionalboundaries(Figure7)wouldbeusedasthebasisfordefiningtheprimary-levelmarineecosystemsinWesternAustralia.BecausetheseboundariesweredevelopedcollaborativelybyStateandCommonwealthGovernmentagenciesthisshouldalsofacilitatebetterintegrationofStateandCommonwealthregionalmarineinitiatives.
West Coast Bioregion
TheWestCoastBioregionwasseenasapriorityregionandassuchwasthefirstregiontobeconsideredintheDepartmentofFisheriesEBFMinitiative.
TheecosystemdivisionsfortheWestCoastBioregion(Figure7)weredefinedbyIMCRAv3.3.as:
• West Coast;
• Leeuwin-Naturaliste;
• Abrolhos Islands.
Regional scale units
TheDepartmentofFisheriesmanagesactivitieswithinparticularecosystem/managementareasthatcorrespondtothegeneraldistributionof‘suites’ofspecies(DoF,2011).Consequently,tomaketheecosystemunitsappropriatetothescaleofmanagement,furtherspatialdivisionsweremadebasedonthefollowingfunctionaldistributionsofspecies:
• Estuaries and Embayments;
• Nearshore,whichincludedwatersfromtheshorelinetoanapproximatedepthof20m;
• Inshoredemersal,whichincludesthebenthicandlowerlayersofthewatercolumnfromadepth of approximately 20m to 250m;
• Offshoredemersal,whichincludesthedeeperdemersalwatersfromadepthofaround250mtotheAustralianEEZ(ExclusiveEconomicZone);
• Pelagic,includingtheupperlayersofthewatercolumnfromthenearshorezonetotheEEZ.
TheadditionalspatialboundariesdescribedabovelinkcloselytothemanagementunitsusedforfinfishinWAandtheManagementPlanboundariesforfunctionalspeciesdistributionandzoningandwillimprovemanagementoutcomesunderEBFM.
Values
Itmustbeensuredthattheeffectivemanagementofoneobjectivedoesnotcauseunwarrantedproblemsintheperformanceofanotherobjective.Theremaybesituationswherebymanagingtooptimiseoneobjectivecanresultinpoorperformanceinanother.Insuchsituationsacompromisewillneedtobemade,preferablybyexplicitlydeterminingwhichoftheobjectivesshouldhaveprecedenceovertheother.
ThemainvaluesthathavebeenidentifiedasbeingrelevanttotheWestCoastBioregionareshowninTable4.
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Table 4. Values and high level objectives for the West Coast Bioregion.
ValueHigh Level Objective
1 Species Sustainability Keeping biomass levels above levels where recruitment could be affected.
2 Ecosystem Sustainability Ensuring that any impacts on ecosystem structure and function are kept at acceptable levels.
3 Economic Outcomes The economic benefits to the community are optimised.4 Social Amenity The social amenity (i.e. non-economic benefits) derived by the
community is optimised.5 Social Impacts Social impacts and negative attitudes associated the
management of these resources are minimised.
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5.0 Identification, assessment and consolidation of assets and issues
5.1 West coast ecosystem structure and biodiversity assets
TheIMCRAecosystemslistedaboveformthefirsttierinthesectionoftheEBFMframeworkdealingwiththeecosystem(i.e.CommunityStructureandBiodiversity).Thesewerefurthercategorisedtotheregionalscaleunitsmentionedabove(e.g.estuariesandembayments,nearshore etc.).
TomakethecomponenttreesrelevanttotheWestCoastBioregion,theseregionalscaleunitswerefurtherdividedintospecificareas,suchasriversorestuarinesystems(Figure8)andcanagainbedividedintolevelsappropriateformonitoringandreportingforspecificmanagementarrangements.
TheWestCoastandLeeuwin-NaturalisteecosystemsdivideapproximatelyalongthePerthtrench.ThisdivisionwouldnotionallyplacetheSwanRiverintotheWestCoastecosystemandCockburnSoundandthePeelHarveyestuaryintothemoresouthern(Leeuwin-Naturaliste)ecosystem.Giventhecloseproximityandconsiderablelinkagesbetweenthese3systems,theSwanCanningandPeelHarveyestuarinesystemsaswellasCockburnandWarnbroSoundembaymentshavebeenincludedintheWestCoastecosystemforthepurposeofthestudy.
Duringtheriskassessmentprocess,theriskofbroad-scaleecosystemchangeduetoanyimpactoneachidentifiedecosystem(i.e.SwanCanning,PeelHarvey,nearshore,offshoredemersal)wasassessed.Forinstance,theimpactsoffishing,pollution,coastaldevelopmentandsandminingwereincludedintheassessmentofdifferentrisksinFigure8.
Risk legend -
Figure 8. Ecosystem structure and biodiversity individual risks. Ovals represent the level at which sub-branch components were aggregated in the consolidated tree. Numbers indicate components that form part of the multi-criterion assessment (Table 5).
SEVERE HIGH MODERATE LOW
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 27
Abrolhos Islands marineLOW-MEDIUMRisk
TheAbrolhosIslandsaremanagedwithina‘FishHabitatProtectionArea’,andarenotcurrentlyconsideredtobeatmajorriskfromfisheriesrelatedactivities.Thisrisklevelwasassessedbasedupontheacceptancethatwhiletherehaslikelybeenachangeintherelativecompositionofsomefinfishspeciestheredoesnot,appeartohavebeeneitheralossofbiodiversityoranoticeablechangeinthetypesofcommunitiespresent.Thisecosystemwillbeespeciallyvulnerabletoclimatechangeimpactsduetotheuniquecombinationofmacroalgaeandcoral.
West coast marineLOW–MEDIUMRisk
Anassessmentofcommunitystructureandtrophiclevelofallcommerciallycaughtfishspeciesoverthepast30yearsthroughanFRDCfundedstudyfoundnoevidenceofsystematicchangesthatcouldbeviewedasevidenceofanunacceptableimpactoffishingonthisecosystem(Halland Wise, 2011).
ArecentlycompletedFRDCfundedprojectprovidedcriticalinformationontherelationshipsbetweenrocklobsterabundance,sizedistributionsandbenthichabitatcharacteristicsindeepwater,andpreliminarydataonthetrophicroleofrocklobsterindeepwaterecosystems.
West coast estuaries-HIGH–SEVERE(non-fishing)Risk
Theestuariesandembaymentswithinthisareahavebeenidentifiedasbeingatsevererisk,duetoexternalfactors(waterqualityissuesduetohighnutrientrunofffromsurroundingcatchment),whichhavethepotentialtoaffectfishcommunities.PoorwaterqualitywithinthePeel–HarveyandSwan-Canningestuaries,andCockburnSoundareofparticularconcern.
Leeuwin-Naturaliste - marineLOWRisk
Therisksofsignificantimpactsonthemarinecommunitiesinthisregionarerelativelylow.
Leeuwin-Naturaliste estuariesHIGHRisk(non–fishing)
ExternalfactorssuchaswaterqualityissuesintheBlackwoodEstuary,duetohighnutrientrun-offfromsurroundingland,aswellasacidsulphatesoilcontaminationareofconcerntosustainablefishstocks.
5.2 Captured ‘fish’ species assets
Thistree(Figure9)includesall‘fish’speciescapturedwhere‘fish’isunderstoodtobethoseanimalsdescribedundertheFishResourcesManagementAct(1994)anddoesnotincludeprotectedspeciesunderStateandCommonwealthlegislation.
Thesuitesofspecies(e.g.estuarine,nearshore,demersalandpelagic)havebeenusedbecausetheallocationofspeciesinto‘suites’meansthatmanagerscanreadilyconsidertheimpactsofchangesinoperationsoffisheries.Inaddition,itwillmeanthatdecisionscanbemademorerapidlyasamatrixofallsuiteswithinabioregionwillbegenerated.Someofthespeciesinthecapturedfishcomponenttreehavethenbeenfurtherdividedintostocksorecosystemgroups(e.g.Australianherring,kingprawns).Foreachspecies,theriskassessmentcoveredabroadrangeofelementsincludingissuessuchasconcernswithabundance,distribution,geneticchanges,alongwithanyimpactsofdiscardingbyafishery,oranyotherimpactonthespeciesbyothersectors(e.g.illegalfishing).
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Finfish estuarine-SEVERERisk
Westcoastestuariesarehighlymodified,andoftendegraded,environments.Intheseestuaries,theimpactsofenvironmentalfactorsonfishstockabundancesarelikelytobeatleastasimportantasfishingpressure.
Managementoffishcommunitiesinwestcoastestuariesrequiresacollaborativeeffortbetweenfisheryandhabitatmanagers.
Inshore demersal-SEVERERisk1
Concernsforthesuiteofdemersalspecies(whichincludesdhufish,pinksnapper,baldchingroper)wereconfirmedfollowingrecentreviewsofthestockassessmentscompletedforthethree indicator species.
Near-shore demersal-HIGHRisk
ThereareincreasingconcernsforAustralianHerring,tailorandskipjacktrevallyandwhitinginthenearshoreregiongiventhepotentialforrecreationalfishinglevelstoincreaseduetoincreasedmanagementcontrolsonpopularinshoredemersalspecies.
Offshore Demersal-MEDIUM–HIGHRisk
Someofthekeyindicatorspeciesinthisdeepwaterlocationarevulnerabletooverfishing.OverlapsincatchalsoexistwithCommonwealthtrawlvessels.
PelagicLOWRisk
Thereisnowminimalcaptureofpelagicfishinthisbioregion.
Crustaceans estuarine (Crabs)MEDIUM-HIGHRisk
ThestocksofcrabsinCockburnSoundhavebeenatdepletedlevelsforthepastfewyearsbutarenowintheprocessofrecoverysincetheclosureoffishingoccurredin2007.StocksinotherregionsoftheWestCoastarebeingreviewed.
Shelf (Lobsters and prawns) MEDIUM Risk
Despiterecentlowrecruitmentlevelsthestrongmanagementthatisbeingappliedtotherocklobsterfisheryshouldensurethestocklevelsofkeycrustaceansinthisregion,westernrocklobstersandprawnsarebothcurrentlyatappropriatelevels.
Molluscs nearshore -MEDIUMRisk
Thestocksofabaloneareconservativelymanagedwithstrongmanagementcontrolsonbothcommercialandrecreationalfishers.
1 Notethisriskhassubsequentlybeenreducedgiventhe50%reductionsthathaveoccurredtothecatchlevelsofallsectorsthatcaptured this suite.
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Risk legend -
Figure 9. West Coast Bioregion – Captured species risks, ovals represent consolidated risks. Numbers indicate components that form part of the multi-criterion assessment (Table 5).
LOWMODERATEHIGHSEVERE
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Risk legend -
Figure 10. West Coast Bioregion – Protected species risks. Ovals represent the level at which risks were consolidated. Numbers indicate components that form part of the multi-criterion assessment (Table 5, p.49).
5.3 Protected species assets
Protectednon‘fish’species(Figure10)aremanagedunderarangeofStatelegislation(WildlifeConservationActandRegulations1950,ConservationandLandManagementAct1984)andCommonwealthlegislation(EnvironmentProtectionandBiodiversityConservationAct1999knownastheEPBCActandtheWildlifeProtectionAct1982).UnderCommonwealthlegislation(generallyappliedtowatersoutsideStatewatersor3nm)itisanoffencetokill,take,tradeormoveprotectedspecieswithoutapermit.
Theprotectednon‘fish’includealargenumberofmarineanimals,includingseabirds,turtles,seasnakesandmammals.Deliberatelycausinginterferencetocetaceanscarriesadditionalpenalties.
LOWMODERATEHIGHSEVERE
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Asfishingcanoccasionallyresultinunavoidableaccidentsorincidents,allinteractionswithprotectedspeciesundertheEPBCActmustbereported.IntheWestCoastBioregiontherearesomemammals,fewreptilesandonlyasmallnumberofotherprotectedspeciesthatinteractwithfishingactivities.TherearealsominimalfisheriesintheWestCoastthatproducebycatch(Richard Campbell, pers. comm.).
Certain‘fish’speciesareprotectedunderStatelegislation(FishResourcesManagementAct1994)andCommonwealthlegislation(EnvironmentProtectionandBiodiversityConservationAct1999).Protectedfishspeciesincludeallpipefish,seahorsesandseadragons,manysharkspecies,somefinfishspeciesandasmallnumberofcrustaceansandmolluscs.
Thedecisiontoexamineprotectedspeciesatthespecies,grouporhigherleveldependsuponwhatisconsideredappropriatefortheregioninquestion.Ifalargenumberofspeciesisidentifiedwithsimilarriskprofiles,thesespeciesmaybeaggregatedtoahigherlevel(Fletcher2008).
Theriskassessmentprocessforprotectedspeciesidentifiedriskduetointeractionswithfisheries,whetherbydirectcaptureorindirectlythroughdisturbanceorprovisionoffoodthroughbait.
Protected non ‘Fish’ species turtlesLOWRisk
Thereisminimalimpactofanyfishingactivityonanyturtlespecieswithinthisbioregion.
SeabirdsLOW-MEDIUMRisk
LittlePenguinsareconsideredatriskfromfishingandboating(boatstrikes)inthisregion.
Mammals (sea-lions)LOWRisk
Sealionexclusiondevices(SLEDs)requiredforrocklobsterpotsnearsealionbreedingislandshasreducedthelevelofrisk.
AustralianSeaLionsandSouthernRightWhaleinteractionsmayincreaseinfuturewithincreasingnumbers.
Protected ‘Fish’ species fishLOW-MEDIUMRisk
Bluegroper(RottnestIsland),andCobbler(SwanCanning),WhiteSharks.
5.4 Benthic habitat categories
TheBenthichabitatcategories(Figure11)havebeenbrokenintofunctionaldistributionareasfollowedbyhabitattypesandfurtherdividedintotheecosystemsoftheWestCoastBioregion.Thisistoenablecross-referencingbetweeneachofthecomponenttreeswhendeterminingmanagementprioritiesandassessingresidualrisk.
Thebenthichabitatcategoriesinclude:
• Seagrass;
• Sand;
• RockyReef,whichisgenerallyalgal-dominatedintheWestCoastBioregion;
• Coral Reef;
• Spongeareas;and
• Mangrovecommunities.
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As information is limited for many of these habitats, data has been combined for many of the areas.Overashorttimeframe(5years)andalongtimeframe(20years)theriskofunacceptablechangehasbeenestimated(seeRiskAssessmentsection). Risk to benthic habitats from any source,suchassandmining,pollutionandsedimentation,wasincludedintheriskassessment.
Risk legend -
Figure 11. West Coast Bioregion – Habitat risks, consolidated risks are the ovals at the top of the branches. Numbers indicate components that form part of the multi-criterion assessment (Table 5).
Estuaries and embayments sandHIGHRisk(non-fishing)
Many sand habitats in estuarine and embayment habitats are threatened by factors such as poor waterquality,directlossofhabitatthroughcoastalinfrastructureandphysicaldisturbance(e.g.dredging),sedimentationandsmotheringbyalgae.
Thereareminimalimpactsoffishingonthesehabitats.
HIGH LOWMODERATESEVERE
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Estuaries and embayments seagrassMEDIUMRisk(non-fishing)
Seagrasshabitatthreatenedbynon-fishingrelatedactivities(coastalinfrastructureandassociateddredging,directhabitatloss,turbidity).
Nearshore sandLOWRisk
Minimaldirectimpactsandhighrecoveryrates.
Nearshore seagrassLOWRisk
Nodestructivefishingmethodsallowedintheseareas.Mostlikelyimpactsfromdevelopments.
Estuaries and embayments sandHIGHRisk(non-fishing)
Many sand habitats in estuarine and embayment habitats are threatened by factors such as poor waterquality,directlossofhabitatthroughcoastalinfrastructureandphysicaldisturbance(e.g.dredging),sedimentationandsmotheringbyalgae.
Thereareminimalimpactsoffishingonthesehabitats.
Estuaries and embayments seagrass MEDIUMRisk(non-fishing)
Seagrasshabitatthreatenednon-fishingrelatedactivities(coastalinfrastructureandassociateddredging,directhabitatloss,turbidity).
Nearshore sandLOWRisk
Minimaldirectimpactsandhighrecoveryrates.
Rocky reefLOWRisk
Minimaldirectimpactsandhighrecoveryrates.
Coral reefLOWRisk
Minimal direct impacts.
Offshore demersalLOWRisk
Minimal direct impacts.
5.5 General environment impacts
Thistree(Figure12)detailstheriskassociatedwithgeneralenvironmentalimpactsthatcouldoccurfromfishingoperations.Theserisksarenottobeconfusedwiththeexternaldriverswhichareimpactsnotrelatedtofishing.Manyoftheseimpactsmaynotappearparticularlycriticalatthispoint;however,withtheincreasingfocusoncarbonemissionsandcarbontradingtheyarelikelytobecomemoreimportant.Assessmentandreportingbyfisheryonenvironmentalperformance,includingcarbonemissionsmaybenecessaryinthecomingyears.
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Figure 12. General environment component tree.
CO2 Emissions:Thisincludesthepotentialforthefisherytocontributetogreenhousegasemissionsandtheirnotionalcarbonfootprint.AlthoughWAfisherieshavenotbeenformallyassessedfortheirCO2emissions,itisassumedthatthosefisherieswithpowerfulvessels,workingoffshoreandexportingtheirproductwouldhavealargercarbonfootprintthanthoseusingdinghiesfromthebeachandsellingproductlocally.
Water quality: Thiscomponentincludestheimpactsonwaterqualitythatcouldcomefromaquaculture,fishing,orfishingrelatedactivitiessuchasfishprocessing.Itincludesthepossibleaccidentalspillageoffueloroils,particularlyifappropriateprotocolsorcodesofconductarenotinplace.Thereleaseoffishingdebrisintothewatercolumnincludingbaitandbaitpackagingandsullagefromfishingvesselscanalsoimpactwaterquality.Sullagehasthepotentialtobeapollutantinheavilyusedanchorages,whetherforcommercialorrecreationalvessels.Someaquacultureactivitiesmayimpactonnutrientloadsandsedimentationissuesmayariseasaresultoffishingboatharbouroraquaculturefacilityconstruction.
Coastal Impacts:Thesecomponentsareimpactsonthecoastalenvironmentfromfishingandfishing-relatedactivities.Thistreehasbeenfurtherdividedintotheforeshore(abovehighwatermark)andintertidalareas(betweenthehighandlowwatermark).Theforeshoreimpactscouldincludebeacherosionfrom4WDvehiclesaccessingfishingpointsorlaunchingfishingboats.Itmayalsoincludeenvironmentalimpactsfromtheconstructionoffishingboatharbours.Intheintertidalareas,fishingdebrisandrubbishwashedupfromvesselsandleftbyrecreationalfisherscouldallbeissuesforconsideration.
5.6 Social and economic issues
Itshouldbeoutlinedfirstthatbecausethesocialandeconomicvalueswerefoundtohavedifferentobjectives,theirassessmentswerekeptseparateduringthiscasestudy.Thisdivisionleadtobetterfocusonthesocialandeconomicissuesandlessconfusionwhenassessingtherisk.Tobetterlinkthesocialandeconomicissueswithfisherymanagementpriorities,
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thetreeswerefurtherdividedintothoseassociatedwiththedirectstakeholdersandthoseofindirectstakeholders.Theindirectstakeholdersincludetheindigenous,regionalandstatewidecommunities.
5.7 Social issues
TheSocialIssues(Outcomes)trees(Figure13and14)coversboththepotentialsocialimpacts(bothpositiveandnegative)ofthefisheryontheparticipants(commercial,recreational,charter,customaryandaquaculture),thewellbeingofthelocalorregionalcommunitiesassociatedwitheachfishingactivityandthegeneralWAcommunity.Theriskofchangetothesocialoutcomewasassessedduringtheriskassessment.
5.8 Social issues (outcomes); direct stakeholders
DirectStakeholdersrefertothosefisherswhoaredirectlyassociatedwithaparticularfishingactivity,whetherthisisthroughacommercialfishery,therecreationalsectororcharterindustry,andwhetherthepersonisacustomaryuseroroperateswithinanaquacultureindustry.
Forconsistencywiththeothercomponenttrees,thedirectstakeholdergroupsweredividedintothoseassociatedwithfinfish,crustaceansandmolluscfisheriesandfurtherintotheirfunctionalspatialgroups(Figure13).NoteveryfisherywithintheWestCoastBioregionisrepresentedonthetree,however,thelistcanbeexpandedatanypoint,particularlyifthereisaperceivedissueinafisherythatisnotlisted.
Figure 13. Detailed component tree for social issues (outcomes) for direct stakeholders.
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5.9 General social outcomes; (indirect stakeholders)
Indirectstakeholdersincludethosepeopleinindustriesindirectlyreliantonsomeaspectoffishorfishingaswellasthecommunitiesassociatedwithfishing.ItalsocoversissuesthatmaybeimportanttocommunitiesacrosstheStateincludingtheattitudesoffishconsumers,perceptionsandattitudesofthecommunitytowardsthefishingaswellastheculturalandheritagevaluesthatareapartofafishingcommunity.Similarlytothesocialoutcometreefordirectstakeholders,theriskofchangetoasocialoutcomewasassessed.
Indigenous Communities
ThisoutcomerelatestoindigenouscommunitieswithintheWestCoastBioregionthatareassociatedwiththemarineenvironmentandfishingactivities.Accesstofishinggrounds,thevalueofcatchingfishforculturalandsocialreasons,aswellascustomaryrightsforindigenouscommunities are all considerations in this element.
Regional Communities
Therelianceonandparticipationofregionalcommunities(bothdirectandindirect)infishingactivitiesisanimportantfactorinconsideringtherisktothesecomponents.Acrosseachofthebroadcommunitygroupingslistedbelow,thereareanumberoffactorstobeconsideredwhenassessingtheimportanceofthefishingindustrytoacommunityandthepossibleimpactofchangestoacommunityasaresultofchangestoarelatedfishery.
Associalandeconomicinformationisoftencollectedbytownorcommunity,the‘regionalcommunity’boundariesfortheWestCoaststudyfollowpopulationrelatedareasratherthanthemarine ecosystem boundaries. The boundaries include:
WestCoast;Metropolitan;andLeeuwin-Naturaliste.
West Coast:CommunitiesnorthofthePerthmetropolitanzonebutwithintheWestCoastBioregionthatareassociatedwiththemarineecosystemandfishingactivities.ThemaincommunitiesincludeKalbarri,PortGregory,Horrocks,Geraldton,Dongara,Leeman,GreenHead,JurienBay,Cervantes,Lancelin,LedgePoint,Seabird,TwoRocks(forpopulationnumbers see Huddleston 2006).
Metropolitan:CommunitieswithinthegreaterPerthmetropolitanzoneassociatedwiththemarineecosystemandfishingactivities.ThemetropolitanareaextendsfromTwoRockstoDawesvilleandincludesMindarie,Hillarys,Fremantle,Woodman’sPoint,Kwinana,Warnbroand Mandurah.
Leeuwin-Naturaliste:ThecommunitiesfromDawesvillesouthandincludingtheCapes(betweenCapeLeeuwinandCapeNaturaliste).ThemaintownsincludeBunbury,Busselton,YallingupandAugusta.
Thevaluestobeconsideredmayincludemaintainingthesupportandrecognitionofthefishingindustryortheopportunitiesforcommunitymemberstogorecreationalfishinginminingtowns.
State-wide Communities
Cultural/heritage values:Thesevaluesindicatetheintrinsicimportanceoffishingwithincommunities.Forexample,whetherthecontinuationoffishinginatownwithalonghistoryoffishingisimportanttocommunitymembersandvisitorstotheregionisanindicationofthe
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cultural/heritagevalueoffishing.Whetherpeopleenjoyvisitingfishingportsandvaluetheavailabilityoflocallycaughtfreshfishprovidesanindicationoftheassociatedculturalandheritagevalues.
Existence values:Thisisavaluepeoplederivefromtheveryexistenceofthemarineecosystem.Itincludesthevalueorbenefitderivedfromobservingtheoceanandmarinelifewithoutbeingdirectlyinvolvedinfisheriesorfishingactivities.Itcanalsoincludethevaluethosewhohavenoconnectiontothemarineenvironmentbutliketo‘knowitisthere!’
Perceptions/attitudes:Theserefertobroad-scalecommunityunderstanding,thoughtsandfeelingsregardingfishingandincludeviewsonallfishingsectors,includingcommercial,recreational,aquacultureandcustomaryfishing.Theseviewsmaychangeovertimetobemoreorlessacceptingoffishingandalsotoreflectanincreasedunderstandingorknowledgeofaparticular sector or issue.
Seafood Consumers:Peoplewhoeatfishbutdonotnecessarilycatchtheirownfish.Wheretheypurchasetheirfish(fishmonger,supermarketorrestaurant)andwhatisselectedintermsofspecies,qualityandpriceareallrelevantfactors.Thechoiceoflocalfishorimportedproductappearstobeanincreasingmarketdriver,asdoestheconsiderationofsustainablefishingorotherenvironmentalaccreditations.
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Figure 14. Detailed component tree for general social issues (outcomes). The dashed line related to direct stakeholders indicates that these elements were dealt with in a previous tree.
State-wide services:Allgenerallyavailableservices,suchaselectricityandacceptablecommunications(i.e.internet,phoneandmail).Inaddition,state-wideservicesincludesthemaintenanceandavailabilityofroadsaswellastheavailabilityoftransport/freightprovisionsforincomingandoutgoingseafoodproductsandfishinggear.Thisvaluealsoincludesboatramps,jetties,fishingboatharboursandmooringareas.
Skills:Referstoskillsprovidedtocommercialfisherstoaidtheirfishingventuresortheirmovementintoalternativeemployment.
Fishing gear suppliers:Businessesthatsellfishinggear(tackle)tocommercialandrecreationalfishersintheWestCoastBioregion.
Fish and bait suppliers:Businessesthatsellfishandbaittothecommercialandrecreationalsectoraswellasthegeneralpublic.
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Fishing Tourism:Businessesthatincludefishing,whichmightbeaffectedbychangesinthemarineenvironmentandfisheries.Thisvaluewouldincludebusinessessuchascaravanparks,jetty kiosks, boat hire etc.
Divers and Snorkellers:Peoplewhomayliveinthelocalareaorspecificallyvisitanareatoparticipateindiving.Theyareoftenlookingforareasofhighbiodiversity,largeanimalsandcharismatic species.
5.10 Economic outcomes
Economicevaluationstendtofocuson‘neteconomicbenefits’,whichusepricesandmarketstodescribebenefitstoanindividualgrouporcommunity.Comparedwithsocialevaluationsthisallowsarelativelystraightforwardapproachtothemeasurementsandcomparisonofbenefitsacrossuses(Vieiraetal,2000).
The‘EconomicOutcomes’trees(Figure15and16)coverthepotentialeconomicimpacts(bothpositiveandnegative)ofthefisheryonthefishingindustryaswellasthatofthelocalorregionalcommunitiesthatareassociatedwithfishing.Thecomponenttreeisbrokenintotwomainbranches;onedealingwiththefishingsectorsandtheirassociatedcommunities(directstakeholders and dependent communities) and the other; local communities directly or indirectly affectedbytheindustry(indirectstakeholdersandgeneralcommunity).
5.11 Economic outcomes: Direct stakeholders
Thetreeforthisgroup(Figure15)includesthecommercial,charter,andaquacultureparticipants.Itdoesnotincludetheindigenousorrecreationalsectorbecausethereshouldbenofinancialgainfromfishingactivitiesfortheseparticipants.
Thetreehasbeendividedbasedonthespeciesgroups(finfish,crustaceansandmolluscs)thatarebeingcapturedandthentherelevantsuites(estuarine,nearshore,inshoredemersalandoffshoredemersal)withinwhichtheyarecaptured.Thislinkstheeconomicbenefitsdirectlybacktothestatusofthecapturedspeciesoutlinedabove.
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Figure 15. Detailed component tree for economic issues (Outcomes); Direct stakeholders.
5.12 Economic outcomes: Indirect stakeholders
Regional Communities
Economicvaluesmayincludethemaintenanceoffishing-relatedprofitsorgeneralemploymentwithinacommunity,whichmightbeimpactedbychangesinfishing.
Statewide
Seafood processors:Thisvaluerepresentsfishprocessingfacilities,theirownersandemployeesintheWestCoastBioregion.
Infrastructure:Physicalcomponentsofthecommunity,suchasharboursandwharves,whichexistprimarilytoservicecommercialandrecreationalfishingandalsobenefitthegeneralpublic.
Seafood restaurants and food outlets: Businesses that sell seafood product (mostly cooked), throughrestaurantsandfoodoutlets.
Boat builders:BusinessesthatmanufactureandsellboatsintheWestCoastBioregion.
Diving operators:TouroperatorsthatcaterforSCUBAdivingandsnorkelling,notincludingfishing.
Boat sellers:Businessesthatsellnewandsecondhandfishingboats.
Seafood consumers:Weredescribedaboveinasocialcontext;however,inaneconomiccontextseafoodconsumersmaywanttoaccesslocalseafoodproductataffordableprices.
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Figure 16. Detailed component tree for general economic outcomes. The dashed line refers to those elements that have been dealt with previously.
5.13 Institutional governance
InstitutionalgovernancecoverssomeofthemostimportantaspectswhenconsideringEBFM.ItquestionswhetheralltheESDandEBFMprinciplesunderpinnedbylegal,institutionaleconomicandpolicyframeworksarecapableofrespondingandtakingappropriatepre-emptoryand remedial actions (ESD 2002).
Theelements in the institutionalgovernance tree (Figure17)coverall the legislative,administrativeandbureaucraticprocessesthatneedtobecompletedtoenabletheissuesintheprevioustreestobedealtwitheffectively(Fletcheretal,2002).ItisdesignedtoconsiderallthemanagementprocesseswithintheDepartmentofFisheries.ExternallinkagesarealsoincludedsuchasconsultationwithkeystakeholdersandconservationNGOs,interactionswithotherStateandCommonwealthDepartments,andlinkageswithUniversitiesandfundingbodies(Figure16).
Inabroadsense,theDepartmentofFisheriesundertakespolicydevelopmentaswellasimplementation.Policydevelopmentisdrivenbyfisherymanagersandisassociatedwithspecific
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researchtounderpinpolicydecisions.Policy(andlegislative)implementationcanbeinfluencedbystakeholderinputaswellasotherGovernmentDepartments(Metcalfetal.2009).Externalfactorssuchaspoliticalprocessescanalsoinfluencethedevelopmentandimplementationofpolicy(Metcalfetal.inprep)andarecoveredinthe‘GeneralExternalDrivers’tree(Figure18)notintheGovernancetree.Themanagementprocessescanbefurthersplitintoresearch(withassociatedmonitoringforspecificfisheries)andcomplianceinordertoundertakeallaspectsofpolicyimplementationandassociatedlegislativerequirementsincludingthatforspecificfisheryManagementPlans.
Eachelementoftheinstitutionalgovernancetree(Figure17)relatesspecificallytopartofthegovernanceprocess.TheDepartmentofFisheriesislooselydividedintothemanagementareasofPolicy,ResearchandCompliance.TheexternallinkagesimpactingontheseprocesseshavebeendividedintointeractionswithstakeholdersandotherStateandCommonwealthdepartments.
Figure 17. Institutional Governance detailed component tree. Ovals represent the level at which risks were consolidated.
DoF Management Processes
Policy development:Thecommercial,charter,recreationalandaquaculturesectorsareallcoveredunderpolicydevelopment.Thisarearelatestotheavailabilityandcomprehensiveness
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ofManagementPlanswithinfisheries,oracomprehensivepolicyforeachsector.Italsorelatestoappropriatelevelsofresourcesavailabletodevelopandimplementpolicyeffectively.
Research:ResearchintheDepartmentofFisheriesfocusesonthegatheringofnewinformationandlong-termmonitoringtoassessstocklevels,monitorbreedingstocksandundertakeenvironmentalassessments.Italsodealswithfishingandfishing-relatedactivities,inparticularthoserelatedtomanaginganyimpactsoffishingontheecosystem.Thiselementisrelatedtotheavailableresourcestocarryoutthesefunctionseffectively.AlthoughtheResearchDivisionislooselydividedsystematically,thecomponenttreereflectssomefishingsectorsaswellasareasthatmaybeatriskorareofdevelopinginterest.
Compliance and education:ThisvaluerelatestoupholdingtheregulationsundertheFishResourcesManagementAct(1994)withintheDepartmentofFisheries.AlthoughtheDivisionisdividedregionally, theelementshavebeendividedintothecommercial,recreational,charterandaquaculturesectors.Withinthesegroups,individualfisherieshavebeenillustratedtoprovideexamplesofvariedcomplianceneedsrelatedtospecificfisheries.ThequestioniswhethercomplianceisadequateinthefisherytodealwiththeRegulationsandarrangementsintheManagementPlan.
Consultation
Key Stakeholders: Thekeyfishery-relatedstakeholdersgatherinformationfromtheirconstituentsandinputintotheDepartmentbywayofformalconsultationprocessesandcommentintodraftpolicy.Theeffectivenessofthisinputisoftenameasureofpolicyuptake.
Interaction; Government Departments:TheDepartmentofFisheriesinteractswithStateandFederalGovernmentDepartmentsatmanylevelsincludingdemonstratingsustainabilityofallexportfisheriestotheCommonwealthDepartmentofEnvironment,Water,HeritageandtheArts(DEWHA)andthelicensingofaquaculturefacilitiesbytheStateDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(DEC).Therearealsointer-jurisdictionalarrangements(e.g.theOffshoreConstitutionalSettlement),aswellasStateandCommonwealthprocesses(e.g.marineparks)thatrequireconsiderableinputandinteraction.
Interaction; Other:NotallgroupsthatinteractwiththeDepartmentarelistedintheInstitutionalGovernancetree.Otherorganisationsthatmaysitoutsidethemainstakeholdergroupsandformalconsultationpathwaysarelistedunder‘InteractionOther.’Thisincludesgroupsinthecommercialandrecreationalfishingcommunity,whichformanddisbanddependingontheirpriorityissuesandotherfundingbodiesthatcouldhavedifferentfundingprioritiesfromtheDepartmentandindirectlyinfluencepolicy.
Theinstitutionalgovernancetreeislikelytobesimilarforallecosystemswithinabioregion.
5.14 General external drivers
TheGeneralExternalDriverstree(Figure18)hasbeendesignedtocapturethemajorissuesthatare/ormayimpactontheecosystemaswellastheperformanceoffisheriesandfishing-relatedactivities.TheseimpactsmayreduceorimprovetheperformanceofafisherybutarenotasaresultoffishingandaregenerallybeyondthescopeoftheDepartmentofFisheries.
Althoughnotabletobecontrolleddirectly,theseexternalissuesstillneedtobetakenintoconsideration,astheyarelikelytoaffectwhatmanagementispossible.Thestrengthorotherwise
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oftheexternaldriverswillalsoaffectthestrengthofmanagementandpriorityofresourceallocationforresearchandmonitoring.
Forexample,ifthebreedingstockofanexploitedspecieswasunderthreatinaparticularecosystem,onemanagementmeasuremaybetoreduceorbanfishing,andprovidefurtherresearchiftherewasalackofinformationavailable.If,onreflection,itwasclearthatthereweresignificantexternaldriversadverselyimpactingtheecosystemandfishstock,themanagementresponsesmaybeoflittlevalueandwouldhavetobemodifiedappropriately.
InanEBMscenario,theseexternaldriversandtheirmitigatingmanagementmeasureswouldbeconsideredbytheresponsiblejurisdictions.However,inanEBFMapproach,onlythosemeasureswithinthelegislativecontrolofthefisheriesagencycanbedealtwith.
TherearetwomajortypesofissuesintheExternalDriverstree.Thefirstareimpactsthatarisefromchangestotheenvironmentsuchasclimateandwaterquality.Theseimpactsmaybenaturaloranthropogenic;however,theremaynotbeasinglecauseoradirectsource.Theothergroupareclearlyanthropogenicandimpactdirectlyonfisheriesorecosystems.Forexample,introducedpestsanddiseases,coastaldevelopmentsandpoliticalprocessesareincludedintheseanthropogenicissues.
Forconsistencywiththeothertreesandtoincreasetherelevancetofisheriesmanagement,theExternalDrivershavebeendividedintothefunctionalspatialgroupsdescribedinthe‘captured’species component trees.
Climate:Thiselementimpactsallmanagementareas.Seasurfacetemperature,oceancurrentsandprecipitationhavelongbeenacknowledgedasimpactingonspeciesdistributionandrecruitment.NaturalvariabilityinthestrengthoftheLeeuwinCurrenthasbeenrecognisedashavingastronglinktotherecruitmentlevelsofmanyfishandcrustaceanspeciesinWA(Lenantonetal.,1991),withprecipitationandcycloneeventsaffectingprawncatches(Vanceetal.,1985).Morerecentdatasuggestingchangestoseasurfacetemperature(Caputietal,1995,Fengetal.,2003)mayincreasetheuncertaintyoftheselinkagesandrequireamoreconservativeapproachwithagreateradherencetothe‘precautionaryprinciple’whensettingmanagementtargets.
Water quality:Water-basedactivitiescanhavemajorimpactsonwaterqualityincludingincreased sediment loads, pollution, nutrient enrichment and increased acid sulphate soils. The areasofimpactaregenerallythemostpopulatedareasalongthecoastoraroundestuariesandembayments.Oilspillsinvaluablefishingareaswerealsoincludedintheexternaldriverstree. The Abrolhos Islands and surrounds is an area that has been considered for a ‘particularly sensitiveseaarea’nominationforthisreason.
Other Human Use:Coastaldevelopmentsareparticularlyprevalentinestuariesandembaymentsandmayimpactonorremoveimportantfishnurseryareas,aswellasaffectingthequalityofwaterwithincreasednutrients,exposureofacidsulphatesoils,removalofwetlands,sedgesandothernaturalwaterfilters.
Introduced Pests and Diseases:Theintroductionofexoticspeciesintothemarineenvironmentisamajorthreattonativebiodiversityandecosystemhealth(Padillaetal,1996)aswellasthefishingandaquacultureindustries.Exoticpestspeciesaremostoftentransportedbetweenregionsbyshipsinballastwaterorashullfoulingorganisms.Theycanalsobedeliberatelyintroduced,althoughthisismorecommoninfreshwaterandinlandwaterways.Pestspeciescan
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alsoescapefromaquaculturefacilities,althoughstrictLicensingandRegulationsinWAseeksto minimise this risk.
WAhasavastcoastlineandtherehavebeenover102speciesofmarinealgaeandanimalsintroducedofwhichover60ofthosespeciesarethoughttobeintroducedthroughhumanactivity.Astheportfacilitiesonthecoastareconsideredlikelyareasofriskforintroducedmarinespecies,theseareashavebeenlistedinthecomponenttrees.
Exoticdiseasesmaybecarriedinthewatercolumn(e.g.Gaut,2001)althoughthisislikelytobeonlyovershortdistances.WApearlingandaquaculturefacilitiesarespacedaccordinglytoreducethisriskoftransmission.Translocatedspeciesareacommoncauseofvectorsofexoticdiseases,butdiseasesalsospreadintonewareasthroughtheaccidentalentryintothewildofaquacultureandornamentalspecies.Spreadofdiseasecanalsooccurthroughbaitand“fouling”organismsonvesselhulls.Issuesaremorelikelytooccurfromdiseaseagentsthatoccurinlocalpopulationswithoutincident,however,becomeproblematicifmovedtodifferentareaswheretheycancausesignificantdiseaseoutbreaks(Huangetal.,1994).
Political Processes:ExternalprocessesataCommonwealth,Stateandlocalgovernmentlevel,canimpactfisheriesandfishingactivitiesatmanylevels.Forexample,allfisheriesareunabletoexporttheirseafoodproductunlesstheyhavedemonstratedtheyaresustainabletoaCommonwealthDepartment.TheimplementationofCommonwealthMarineParkscanresultincommercialandrecreationalfishingrestrictionsand/orclosures.Theimplementationoffishingrestrictionsoradditionalreportingalsorequiresincreasedfisheriescompliance.
Local governmentplaysanimportantroleintheplanninganddevelopmentofthecoastalstripandaccesstofishinglocationsthroughtheprovisionofboatrampsandjetties.Localgovernmentcanalsorestrictfishingaccessincertainareas,includingthatofcommercialfishersfishingdirectlyfromthebeach(R.Lenanton,pers.comm.).
46 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
Figure 18. General External Drivers detailed component tree. Ovals represent the level at which risks were consolidated.
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 47
6.0 Determining whole of agency priorities
6.1 Background
Astherearealargenumberofcomponenttrees(11fortheWestCoastBioregion)withmanyelements(e.g.captured‘fish’species>80),thefullreportingofeachassetthathasariskratingotherthannegligible(medium,highandsevere)isonerousandinsomecasesoflittlevalue,asthesummaryinformationisavailableelsewhere.Amalgamatingorconsolidatingtheriskvaluesprovidesausefulsummaryofpriority.Riskareasaswellasallowingforcrosscheckingofoutcomesandimpactsinthesamefunctionalgroups.
Itisimportanttorecordalloftheelementsidentifiedbystakeholders,theirriskratingsandthejustificationsusedincalculatingtherating.AstheprocessbeingundertakenisEcosystemBasedFisheriesManagement(EBFM)ratherthanEcosystemBasedManagement(EBM),theamalgamationofriskandthespatialgroupingshavebeendesignedtocomplementthewayfishstocksaremanagedinWA.
Theconsolidationprocessreducedthelargenumberofindividualissuesdowntoasmallernumberofassetsandissues;however,theremainderwasstillconsideredtoolargetobeofdirectusewithinawholeofagencyplanningandprioritysettingprocess.Moreover,asmanyoftheindividualecological,socialandeconomiccomponentsareinterrelatedtheyneededtobeintegratedpriortoundertakinganyagencyplanningtoensurethatatrulyholisticapproachtomanagementwastaken.
TheDepartment’sprimaryobjectiveistoensurethesustainabilityoftheecologicalassetsfromwhicheconomicorsocialoutcomesandbenefitscanbegeneratedthroughimplementingappropriatemanagement.Consequently,determiningthepriorityforassigningDepartmentalresources to an area must first take into consideration the direct risks to the stocks or environmentinvolved.Followingthisprocess,theriskstoandlevelsofeconomicandsocialoutcomesderivedfromtheuseofthisassetbythevariousdirectandindirectstakeholdersmustbeconsidered.Usingthisconcept,therewereonly22consolidatedecologicalassetsand2additionalconsolidatedgovernancecategoriestouseasthebasisfordeterminingtheDepartmentalwideprioritieswithintheWestCoastBioregion(seeTable5).
6.2 Results
Thesimplemulti-criteriasystemwasusedtointegratethevariousriskandvaluescoresassociatedwitheachofthe22ecologicalassetsand2governancecategoriesfromtheecological,economicandsocialperspectivesandgenerateasinglescorethatwasusedtocompareprioritiesacrosstheentirebioregion(Table4)2.Thepriorityscoresrangedfromabout102downto4,providingarelativelylargedegreeofdiscriminationamongassets.Ofthe24regionallevelcategories,thescoringsuggestedthattherewerefivewithurgentpriorities,twowithhighprioritiesandsixwithineachofthemedium,lowandverylowpriorities.
ThehighestscorewasgeneratedforCapturedSpecies-ShelfCrustaceans,whichisdominatedbytherocklobsterfishery,thelargestandmostvaluablefisheryintheState.Thehighscorereflectsthatthisfisheryiscurrentlyfacinganumberofsignificantissues(e.g.lowrecruitment,exportmarketdownturnetc.,DepartmentofFisheries2009).Theseincluderecentreductionsin
2 WhentheEBFMprocessiscompletedinotherbioregions,comparisonofprioritiesacrosstheentirestatewillbepossible.
48 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
recruitmentlevelsandhencemajorreductionsintheallowablecatchestoensurethebreedingstocklevelsarenotimpacted.Inaddition,theincomelevelsforthefishersarebeingaffectedbyrelativelylowpricesduetooverseasmarketconditionsandhighexchangerates.Theseconditionsareexacerbatingtheimpactsofincreasedcostsassociatedwithfuelandlabourandgeneratingsignificantsocialissuesforthecatchingandprocessingsectorsaswellasflowonimpactstodependentcommunitiesandservicegroups.Substantialincreasesineffortarenowunderwaytounderstandthecause(s)ofthelowrecruitment,plusexaminewaystomakethefisherymoreprofitablewithintheboundsoftheloweracceptablecatches.
Averyhighscorewasalsogeneratedfortheinshoredemersalfinfishsuiteofspecies.Thissuiteiscaughtbythreeseparatecommercialfisheries,isamajorcomponentofarecreationalcharterfisheryandistheprimarytargetgroupfortheboat-basedrecreationalfishingsector.Consequently,toensurethatalltheEBFMobjectivesforthisbioregionallevelassetareattainedrequiressuccessfulmanagementactionstobetakenwithinanumberofseparatebutinterconnectedfisheries.
Todealwithdecliningstockstatusoftheindicatorspecies,intensivemanagementactivitieshavebeenimplementedoverthepastthreeyearsacrossallrelevantfisheriestoreducetheirlevelofcaptureoftheentiresuiteby50%(Wise,etal.,2008).Thisincludesaformalprocesstodetermineexplicitlevelsofaccesstotheresourceamongthevariouscommercialandrecreationalsectors(DoF,2010).Theseactionshavegeneratedsignificanteconomicandsocialimpactsforthecommercialindustrythroughrestrictionsonwhichlicenseeshadaccesstothefishery,theimpositionofcommercialclosurestosomezonesandreductionsinthetotalaccesslevelsallowed.Similarly,theimpositionofthestrongmeasures(includinglicences,closedseasonsandreducedbaglimits)tosufficientlyreducetherecreationalcatchgeneratedanintenselevelofpublicdebate.
Atthelowerendofthepriorityscale,thepelagicfinfishsuitereceivedonlyaverylowpriority.Thissuitehashadrelativelyminorlevelsoffishingforthepastdecadeduetopoormarketsanddifficultiesintheircaptureateconomicallyviablerates.Consequentlytheriskstothestocksarecurrentlylowtonegligible(andhencenoadditionalrisksforothertrophiclevels),plusthereisminimalcommercialactivity/riskandeffectivelynorecreationalcaptureofspeciesinthissuite.
TheoutcomefortheWestCoastecosystemstructureandbiodiversitywasbothamoderateriskandpriorityscore.Thiswasbasedonanassessmentofthecommunitystructureandtrophiclevelsofallcommerciallycaughtfishspeciesoverthepast30years.Thisassessmentfoundnoevidenceofsystematicchanges,whichwouldbeevidenceofanunacceptableimpactontheecosystem.Giventhatthemainelementswithinthisecosystemthatwereconsideredtobeatriskwerealreadythesubjectofintensemanagement,therewasnoneedforadditionalmanagementactivitiesapartfromtheestablishmentofanongoingmonitoringscheme.ThismonitoringschemewouldhavesamplinglocationsbothwithinandoutsideofareasclosedtofishingandiscurrentlybeingcarriedoutbytheWesternAustralianMarineScienceInstitute(WAMSI).
6.3 Implications
Inmostofthe24categories,thetotalscoresandtheprioritiesareconsistentwithboththelevelsofecologicalriskandthecurrentlevelsofactivitybeingundertakenbytheDepartment.Insomecases,however,severerisksassociatedwiththebenthichabitatsinestuarine/embaymentsdidnotresultinahighDepartmentalprioritybecausenearlyalloftheriskisgeneratedbyactivities(e.g.harbourdredging,sedimentation)thataremanagedbyotheragencies.Similarly,thepriorityfor
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 49
finfishwithinestuariesisnotashighasexpectedjustfromtherisklevel,becausethemajorityoftherisktothesestocksisgeneratedbyexternalfactors,suchascoastaldevelopmentresultinginsedimentation/lossofhabitat,agriculturalrun-offetc.TheDepartmenthasalreadybannedthecaptureofthosestocksmostatriskandworkswiththeotheragenciesthatareresponsibleforcatchmentmanagementtotryandinfluenceimprovementstowaterqualityoutcomes.
OneareawherethereappearstobeamismatchbetweenthepriorityscoreandthecurrentlevelofDepartmentalactivityisforintroducedpestsanddiseases.Thisscoredamediumtohighprioritybutcurrentlythereareveryfewresourcesassignedtothisissue.Havingbeenidentified,thissituationisnowbeingaddressedthroughbothbudgetaryreprioritisationofexistingresourcesandfromsubmissionstogovernmenttocoverthisexpandingriskarea.
Table 5 Outcome from the multi-criteria assessment for the evaluation of ecological assets in the West Coast Bioregion in 20093. The risk scores used are the outcomes of the consolidated risk assessments. The criteria for scoring GVP and Social Amenity are located in Table 3.
ASSET /ISSUEStock/
Environ Risk
GVPEconomic
RiskSocial
AmenitySocial Risk
Other Human
External Impacts
on Stock/ Env. Risk
Total Score and Overall Current Priority
12. WC Crustaceans - Shelf (Lobster)
3 5 5 3 3 0 102 Urgent
8. WC Finfish - Inshore Demersal
5 2 4 4 4 1 96 Urgent
7. WC Finfish – Nearshore
4 1 3 5 4 0 92 Urgent
22. WC Governance - External Linkages
2 5 4 5 4 0 80 Urgent
21. WC Governance - Internal Processes
2 5 4 5 4 0 80 Urgent
3. WC Ecosystem – Abrolhos
3 5 3 5 2 0 75 High
11. WC Crustaceans - nearshore/estuarine
4 2 3 5 3 0.5 73.5 High
23. WC External - Climate Change
3 5 3 5 2 1 50 Medium
24. WC External - Introduced Pests & Diseases
3 3 1 3 4 0 45 Medium
13. WC Molluscs –nearshore
3 4 2 3 2 0 42 Medium
2. WC Ecosystem – Marine
3 5 2 5 2 1 40 Medium
6. WC Finfish – Estuarine
5 1 3 4 4 3 38 Medium
3 Notetheserisksandprioritieshavebeenupdatedsincetheseweredevelopedin2009.
50 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
ASSET /ISSUEStock/
Environ Risk
GVPEconomic
RiskSocial
AmenitySocial Risk
Other Human
External Impacts
on Stock/ Env. Risk
Total Score and Overall Current Priority
14. WC Protected species - non fish – mammals
3 1 1 3 3 0 30 Medium
1. WC Ecosystem – Estuarine
4 3 3 4 4 4 25 Low
9. WC Finfish -Offshore Demersal
4 2 2 1 1 0 20 Low
19. WC Benthic - Inshore Demersal
2 5 1 4 1 0 18 Low
17. WC Benthic - Estuaries
5 1 3 3 4 4 15 Low
4. LN Ecosystem Estuarine
4 3 2 3 3 3 15 Low
5. LN Ecosystem marine
2 1 1 3 2 0 14 Very Low
15. WC Protected species - non fish – non mammals
2 1 1 4 3 1 13 Very Low
18. WC Benthic - Nearshore
2 3 1 4 2 1 11 Very Low
20. WC Benthic - Offshore
2 1 1 2 1 0 6 Very Low
16. WC Protected species - fish
1 1 0 3 2 0 6 Very Low
10. WC Finfish- Pelagic
2 1 1 1 1 0 4 Very Low
Integrating EBFM into departmental planning and reporting
FollowingthecompletionoftheEBFMbasedassessmentfortheWestCoastBioregion,thevalueofthisapproachwasreviewedbytheCorporateExecutivegroupwithintheDepartmentanditwasagreedthattheDepartment’sRiskRegister,whichisthebasisforthebudgetplanningprocess,wouldberevisedusingthesetofEBFMecologicalassetsfromeachoftheState’sBioregions(ofwhichtheWestCoastisone)astheprimarycategories.Thissystemwillbeupdatedannuallybasedontheoutcomesofthepreviousyear’sactivitiesandanyresultingshiftsinrisk/valuescoresfordeterminingthebudgetprioritiesforthefollowingyear.
ThemeasurementoftheDepartment’sperformanceinmanagingtheseregionallevelecologicalassetshasalreadybegunwiththecurrentstatusandsummaryofactivitiesfortheWestCoastassetsnowincludedintheAnnualReportstoParliament(e.g.seeDoF,2011).Thisreportingisexpectedtobecomemorecomprehensiveoverthenextfiveyears.
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 51
7.0 Summary EBFM outcomes
Thefollowingsetoftablessummarisesthestatusandrisklevelsforeachoftheconsolidatedassets in 20094.ThetablealsooutlineswhatcurrentactivitiesareunderwayplustheDepartmentallevelofrelativepriorityforthisissueforfutureactivities.Forexample,anecosystem/valuemaybedeterminedtobeathighriskduetosubstantialnon-fishingimpacts.ThepriorityforfutureDepartmentofFisheriesactivitiesforthisvaluewouldbelowerthaniftheriskwasduetofishing-relatedactivities(see‘Residualrisk’and‘Agencyprioritysettingformula’).Notetheserisksarebasedonafiveyearfuturehorizon,notnecessarilythesameratingasforcurrentstatus.
4 ThistableisnowupdatedannuallyandreportedintheStateofFisheriesandAquaticResourcesReport–someriskscoreshavethereforechanged
52 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
7.1
Eco
syst
em s
truct
ure
an
d b
iodiv
ersi
ty
Obj
ectiv
es -
H
IGH
LE
VE
L -
Mai
ntai
n he
alth
y fu
nctio
nal e
cosy
stem
s
S
PE
CIF
IC F
ISH
ER
Y -
Man
age
cum
ulat
ive
fishe
ries
impa
cts
at a
ccep
tabl
e le
vels
Eco
syst
em
Ris
k L
evel
Sta
tus
Cu
rren
t A
ctiv
itie
s
Pri
ori
ty f
or
futu
re
Dep
artm
ent
of
Fis
her
ies
Act
ivit
ies
Abr
olho
s Is
land
s M
arin
e
LOW
-
ME
DIU
M
The
Abr
olho
s Is
land
s ar
e m
anag
ed w
ithin
a ‘F
ish
Hab
itat
Pro
tect
ion
Are
a’,
and
are
not
curr
ently
co
nsid
ered
to
be a
t m
ajor
ris
k fr
om f
ishe
ries
rela
ted
activ
ities
. T
his
risk
leve
l was
ass
esse
d ba
sed
upon
the
ac
cept
ance
tha
t w
hile
the
re h
as li
kely
bee
n a
chan
ge
in t
he r
elat
ive
com
posi
tion
of s
ome
finfis
h sp
ecie
s th
ere
does
not
, ap
pear
to
have
bee
n ei
ther
a lo
ss o
f bi
odiv
ersi
ty o
r a
notic
eabl
e ch
ange
in t
he t
ypes
of
com
mun
ities
pre
sent
. T
his
ecos
yste
m w
ill b
e es
peci
ally
vul
nera
ble
to c
limat
e ch
ange
impa
cts
due
to t
he u
niqu
e co
mbi
natio
n of
mac
ro a
lgae
and
cor
al.
The
re a
re a
num
ber
of r
esea
rch
prog
ram
s in
thi
s ec
osys
tem
. T
hese
incl
ude
mon
itorin
g of
the
hea
lth
of c
oral
com
mun
ities
at
the
Abr
olho
s Is
land
s. T
his
prog
ram
, ut
ilise
s pe
rman
ent
cora
l tra
nsec
ts lo
cate
d at
eac
h of
the
isla
nd g
roup
s, w
ill c
olle
ct im
port
ant
base
line
info
rmat
ion
on c
oral
com
mun
ities
, al
low
ing
rese
arch
ers
to q
uant
ify w
heth
er lo
bste
r fis
hing
w
ith p
ots
resu
lts in
dam
age
to s
ensi
tive
cora
l ha
bita
ts,
and
to d
eter
min
e th
e vu
lner
abili
ty o
f co
ral
com
mun
ities
at
the
Abr
olho
s to
clim
ate
chan
ge.
Sur
veys
of
the
com
mun
ity s
truc
ture
of
finfis
h ar
e al
so
unde
rway
as
part
of
the
WA
MS
I in
itiat
ive.
Sco
re –
75
Hig
h
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 53
Eco
syst
em
Ris
k L
evel
Sta
tus
Cu
rren
t A
ctiv
itie
s
Pri
ori
ty f
or
futu
re
Dep
artm
ent
of
Fis
her
ies
Act
ivit
ies
Wes
t C
oast
Mar
ine
LOW
–
ME
DIU
M
An
asse
ssm
ent
of c
omm
unity
str
uctu
re a
nd t
roph
ic
leve
l of
all c
omm
erci
ally
cau
ght
fish
spec
ies
over
th
e pa
st 3
0 ye
ars
thro
ugh
an F
RD
C f
unde
d st
udy
foun
d no
evi
denc
e of
sys
tem
atic
cha
nges
tha
t co
uld
be v
iew
ed e
vide
nce
of a
n un
acce
ptab
le im
pact
of
fishi
ng o
n th
is e
cosy
stem
.A
rec
ently
com
plet
ed F
RD
C f
unde
d pr
ojec
t pr
ovid
ed
criti
cal i
nfor
mat
ion
on t
he r
elat
ions
hips
bet
wee
n ro
ck
lobs
ter
abun
danc
e, s
ize
dist
ribut
ions
and
ben
thic
ha
bita
t ch
arac
teris
tics
in d
eep
wat
er,
and
prel
imin
ary
data
on
the
trop
hic
role
of
rock
lobs
ter
in d
eep
wat
er
ecos
yste
ms.
Fur
ther
eco
logi
cal r
esea
rch
in d
eep
wat
ers,
su
ppor
ted
by W
AM
SI
and
the
FR
DC
, w
ill c
ompa
re
fishe
d an
d un
fishe
d ar
eas
usin
g a
deep
-wat
er
refe
renc
e ar
ea. A
key
obj
ectiv
e of
thi
s pr
ojec
t w
ill
be t
o en
able
pot
entia
l eco
syst
em im
pact
s of
lobs
ter
fishi
ng t
o be
qua
ntifi
ed.
Dev
elop
men
t of
sam
plin
g m
etho
dolo
gies
to
effe
ctiv
ely
mon
itor
bent
hic
habi
tats
in
fis
hed
and
unfis
hed
area
s.M
ajor
exp
erim
enta
l and
mod
ellin
g ba
sed
proj
ects
are
un
derw
ay a
t Ju
rien
Bay
by
CS
IRO
and
EC
U t
hrou
gh
WA
MS
I no
de 1
.
Sco
re –
40
Mod
erat
e
Est
uarie
s
HIG
H –
S
EV
ER
E
The
est
uarie
s an
d em
baym
ents
with
in t
his
area
ha
ve b
een
iden
tifie
d as
bei
ng a
t se
vere
ris
k, d
ue
to e
xter
nal f
acto
rs (
wat
er q
ualit
y is
sues
due
to
high
nu
trie
nt r
unof
f fr
om s
urro
undi
ng c
atch
men
t),
whi
ch
have
the
pot
entia
l to
affe
ct f
ish
com
mun
ities
. P
oor
wat
er q
ualit
y w
ithin
the
Pee
l – H
arve
y an
d S
wan
-C
anni
ng e
stua
ries,
and
Coc
kbur
n S
ound
are
of
part
icul
ar c
once
rn.
The
Por
t of
Fre
man
tle p
rovi
ded
fund
ing
to t
he
Dep
artm
ent
to a
sses
s th
e po
tent
ial i
mpa
cts
of a
pr
opos
ed n
ew o
uter
por
t de
velo
pmen
t in
Coc
kbur
n S
ound
on
impo
rtan
t as
pect
s of
the
bio
logy
of
the
nativ
e fa
una,
and
use
r gr
oups
in t
he v
icin
ity. A
fin
al
repo
rt w
as r
ecen
tly p
repa
red
and
com
bine
d w
ith
asso
ciat
ed s
tudi
es u
nder
take
n by
oth
er o
rgan
isat
ions
on
asp
ects
of
the
prop
osed
dev
elop
men
t. T
hese
as
pect
s in
clud
ed m
odel
led
chan
ges
to c
ircul
atio
n pa
ttern
s in
Coc
kbur
n S
ound
, an
d po
tent
ial i
mpa
cts
to p
engu
in a
nd d
olph
in p
opul
atio
ns,
to a
llow
for
a f
ull
risk
asse
ssm
ent
of t
he p
ropo
sed
deve
lopm
ent.
Mur
doch
Uni
vers
ity is
und
erta
king
a n
umbe
r of
ec
osys
tem
bas
ed s
tudi
es a
nd m
odel
ling
wor
k w
ithin
the
Sw
an R
iver
and
the
Pee
l Har
vey
and
Lesc
hena
ult
estu
arie
s as
par
t of
the
WA
MS
I no
de 4
.
Sco
re –
25
Low
54 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
Eco
syst
em
Ris
k L
evel
Sta
tus
Cu
rren
t A
ctiv
itie
s
Pri
ori
ty f
or
futu
re
Dep
artm
ent
of
Fis
her
ies
Act
ivit
ies
Leeu
win
-N
atur
alis
teM
arin
e
LOW
The
ris
ks o
f si
gnifi
cant
impa
cts
on t
he m
arin
e co
mm
uniti
es in
thi
s re
gion
are
rel
ativ
ely
low
in t
his
regi
on.
Sco
re –
14
Ver
y Lo
w
Est
uarie
sH
IGH
E
xter
nal f
acto
rs s
uch
as w
ater
qua
lity
issu
es in
th
e B
lack
woo
d E
stua
ry,
due
to h
igh
nutr
ient
run
-off
from
sur
roun
ding
land
, as
wel
l as
acid
sul
phat
e so
il co
ntam
inat
ion
are
of c
once
rn t
o su
stai
nabl
e fis
h st
ocks
Sco
re –
15
Low
7.2
Cap
ture
d f
ish
spec
ies
Obj
ectiv
es –
H
IGH
LE
VE
L -
Mai
ntai
n at
leve
ls t
hat
are
cons
iste
nt w
ith e
cosy
stem
fun
ctio
n.
S
PE
CIF
IC F
ISH
ER
Y-
Mai
ntai
n sp
awni
ng b
iom
ass
of a
ll ca
ptur
ed s
peci
es a
t le
ast
abov
e th
e le
vel t
hat
min
imis
es t
he r
isk
of r
ecru
itmen
t ov
er f
ishi
ng.
Sp
ecie
s A
ssem
bla
ge
Ris
k le
vel
Sta
tus
Cu
rren
t A
ctiv
itie
sP
rio
rity
fo
r fu
ture
A
ctiv
itie
sF
infis
hE
stua
rine
SE
VE
RE
W
est
coas
t es
tuar
ies
are
high
ly
mod
ified
, an
d of
ten
degr
aded
, en
viro
nmen
ts.
In t
hese
est
uarie
s, t
he
impa
cts
of e
nviro
nmen
tal f
acto
rs o
n fis
h st
ock
abun
danc
es a
re li
kely
to
be a
t le
ast
as im
port
ant
as f
ishi
ng
pres
sure
. M
anag
emen
t of
fis
h co
mm
uniti
es
in w
est
coas
t es
tuar
ies
requ
ires
a co
llabo
rativ
e ef
fort
bet
wee
n fis
hery
an
d ha
bita
t m
anag
ers.
With
red
uced
leve
ls o
f co
mm
erci
al f
ishi
ng in
the
se e
stua
ries,
th
e re
sear
ch f
ocus
has
shi
fted
to g
athe
r a
grea
ter
leve
l of
info
rmat
ion
from
the
rec
reat
iona
l sec
tor
and
fishe
ry-in
depe
nden
t so
urce
s. R
esea
rch
to m
onito
r th
e st
atus
of
the
fish
stoc
ks in
th
is f
ishe
ry is
bas
ed o
n fis
hery
-inde
pend
ent
surv
eys
of a
nnua
l re
crui
tmen
t, m
onth
ly C
AE
S r
etur
ns p
rovi
ded
by in
dust
ry a
nd
volu
ntar
y re
crea
tiona
l log
book
s.
Sco
re –
38
Mod
erat
e
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 55
Sp
ecie
s A
ssem
bla
ge
Ris
k le
vel
Sta
tus
Cu
rren
t A
ctiv
itie
sP
rio
rity
fo
r fu
ture
A
ctiv
itie
sF
infis
hIn
shor
e D
emer
sal
SE
VE
RE
Con
cern
s fo
r th
e su
ite o
f de
mer
sal
spec
ies
(whi
ch in
clud
es d
hufis
h,
pink
sna
pper
, ba
ldch
in g
rope
r) w
ere
conf
irmed
fol
low
ing
rece
nt r
evie
ws
of
the
stoc
k as
sess
men
ts c
ompl
eted
for
th
e th
ree
indi
cato
r sp
ecie
s.
Str
ong
man
agem
ent
actio
ns h
ave
now
bee
n ta
ken
on
both
com
mer
cial
and
rec
reat
iona
l sec
tors
. D
eter
min
ing
the
appr
opria
te c
atch
sha
res
for
com
mer
cial
and
rec
reat
iona
l use
rs
is n
ow u
nder
con
side
ratio
n th
roug
h th
e IF
AA
C p
roce
ss.
The
re
is o
ngoi
ng m
onito
ring
of t
he a
ge s
truc
ture
of
the
indi
cato
rs a
nd
the
catc
h le
vels
of
each
cat
chin
g se
ctor
. W
ork
on t
he s
tock
st
ruct
ure
and
ocea
nogr
aphi
c in
fluen
ces
is a
lso
unde
rway
by
WA
MS
I pr
ojec
ts.
Sco
re –
96
Urg
ent
Nea
r-sh
ore
Dem
ersa
lH
IGH
The
are
incr
easi
ng c
once
rns
for
Aus
tral
ian
Her
ring,
tai
lor
and
skip
jack
tr
eval
ly a
nd w
hitin
g in
the
nea
rsho
re
regi
on g
iven
the
pot
entia
l for
re
crea
tiona
l fis
hing
leve
ls t
o in
crea
se
due
to in
crea
sed
man
agem
ent
cont
rols
on
popu
lar
insh
ore
dem
ersa
l sp
ecie
s.
Two
new
NR
M a
nd F
RD
C f
unde
d pr
ojec
ts h
ave
begu
n to
ex
amin
e th
e st
atus
of
the
key
indi
cato
r st
ocks
in t
his
suite
of
spe
cies
. T
hese
will
com
plim
ent
the
wor
k th
at is
has
bee
n un
derw
ay m
onito
ring
recr
uitm
ent
of k
ey s
peci
es o
ver
the
past
10
yea
rs.
Sco
re-
88U
rgen
t
Offs
hore
D
emer
sal
ME
DIU
M –
HIG
H
Som
e of
the
key
indi
cato
r sp
ecie
s in
thi
s de
epw
ater
loca
tion
are
vuln
erab
le t
o ov
erfis
hing
. O
verla
ps in
ca
tch
also
exi
st w
ith C
omm
onw
ealth
tr
awl v
esse
ls.
Man
agem
ent
arra
ngem
ents
for
to
cove
r fis
hing
in t
hese
dep
ths,
es
peci
ally
for
rec
reat
iona
l sec
tor,
are
in t
he p
roce
ss o
f be
ing
final
ised
.
Sco
re –
20
Low
Pel
agic
LOW
T
here
is n
ow m
inim
al c
aptu
re o
f pe
lagi
c fis
h in
thi
s bi
oreg
ion.
Low
leve
l mon
itorin
g of
cat
ch le
vels
onl
y ar
e ne
eded
. S
core
– 4
Ver
y Lo
wC
rust
acea
nsE
stua
rine
(Cra
bs)
ME
DIU
M -
H
IGH
The
sto
cks
of c
rabs
in C
ockb
urn
Sou
nd h
ave
been
at
depl
eted
leve
ls
for
the
past
few
yea
rs b
ut a
re n
ow
in t
he p
roce
ss o
f re
cove
ry s
ince
the
cl
osur
e of
fis
hing
occ
urre
d in
200
7.
Sto
cks
in o
ther
reg
ions
of
the
Wes
t C
oast
are
bei
ng r
evie
wed
.
Res
earc
h fu
ndin
g (D
BIF
) w
as o
btai
ned
in 2
007
to (
a) a
sses
s re
cove
ry o
f bl
ue s
wim
mer
cra
b sp
awni
ng s
tock
and
rec
ruitm
ent
in C
ockb
urn
Sou
nd (
b) e
xam
ine
the
gene
tic d
iffer
ence
bet
wee
n th
e C
ockb
urn
Sou
nd s
tock
with
tha
t in
War
nbro
Sou
nd a
nd
the
Sw
an R
iver
; (c
) un
dert
ake
a 12
mon
th r
ecre
atio
nal s
urve
y in
the
Pee
l-Har
vey
estu
ary;
(d)
ass
ess
the
stat
us o
f th
e cr
ab
popu
latio
n in
the
Pee
l-Har
vey
estu
ary
(e)
unde
rtak
e co
mm
erci
al
mon
itorin
g in
the
Wes
t C
oast
Est
uarin
e, W
arnb
ro S
ound
and
M
andu
rah-
Bun
bury
fis
herie
s.U
sing
the
dat
a co
llect
ed t
he C
ockb
urn
Sou
nd is
rev
iew
ed
annu
ally
. M
anag
emen
t in
the
Man
dura
h re
gion
will
be
revi
ewed
in
201
0 to
det
erm
ine
whe
n th
e re
sear
ch r
esul
ts a
re a
vaila
ble.
Sco
re –
73.
5 H
igh
56 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
Sp
ecie
s A
ssem
bla
ge
Ris
k le
vel
Sta
tus
Cu
rren
t A
ctiv
itie
sP
rio
rity
fo
r fu
ture
A
ctiv
itie
sS
helf(
Lobs
ters
an
d pr
awns
)
ME
DIU
M
Des
pite
rec
ent
low
rec
ruitm
ent
leve
ls
the
stro
ng m
anag
emen
t th
at is
bei
ng
appl
ied
to t
he r
ock
lobs
ter
fishe
ry
shou
ld e
nsur
e th
e st
ock
leve
ls o
f ke
y cr
usta
cean
s in
thi
s re
gion
, w
este
rn
rock
lobs
ters
and
pra
wns
are
bot
h cu
rren
tly a
t ap
prop
riate
leve
ls.
In a
dditi
on t
o th
e lo
ng s
tand
ing
com
preh
ensi
ve m
onito
ring
of t
he
lobs
ter
fishe
ry,
new
res
earc
h pr
ojec
ts a
re lo
okin
g at
iden
tifyi
ng
fact
ors
affe
ctin
g th
e lo
w w
este
rn r
ock
lobs
ter
puer
ulus
se
ttlem
ent
in r
ecen
t ye
ars.
Inc
ludi
ng g
enet
ics,
oce
anog
raph
ic
stud
ies
and
mod
ellin
g.E
xten
sive
cha
nges
hav
e be
en m
ade
to t
he m
anag
emen
t of
the
co
mm
erci
al lo
bste
r fis
hery
to
ensu
re t
hat
the
spaw
ning
sto
ck
rem
ains
at
acce
ptab
le le
vels
into
the
fut
ure.
Sco
re –
102
Urg
ent
Mol
lusc
sN
ears
hore
ME
DIU
M
The
sto
cks
of a
balo
ne a
re
cons
erva
tivel
y m
anag
ed w
ith s
tron
g m
anag
emen
t co
ntro
ls o
n bo
th
com
mer
cial
and
rec
reat
iona
l fis
hers
.
Long
-sta
ndin
g re
sear
ch m
onito
ring
and
stric
t m
anag
emen
t ar
rang
emen
ts a
re li
kely
to
cont
inue
for
bot
h se
ctor
s.E
xplic
it ac
cess
allo
catio
ns t
o ea
ch s
ecto
r ha
ve b
een
dete
rmin
ed
thro
ugh
the
IFM
pro
cess
com
plet
ed in
200
9.
Sco
re –
42
Mod
erat
e
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 57
7.3
Pr
ote
cted
spec
ies
Obj
ectiv
es –
H
IGH
LE
VE
L -
Fis
herie
s ar
e co
nduc
ted
in a
man
ner
that
avo
ids
mor
talit
y of
, or
inju
ries
to,
enda
nger
ed,
thre
aten
ed o
r pr
otec
ted
spec
ies.
S
PE
CIF
IC F
ISH
ER
Y -
Cum
ulat
ive
impa
cts
of a
ll W
A f
ishi
ng a
ctiv
ities
do
not
gene
rate
unac
cept
able
impa
cts.
Pro
tect
ed
fish
sp
ecie
sR
isk
leve
l S
tatu
sC
urr
ent
Act
ivit
ies
Pri
ori
ty
Pro
tect
ed
non
‘Fis
h’
spec
ies
Tur
tles
LOW
RIS
KT
here
is m
inim
al im
pact
of
any
fishi
ng
activ
ity o
n an
y tu
rtle
spe
cies
with
in t
his
bior
egio
n.
Mon
itorin
g in
tera
ctio
ns o
nly.
All
maj
or f
ishe
ries
have
bee
n as
sess
ed u
nder
Par
t 13
of
the
Com
mon
wea
lth E
PB
C a
ct t
o en
sure
the
y ar
e no
t ca
ptur
ing
unac
cept
able
leve
ls.
Sco
re -
13
Lo
w
Sea
bird
sLO
W
-ME
DIU
M
RIS
K
Littl
e P
engu
ins
are
cons
ider
ed a
t ris
k fr
om f
ishi
ng a
nd b
oatin
g (b
oat
strik
es)
in t
his
regi
on.
Mon
itorin
g in
tera
ctio
ns o
nly
All
maj
or f
ishe
ries
have
bee
n as
sess
ed u
nder
Par
t 13
of
the
Com
mon
wea
lth E
PB
C a
ct t
o en
sure
the
y ar
e no
t ca
ptur
ing
unac
cept
able
leve
ls.
Mam
mal
sLO
W R
ISK
Sea
lion
exc
lusi
on d
evic
es (
SLE
Ds)
re
quire
d fo
r ro
ck lo
bste
r po
ts n
ear
sea
lion
bree
ding
isla
nds
has
redu
ced
the
leve
l of
risk.
Aus
tral
ian
Sea
Lio
ns a
nd S
outh
ern
Rig
ht W
hale
inte
ract
ions
may
incr
ease
in
fut
ure
with
incr
easi
ng n
umbe
rs.
Impl
emen
ting
SLE
Ds
into
the
Abr
olho
s Is
land
s in
add
ition
to
the
area
aro
und
Jurie
n B
ay c
olon
y is
und
er d
iscu
ssio
n.M
onito
ring
inte
ract
ions
con
tinue
s.A
ll m
ajor
fis
herie
s ha
ve b
een
asse
ssed
und
er P
art
13 o
f th
e C
omm
onw
ealth
EP
BC
act
to
ensu
re t
hey
are
not
capt
urin
g un
acce
ptab
le le
vels
.
Sco
re –
30
Mod
erat
e
Pro
tect
ed
‘Fis
h’
Spe
cies
Fis
hLO
W-M
ED
IUM
R
ISK
Blu
e gr
oper
(R
ottn
est
Isla
nd),
and
C
obbl
er (
Sw
an C
anni
ng)
Whi
te S
hark
s.
Ban
s on
the
cap
ture
and
ret
entio
n of
the
se s
peci
es h
as a
lread
y oc
curr
ed.
All
maj
or f
ishe
ries
have
bee
n as
sess
ed u
nder
Par
t 13
of
the
Com
mon
wea
lths
EP
BC
act
to
ensu
re t
hey
are
not
capt
urin
g un
acce
ptab
le le
vels
.
Sco
re -
6V
ery
Low
Cru
stac
eans
No
RIS
KN
A
Mol
lusc
sLO
W R
ISK
Few
spe
cies
in t
his
cate
gory
.N
A
58 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
7.4
B
enth
ic h
abit
ats
Obj
ectiv
es –
H
IGH
LE
VE
L -
Mai
ntai
n he
alth
y an
d pr
oduc
tive
habi
tats
SP
EC
IFIC
FIS
HE
RY
- E
nsur
e di
rect
impa
cts
on h
abita
ts f
rom
fis
hing
are
mai
ntai
ned
at a
ccep
tabl
e le
vels
.
Ben
thic
Hab
itat
Ris
k le
vel
Sta
tus
Cu
rren
t A
ctiv
itie
s P
rio
rity
Est
uarie
s an
d E
mba
ymen
tsS
and
HIG
H
(non
–fis
hing
)
Man
y sa
nd h
abita
ts in
est
uarin
e an
d em
baym
ent
habi
tats
are
thr
eate
ned
by f
acto
rs s
uch
as p
oor
wat
er q
ualit
y, d
irect
loss
of
habi
tat
thro
ugh
coas
tal
infr
astr
uctu
re a
nd p
hysi
cal d
istu
rban
ce e
.g.
dred
ging
), s
edim
enta
tion
and
smot
herin
g by
alg
ae.
The
re a
re m
inim
al im
pact
s of
fis
hing
on
thes
e ha
bita
ts.
Rev
iew
and
com
men
t on
any
app
licat
ions
su
bmitt
ed t
o E
PA
on
pote
ntia
l im
pact
on
thes
e ha
bita
ts.
Sco
re -
15Lo
w
Sea
gras
sM
ED
IUM
R
ISK
(n
on-
fishi
ng)
Sea
gras
s ha
bita
t th
reat
ened
non
-fis
hing
rel
ated
ac
tiviti
es (
coas
tal i
nfra
stru
ctur
e an
d as
soci
ated
dr
edgi
ng (
dire
ct h
abita
t lo
ss,
turb
idity
).
Rev
iew
and
com
men
t on
any
app
licat
ions
su
bmitt
ed t
o E
PA
on
pote
ntia
l im
pact
on
thes
e ha
bita
ts.
Nea
rsho
reS
and
LOW
RIS
K M
inim
al d
irect
impa
cts
and
high
rec
over
y ra
tes.
Rev
iew
and
com
men
t on
any
app
licat
ions
su
bmitt
ed t
o E
PA
on
pote
ntia
l im
pact
on
thes
e ha
bita
ts.
Sco
re –
11
Ver
y Lo
w
Sea
gras
sLO
W R
ISK
No
dest
ruct
ive
fishi
ng m
etho
ds a
llow
ed in
the
se
area
s. M
ost
likel
y im
pact
s fr
om d
evel
opm
ents
. R
evie
w a
nd c
omm
ent
on a
ny a
pplic
atio
ns
subm
itted
to
EP
A o
n po
tent
ial i
mpa
ct o
n th
ese
habi
tats
.M
angr
oves
ME
DIU
M
RIS
K(n
on-f
ishi
ng)
Man
grov
e co
mm
uniti
es a
t Abr
olho
s Is
land
s.R
evie
w a
nd c
omm
ent
on a
ny a
pplic
atio
ns
subm
itted
to
EP
A o
n po
tent
ial i
mpa
ct o
n th
ese
habi
tats
.
Roc
ky R
eef
LOW
RIS
KM
inim
al d
irect
impa
cts
and
high
rec
over
y ra
tes.
Wor
k fr
om t
he r
ock
lobs
ter
ecos
yste
m s
tudi
es
will
pro
vide
info
rmat
ion
abou
t th
is h
abita
t. C
oral
Ree
fLO
W R
ISK
Min
imal
dire
ct im
pact
s.P
erm
anen
t co
ral t
rans
ects
loca
ted
at e
ach
of t
he A
brol
hos
isla
nd g
roup
s, w
ill c
olle
ct
impo
rtan
t ba
selin
e in
form
atio
n on
cor
al
com
mun
ities
, al
low
ing
rese
arch
ers
to q
uant
ify
whe
ther
lobs
ter
fishi
ng w
ith p
ots
resu
lts in
da
mag
e to
sen
sitiv
e co
ral h
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Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 59
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60 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
8.0 Discussion
8.1 General
ThepurposeofthiscasestudywastoassesswhethertheEBFMframeworkcanassistnaturalresourcemanagementplanningfortheoptimalmanagementofmarineresourcesatabioregionallevel.Itwasalsotheintentiontoensurethattheplanningstructures,tomeetthelegislativeresponsibilitiesoftheDepartmentofFisheries,werebeingundertakeninaholisticmanner.TheEBFMframeworkthatwasdevelopedthroughthiscasestudywasultimatelysuccessfulinmeetingbothoftheseobjectivesbecauseapragmatic,management-focusedapproachwastaken.
UndertakinganEBFMprocessthatcoveredanentirebioregioncouldhaveeasilybecometoocomplextobeofanypracticalvalueformanagement.Thesystemneededtodevelopthemechanismstointegratetheissuesidentifiedandinformationgatheredintoaformthatcouldbeusedbyamanagementagency.Inparticular,arisk-basedapproachhadtobeusedsothatautomaticcollectionofmoredataand/ortheexpectationfordirectmanagementofallidentifiedissuesdidnotoccurunlesssuchactionswerenecessary.
TheEBFMframeworkalsohadtoaccommodatetheexpectationsofstakeholdersinarealisticmanner.Thisinitiallyinvolvedcapturingallrelevantissuesofconcern(orperceivedconcern)fortheWestCoastBioregionatthelevelofinterestofthevariousstakeholdergroups.Whilethislargenumberofindividualelementswereultimatelyconsolidatedintoregionallevelassets,thedetailswerenotlostbutaresubjecttoperiodicreview(seeAppendix1fordetails).Moreover,theseassessmentswillgenerallyformthebasisofdetailedworkplansfortheprojectsdesignedtoaddresstherisksassociatedwiththerelevantconsolidatedasset.Theframeworkdealswiththemulti-fisherynatureoftheissuesbecauseitisabletointegratetheexistingmanagementarrangementsandinformationavailableattheindividualfisherylevel,andnotmerelyreplicateprocesses.Finally,clearlydeterminingtherelativepriorityofissues,allowsforamoreefficientuseofgovernmentresourcesbecauseanyexpenditureonresearch,complianceorpolicyprojects,whichiscurrentlydirectedtowardslow-riskelements,could(andshould)beredirectedtowardshigherriskelements.
TheEBFMframeworkoutlinedhereassessestherisksandprioritiesassociatedwithhavingeffectivemanagementattheregionallevel.Itdoesnotascertainwhatprecisemanagementapproachesmightbeappliedtothespecificrisksidentified.Thisstepshouldremainpartoftheindividualfisheryplansandrisksmustalsobeviewedascriticaltoachievingbroaderobjectives.Thetwoprocesses:riskassessmentandthedeterminationofmanagementapproachesarenotindependent processes.
Giventhelargescaleoftheregionandthepotentiallylimitlessissuesthatcouldbecovered,theapproachtakentoapplytheEBFMprincipleswasnecessarilypragmatic.Thedecisionsonwhatwouldbethespecificconsolidatedassetsandcategoriesdeterminedbytheprocesssometimeshadtoinvolvecompromises,butthealternativesprobablywouldnotnoticeablyaffecttheoveralloutcome.Similarly,someoftheriskandvaluescorescouldberefined,butgenerallynotbyadegreethatwouldmateriallychangetheoverallpriorityforanasset.Finally,thescoringsystemusedfortheprioritisationofdepartmentalriskshadtobesufficientlysimplesoitcouldbeappliedinallcircumstances.Ifthesystemwastoocomplexitwasunlikelytohavebeenadopted.
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 61
TheformuladevelopedtogeneratetheprioritieswasappropriateforourcircumstancesgiventhelegislativeresponsibilitieswithintheFisheriesAct.Thedetailsofthismaynotbeappropriateinallcircumstances,suchasiftheoneagencyisresponsibleforallmarinemattersorwhereadifferentemphasishastobeplacedonsocialoreconomicoutcomes.Wehavenowchangedthecalculationtoenableawholeofgovernment(EBM)scoretobegeneratedinadditiontotheEBFM score for use just by the Department of Fisheries.
Theprocessofexplicitlyarticulatinghowprioritiesareeffectivelydeterminedwasitselfaveryusefulexerciseasthisstephadpreviouslyusedanimplicitprocessandislikelytohavebeenappliedinconsistently.AvaluableoutcomewastherecognitionthatwehadalreadybeenimplicitlydiscountingtherisksgeneratedbyactivitiesunderotherlegislativemanagementsystemswhendeterminingDepartmentalpriorities.Hence,thiswasnotonlyusefulforsettingourinternalprioritiesfordirectmanagementactionsbutalsofordiscussionswithotheragenciesplusgovernmentaboutwhetherthecurrentjurisdictionalandmanagementresponsibilitiesareappropriate.
TheapplicationandconsolidationoftheEBFMframeworktoidentifyandassignrisksfortheWestCoastBioregionandthenconsolidatingtheseuptoalevelthatwaspracticalformanagement,hasnotonlyassistedinimprovingtheplanningprocesses,buthasalsorevitalisedtheapproachtoidentifyingandmanagingtherisksacrosstheentireportfoliooftheDepartment.Ithasreinforcedtheformaladoptionofriskmanagementprinciplesastheappropriatebasisfornaturalresourcemanagementagencies(Fletcher2008;Fletcheretal.,2010).
FollowingthesuccessfulcompletionoftheEBFMprocessfortheWestCoastBioregion(whicheffectivelytook2yearstocomplete),thesameprincipleshavesubsequentlybeenappliedtotheotherbioregionsinWesternAustralia.NowthataclearformathasbeengeneratedandtherearedetailedexamplesfromtheWestCoasttouseasaguide,thetimetakentoundertaketheseassessmentshasbeensubstantiallyshorter(afewmonths).UpdatingtherisksisnowplannedtooccuronanannualbasisasaformalpartoftheDepartmentalplanningcycle.
AtthebeginningofthestudytherewasahighdegreeofmisunderstandingofEBFMacrosstheagencyandthereforeahighlevelofscepticismwhetherthisprocesswouldgenerateanyusefuloutcomesandevenconcernaboutitspotentialdrainonresources.Thehighlevelofscepticismcontinuedlargelyuntilthestepsthatconsolidatedtheissuesdowntoasmallergroupofassetcategoriesandthemethodstointegratetheecologicalsocialandeconomicfactorsintoasingleanalysistoproducemeaningfulwhole-of-agencyprioritiesweredeveloped.Withouttheseitishighlylikelythattheoutcomefromthiscasestudywouldhavejustbeenseenasanotherresearchprojectthatinvolvedhighlevelsofdatacollectionandconsumedmorethanitsfairshareofresources,staffandstakeholdertime,yetdeliverednothinguseful.
ItissignificantthatnoneoftheindividualprocessesusedwithinthisEBFMframeworkareparticularlynovelorcomplicated.Thecombinationofrelativelysimplestepshas,nonetheless,provenparticularlypowerfulandeffectiveingeneratingregionallevelmanagementoutcomes,anaccomplishmentthathaspreviouslyproventobeextremelydifficulttogenerate.
ThenextphaseinthedevelopmentofthisprocessistoidentifythemechanismstofurtherengageotheragenciesinvolvedinthemanagementofactivitieswithinthemarineenvironmentandtodeterminehowtheirprocessescanlinktotheEBFMframework.
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8.2 Conclusion
TheapplicationoftheEBFMframeworkhasnotonlyassistedtheDepartmentofFisheriesinimprovingitsplanningprocessesfornaturalresourcemanagement,buthasalsorevitalisedtheapproachtoidentifyingriskswithintheDepartment.BecausetheEBFMframeworkwasappliedinamannerthatformallycapturedallrelevantelementsofconcern(orperceivedconcern)fortheWestCoastBioregion,thisallowsmoreefficientuseofgovernmentresourceswhenaddressingnaturalresourcemanagementissues.Forexample,expenditureonresearchorpolicyprojectsdirectedtowardslow-riskelementscould(andwill)beredirectedtowardshigherriskelements.
Evaluating whole of agency risk
Prioritisingrisksusingameaningfulandtransparentmethodisfundamentaltoanymanagementprocess.UsingtheESD/EBFMprocessofriskassessment,eachassetorissueunderthejurisdictionoftheDepartmentofFisheriescanbeassignedascoreasaresultoftheecological,socialandeconomicrisksgeneratedfromtheriskassessmentprocess.
OtherissuesidentifiedusingtheEBFMprocess,suchasinstitutionalgovernanceandexternaldrivers,canalsocontributetotherankingandprovideanotionalscorethatcanbeusedtoprioritisewholeofagencyrisk.Inacosteffectivemanner,thisframeworkcanbeusedtodealwithwholeofagencyissuesbyassessingriskandidentifyingpriorities.
This study found that taking an ‘ecosystemapproach’didnot requirehavingdetailedunderstandingoftheecosystemsortheconstructionofcomplexecosystemmodels.Instead,itonlyrequiredtheefficientandsystematicconsiderationofeachecologicalassetintheregionand their associated stakeholder outcomes, to identify those assets that mostrequiredirectmanagementtodeliverthe‘best’outcomesforthecommunity.ThecriticalstepsinachievingEBFMarethereforebeingabletoclearlyidentifytheecologicalassets,linkingthesetosocialandeconomicoutcomesthattheymaygenerateandobjectivelyassessingtheirrisksandoverallpriorityformanagementaction.
ThesimplesetofstepswedevelopedtoimplementEBFMinWAhasenabledadoptionofafullyregional,ecosystembasedapproachwithoutmaterialincreasesinfunding.Ithassuccessfullyreplacedtheprevious,disjointedplanningsystems,withasingle,coordinatedriskbasedsystemthatisalreadygeneratingefficienciesfortheuseofDepartmental(government)resources.HavingacosteffectiveprocessmeansthatEBFMcanbeappliedinallcircumstances,notjustinthoseregionsoftheworldwherealargeamountofresourcesandscientificdataareavailable.
GiventhesuccessofthisapproachtotheWestCoast(e.g.Fletcher,etal.,2010),thisEBFMframeworkhasnowbeenappliedtoallsixbioregionsinWAandtheresultingprioritiesarenowusedasthebasisforannualbudgetsettingbytheDepartment(Fletcheretal.,2011).Thishasthereforebeenahighlysuccessfulproject,theoutcomesofwhichhavealreadyseenmajorchangestotheoperationsandplanningprocessesusedbytheDepartment.Thegenerationofregionallevelplanningstrategiesastheoverarchingbasisforfisheriesmanagement,combinedwiththewideradoptionofthesamesetofstepsatanationalleveltoimplementEBMshouldfacilitatemoreefficientlinkagesandharmonisationwithothergovernmentpoliciesandprocesses.Consequently,wehavefoundthattherehavebeensignificantpositivebenefitsfromtheimplementationofanEBFMapproach,morethanmerelymeetingsomelongforgottencentralagencypoliticalcommitment.
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Cost benefit
In roundfigures thedevelopmentand triallingof theEBFMframeworkcosta totalofapproximately$500,000overatwoyearperiod,withanadditional$300,000overafurtherthreeyears.Thislatterperiodincludedthesuccessfulapplicationofthisframeworktoeachoftheotherfivebioregions.
Theprimarycomponentofthiscosthasbeentheneedfor2dedicatedstafftomanagetheprocessoverthefirsttwoyears,followedbyonepersontocontinuetherefinements,consultationsandextensionstoallareasoverthesubsequent3years.Consequently,thecostperbioregionbecamerelativelylowandnowtheframeworkhasbeendevelopedandimplementedineachbioregionitisarelativelyinexpensiveprocesstoupdateonanannualbasis.AkeypointhereisthatwithoutastrategicinvestmentintriallingtheEBFMframeworktherewouldstillbeongoingconfusionoverhowtoassignprioritiesacrosstheagency.
AcriticalareathatwillbeinformedbytheEBFMprocessisthedebatearoundimplementationofmarineparks,andno-takeareas.Theriskassessmentsundertakenhaveshownthattheregionsorareasathighestriskintermsofecosystemsaretheestuaries.Conversely,themarinehabitatsandecosystemsoftheWestCoastBioregionaremostlyallratedasbeingatlowriskbytheEBFMprocess,whichreflectsthelackofanysignificantnegativeimpactsonthemajorityofmarinewatersinthisbioregion.
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Bianchi,G.andSkjoldal,H.R.(2008)Theecosystemapproachtofisheries.FoodandAgricultureOrganizationoftheUnitedNations,Rome,Italy,377pp.
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deYoung,C.(2009)Thehumansideoftheecosystemapproachtofisheriesmanagement:preliminaryresultsofanFAOexpertconsultation.In:The Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries. CAB International andFAO,Rome,pp.86-94.
Dunlop,J.N.(2003)AconservationsectorperspectiveonESDassessmentinWesternAustralianfisheries.In:Towardssustainabilityofdata-limitedmulti-sectorfisheries.AustralianSocietyforFishBiologyWorkshopProceedings.S.J.Newman,D.J.Gaughan,G.Jackson,M.C.Mackie,B.Molony,J.StJohn,P.Kailola,eds.FisheriesOccasionalPublicationNo.5,DepartmentofFisheries,Perth.pp.43–45.
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Fletcher,W.J.(2005)ApplicationofQualitativeRiskAssessmentMethodologytoPrioritiseIssuesforFisheriesManagement.ICES Journal of Marine Research62:1576-1587
Fletcher,W.J.(2006)FrameworksformanagingmarineresourcesinAustraliathroughecosystemapproaches:Dotheyfittogetherandaretheyuseful?Bulletin of Marine Science,78(3):691-704.
Fletcher,W.J.(2008)ImplementinganEcosystemApproachtofisheriesmanagement:LessonslearnedformapplyingapracticalEAFMframeworkinAustraliaandthePacific.Pp112-124.In:TheEcosystemApproach.EdsG.Bianchi&H.R.Skoldal.FAOCABI,Rome.
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Fletcher,W.J.(2010)PlanningprocessesforthemanagementofthetunafisheriesoftheWesternandCentralPacificRegionusinganEcosystemApproach.ForumFisheriesAgency,Honiara,SolomonIslands.Faciliator’sVersion6.1January2010
Fletcher,W.J.&Curnow,I(2002)Processesfortheallocation,reallocationandgovernanceofresourceaccessinconnectionwithaframeworkforthefuturemanagementoffisheriesinWesternAustraliaAscopingpaperdevelopedforconsiderationandusebytheIntegratedFisheriesManagementReviewCommitteeFisheriesManagementReportNo.759pp.
Fletcher,W.J.,Chesson,J.,Fisher,M.,Sainsbury,K.J.,Hundloe,T.,Smith,A.D.M.andWhitworth,B.(2002)NationalESDreportingframeworkforAustralianfisheries:the“howto”guideforwildcapturefisheries.Version1.01.FRDCProject2000/145.FisheriesResearchandDevelopmentCorporation,FRDC-ESDReportingandAssessmentSubprogram,publicationNo.1,120pp.
Fletcher,W.J.,Chesson,J.,Fisher,M.,Sainsbury,K.J.andHundloe,T.(2003) T h e E S Dassessmentmanualforwildcapturefisheries:Version1.FRDCProject2002/086.FisheriesResearchandDevelopmentCorporation,FRDC-ESDReportingandAssessmentSubprogrampublicationNo.4, 135 pp.
Fletcher,W.J.,Chesson,J.,Sainsbury,K.J.,Hundloe,T.J.andFisher.M.(2005.)Aflexibleandpracticalframeworkforreportingonecologicallysustainabledevelopmentforwildcapturefisheries.Fisheries Research,71:175-183.
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Fletcher,W.J.,Gaughan,D.,Metcalf,S.,Shaw.,J(2011)Usingaregionallevel,riskbasedframeworktocosteffectivelyimplementEcosystemBasedFisheriesManagement(EBFM).InEcosystems2011.UniversityofAlaskaSeaGrant.AK-SG10-01(inpress)
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Gerritse,R.G.,Wallbrink,P.J.andMurray,A.S.(1998)AccumulationofphosphorusandheavymetalsinthePeel-HarveyestuaryinWesternAustralia:Resultsofapreliminarystudy.Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science,47(6):679-693.
Kauman,L.,Heneman,B.,Barnes,J.T.andFujita,R.(2004)Transitionfromlowtohighdatarichness:Anexperimentinecosystem-basedfisherymanagementinCalifornia.Bulletin of Marine Science, 74(3):693-708.
Millington,P.andFletcher.W.(2008).Geelongrevisited:fromESDtoEBFM–futuredirectionsforfisheriesmanagement.WorkshopReport.FRDC2008/057, Melbourne.
Penn,J.W.andFletcher,W.J.(2010)TheefficacyofsanctuaryareasforthemanagementoffishstocksandbiodiversityinWAwaters.Fisheries Research Report No. 169, Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, 44pp.
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PitcherT.J.,Kalikoski,D.,Short,K.,Varkey,D.andPramod,G.(2009)Anevaluationofprogressinimplementingecosystem-basedmanagementoffisheriesin33countries.Marine Policy,33:223-232.
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Sissenwine,M.andMurawski,S.(2004)Movingbeyond‘intelligenttinkering’:AdvancinganEcosystemApproachtoFisheries.MarineEcologyProgressSeries,274:291-295.
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10.0 Appendices
Appendix 1 detailed EBFM reports
Ecosystem structure and biodiversity
Background
TheregionalecosystemdivisionsfortheWestCoastBioregionlocatedwithincontinentalshelfareasasoutlinedaboveinFigure7include:
• West Coast;
• Abrolhos Islands; and
• Leeuwin-Naturaliste.
TheFisheriesDepartment,throughtheOffshoreConstitutionalSettlement,hasjurisdictionforallthesebioregionsextendsoutto200nauticalmileEEZboundary.Thusthefunctionalfisheriesdivisionswithineachoftheseecosystemscaninclude(whererelevant)estuarine,embayments,nearshore,inshoredemersal(20m-250m),offshoredemersal(250m–EEZ)andpelagic(20m–EEZ)areas.
West coast ecosystem structure and biodiversity
Description
TheIMCRAboundaryforthe(Central)WestCoastecosystemincludesthewatersfromKalbarrisouthtothePerthtrench(Figure7).TheWestCoastisatemperateoceaniczone,witholigotrophicwatersthatareheavilyinfluencedbytheseasonalflowoftheLeeuwinCurrent.ThiswarmbodyofwateroftropicaloriginflowsmoststronglyduringthewintermonthsofApriltoSeptember(PearceandWalker1991).ThestrengthofthiscurrentvariesannuallydependingonthevalueoftheElNino-SouthernOscillation(ENSO).ThestrengthoftheLeeuwinCurrenthasbeenshowntohaveamajorinfluenceonanumberofmarinespeciesincludingthewesternrock lobster (Caputi et al., 1996).
Itisrecognisedthattherehavebeenfew,broad-scaleecologicalstudieswithinthemarineecosystemsofthisregion(Bellchambersetal,2010).Thereare,however,anumberofprojectscurrentlybeingundertakenorhavebeenrecentlycompleted(seedescriptionsfollowing)thatwillprovidebaselinedescriptionsofthecommunitiesandassemblageswithinthisecosystem.Assuch,settingexplicitreferencepointsforthemanagementofecosystemstructureandbiodiversitywithintheseareashavenotyetbeenundertakenbutwillbepossiblegiventheresultsfromanumberofWAMSIprojectsandotherinitiatives.
Marine
Nearshore:Thenearshoreecosystems(<20m)arecomprisedlargelyoflimestonereefscoveredwitharangeofmacroalgae.Sandareashaveseagrassandspongehabitat.Bellchambers(2009)reviewedtheavailableliteratureanddescribedtheregionasbeingcharacterisedbylimestonereefsrunningparalleltothecoastlinebetweenoneandtenkilometresoffshore(SemeniukandSearle, 1986). The kelp Ecklonia radiatadominatesthesereefs(Phillipsetal.,1997;Wernbergetal.,2003a,Wernbergetal.,2003b)andformsextensivekelpbeds(SteinbergandKendrick,
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1999).Otheralgaeoccursonthesereefs,oftenassociatedwithE. radiata and on small patches ofreef(Kendricketal.,1999,VanderkliftandKendrick,2004).
Bellchambers(2009)notedthatthemacroinvertebratefauna(0.5mm-20mm)presentintheseshallowwaterecosystemsincludedvariouscrustaceans,molluscs,polychaetes,andechinoderms,whicharehighlyabundant(Edgar,1990;EdgarandShaw,1995).Thesemacroinvertebratesarecommonlyconsumedbyhigherorderconsumers,suchasfishandlobsters(JollandPhillips,1984;Jernakoffetal.,1993;EdgarandShaw,1995),suggestingthatthesemacroinvertebratesmaybeimportantforsupportingnear-shorefoodwebs.
ThenearshoreregionincludesRottnestIslandwhichhasavariablecoastlinecharacterisedbylimestonereefsystems,cliffsandintertidalplatformsthatcanextendfromafewmetresto200minwidth(Playford1988).Therearealsoalargenumberofsandybays.Amarinereservecoversaround3810ha(RottnestIslandAuthority2003)todepthsof20-30mandischaracterisedbylimestonereef,seagrassbedsandsandyareas(Smallwoodetal.,2006).
AsaresultoftheinfluenceoftheLeeuwincurrent,thewatersaroundRottnestIslandarewarmerthanthosealongthemainlandcoastwhichprovidestheconditionsfortherelativelyhighlevelofcoralandtropicalfishspeciesfoundaroundtheisland(Hutchins,1991).Ofthe420fishspeciesrecordedinthewaterssurroundingRottnestIsland,about20%areendemictoWAandover90are tropical species (Hutchins, 1979).
Inshore and offshore demersal:Recentresearch(Waddingtonetal.,2010)hasdemonstratedthatsignificantalgalandspongeassemblagesoccurinthedeep-watercoastalecosystemofthewestcoastandsuggeststhatbenthicprimaryproductionisasignificantcontributortoproductionintheseecosystems.Thespongeandalgalassemblagesdescribedinthestudyhavesignificantbiomassesofmacroinvertebrates,whicharesufficienttosupportsecondaryproductioninthisregion(WaddingtonandMeeuwig,2010).Macroinvertebratebiomassesobservedindeep-coastalecosystemsarelowcomparedtoshallowwaterecosystemsinthisregion(dataconvertedfromLenantonetal.,1982;RobertsonandLucas1983)andarelikelytoreflecttheoligotrophicnatureofthisregion(Cresswell,1991;Johannesetal.,1994).ArecentlycompletedFRDCfundedprojectprovidedcriticalinformationontherelationshipsbetweenrocklobsterabundance,sizedistributionsandbenthichabitatcharacteristicsindeepwater,andpreliminarydataonthetrophicroleofrocklobsterindeepwaterecosystems.
Whiletheecosystemprocessesinfluencingobservedabundancesofmacroinvertebratesarenotpresentlyknown(andmayinvolvebottom-upand/ortop-downprocesses),thedescriptionofbenthiccommunitiesprovidedintherecentFRDCstudyandvariousWAMSINode4projectsprovideausefulbasisforfutureinvestigationofsuchecosystemprocesses.
Estuaries and embayments–HIGHRisk
TheWestCoastRegionincludesestuariesandembaymentsthataresurroundedbythelargestdensityofthepopulationinWesternAustraliaandarethereforeveryimportantforsocialreasons.
Swan Canning estuary: This estuary has been described as the ‘heartland of Perth and there arenumerouscomprehensivedescriptionsavailableforfishfauna(Seddon,1972,Shaw1988,Brearley,2005).Increasingpopulationsurroundingtheestuary,hasgivenrisetocatchmentclearing,foreshoredegradation,pollution,highnutrient(excessivenitrogenandphosphorus)drainageinputsandmorerecentlyacidsulphatesoils,algalbloomsanddeoxygenationleadingtofishkills.Forthesereasons,inFebruary2000,theSwanRiverwasclosedtofishing,boating
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andswimmingforthefirsttime.Morerecently,concertedmanagementandclean-upprogramshavebeenundertakenandnutrientreportcardsareavailable(seewww.swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au) for the system.
The Peel Harvey Estuary:Thisestuaryis80kmssouthofPerthandcomprisesthelargestinlandwaterbodyofsouth-westernAustralia(Brearley,2005).Thisconnectedshallowwatersystemhasanextensivecatchmentareaand,priortoeutrophication,providedidealconditionsforseagrassgrowth(Halophila ovalis and Ruppia megacarpa). In the 1970s, increases in nutrients fromsurroundingagriculturallandledtoeutrophicationinthePeelHarveyestuaryfollowedbysignificantmacroalgaeandblue-greenalgaegrowth.Toalleviatethisalgalproblemanumberofstrategieswereadopted,includingtheconstructionoftheDawesvilleChanneltoincreasetidalflowandflushnutrientsouttosea.Theresultwasamoretidalmarinesystemandchangestothefishandcrustaceanfauna(R.Lenanton,pers.comm.).ThereareextensivedescriptionsofthePeelHarveyestuarineenvironmentpriortotheDawesvillechannelconstruction(seeBrearley,2005).Morerecently,MurdochUniversityandWAMSIareundertakingresearchwithafocusonthefishcommunities.Theinitialresultsofthisstudysuggestthatfishcommunitiesarerevertingbacktopre-DawsevilleChannelcomposition.
Cockburn Soundisashallowcoastalbasinlyingapproximately20kmsouthofPerthandcoveringan area of approximately 124 km2.Waterdepthsrangefromsandyshallowstoapproximately20minthecentralbasin(CockburnSoundManagementCouncil,2007).InthefirstcomprehensiveenvironmentalstudyofCockburnSound,asignificantdeteriorationinwaterqualitywasfoundaswellasthelossofoverhalftheseagrassbedsandalargevarietyofcontaminantsfromindustrialdischarges.Althoughwaterqualitywasimprovedsincethisfinding,furtherstudieshaveindicatedadecline.TheSouthernMetropolitanCoastalWatersStudy1991-1994,reportedthatcontaminatedgroundwaterwasfoundtobethemainnutrientinput,mostlyintheformofnitrogen.EcosystemhealthappearstohavestabilisedinCockburnSoundwithregularandcomprehensivereportcardstrackingtheprogressofenvironmentalquality(CockburnSoundManagementCouncil,2007).However,thechangeinfishcommunitiessuggestschangewithinthesystemisstilloccurring.Ongoingmonitoringofwaterqualityisessentialtotrytodeterminethedriversbehindthesechanges.
West coast ecosystem risk status: moderate (5 year timeline)
Estuaries and Embayments – SEVERERisk
Atthestakeholderworkshops,theriskofsignificantchangeinestuarinesystemswasdeterminedtobesevere,largelybecauseofexistinghabitatchanges,increasednutrients,incidenceoftoxicalgalblooms,acidsulphatesoils,reducedabundancesofsomefishspeciesandattimes,fishkills.Itwasthoughtthattheseimpactswerelargelyaresultofsignificantanthropogenicinfluencesandmaydeterioratefurtherfromincreasedurbandevelopmentsandfishingpressure.
Marine–MODERATERisk
Anassessmentofcommunitystructureandtrophiclevelofallcommerciallycaughtfishspeciesoverthepast30yearscompletedviaanFRDCfundedstudyfoundnoevidenceofsystematicchangesthatcouldbeviewedasevidenceofanunacceptableimpactoffishingonthisecosystem.TheriskassessmentcompletedaspartoftheMSCprocessforrocklobsterconcludedtherewasamoderateriskfordeeperwatercommunities,mostlyfromthelackofknowledgeofthisregion.
TheEBFMriskassessmentworkshopconcludedthatinthelonger-term(e.g.20years)areasoftheWestCoastcouldundergoevengreaterchangethanpresent(e.g.RottnestIsland,Swan
70 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
CanningandPeelHarveyestuaries)largelyasaresultofclimatechangepredictions,particularlyaffectingthelevelofcoralversuskelpforest.
Legislative responsibility and primary and other relevant management authorities
TheDepartmentofFisherieshaslegislativeresponsibilityundertheFRMAformuchoftheecosystemstructureincludingthethreeFishHabitatProtectionAreas(LancelinIslandLagoon,KalbarriBlueHolesandCottesloeReef)intheEstuariesandEmbaymentsoftheWestCoastBioregion.
Otheragencieshaveprimarymanagementresponsibilityandtheirownspecificobjectives)fordifferentareaswithinthisecosystemincludingtheresponsibilityformarineparksintheregion(JurienBay,MarmionMarineParkandtheSwanCanningRiverpark)bytheDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(DEC).TheCockburnSoundManagementCouncil,RottnestIslandAuthorityandSwanRiverTrustalsohaveprimaryresponsibilityintheselocations.TheDepartmentofWaterisresponsibleforthefreshwaterinflowandqualityoffreshwaterflowintoestuaries,whiletheDepartmentofAgricultureandFoodisresponsibleforagriculturalrun-offfromfertilisersandlivestockaswellasbankerosionduetolivestock.ThePlanningandDevelopmentCommissionaswellaslocalgovernmentsareresponsibleforcoastalandwatersheddevelopmentthatmayimpacttheestuarythroughtheremovalofforeshorevegetationandgreaterrun-offduetoanincreasedamountofimpervioussurfaces(i.e.roads,footpaths).
Objectives
TheDepartmentofFisherieshasanumberofobjectivesatdifferentlevelsrelatingtoecosystemstructure and function.
• Regional:Maintainhealthyfunctionalecosystems.
• Fishery:Tomanagefisheriesandaquaculturesuchthatonlyacceptablelevelsofimpactoccuron the ecosystem.
• External:Toidentify,describeandinfluenceexternaldrivers(outsideDoFlegislativecontrol)that may impact on the functional ecosystems.
DoFdoesnothavelegislativeresponsibilityforallimpactsonWestCoastEcosystemStructureandBiodiversityandcanonlyacttotrytoinfluenceoutcomesthroughotherdepartments/agenciesregardingtheseimpacts.Othernon-DoFobjectivesforspecificareaswithintheWestCoastBioregioninclude:
• MarineParks:Toprotectnaturalfeaturesandaestheticvalues,promotescienceandeducation,andatthesametimeenablerecreationalandcommercialuseswheretheseactivitiesdonotcompromiseconservationvalues.
• RottnestIslandAuthority:Tominimiseenvironmentalimpactsandenhancesustainability.
• Cockburn SoundManagementCouncil has a number of objectives relating to theenvironmentalhealthofCockburnSoundincluding:
- Maintainecosystemintegrity in termsofstructure(e.g.biodiversity,biomassandabundanceofbiota)andfunction(e.g.foodchainsandnutrientcycles).
- Maintenanceofaquaticlifeforhumanconsumption,suchthatseafoodissafeforhumanconsumptionwhencollectedorgrown.
- Maintenanceofaquaculturesuchthatwaterisofasuitablequalityforaquaculturepurposes.
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Operational objectives, indicators and performance measures
Currentlyunderdevelopment.
Awaitingtheresultofanumberofcurrentresearchprojects(seebelow).
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
y WAMSI Projects 4.2 and 4.3
o AssessmentofCommunityStructure,Biodiversity,HabitatandClimateChangeandtheimpactofanthropogenicinfluences
� Developmentofbioregionallevelassessmentsofthestatusofcommunitystructure
� Establishmentofindicatorregionsforlongtermmonitoringandassessmentofchanges
� Establishmentoffisherydependentindicatorsofclimateshifts
� Costeffectiveongoing,generalbiodiversityandhabitatmonitoringmethods
o TrophicInteractionsandEcosystemModelling
� Process based assessments of trophic relationships (Jurien Bay)
� Ecosystemmodellingofspecific,highriskorpriorityregions
y ThesecollaborativeWAMSIprojectsincludefundingfromDepartmentofFisheries,MU,UWA and ECU.
y SRFME/FRDCJurienBayprojectexaminingchangesincommunitystructure
Recentlycompleted/inpress
y Developmentofalong-termprogramtomonitorcoastalcommunitieswithintheSwanregion(Bellchambersetal.2009),fundedbyPerthRegionNRMandDepartmentofFisheries.
y Identifyingindicatorsoftheeffectsoffishingusingalternativemodels,uncertainty,andaggregationerror(Metcalfetal.2011).
y Assessmentof thebenthicbiotaofdeepcoastalecosystemsassociatedwithwesternrocklobster(Panuliruscygnus)populationsalongthetemperatewestcoastofAustralia(Waddingtonetal.2010)
y Abundanceandsizeofwesternrocklobster(Panuliruscygnus)asafunctionofbenthichabitat:Implicationsforecosystem-basedfisheriesmanagement.(Bellchambersetal.2010).
y SecuringWA’sMarineFutures:StudyareasintheWestcoastregioninclude;JurienBay,AbrolhosIslands,CapeNaturaliste/GeographeBay(Radfordetal.2008).
y EffectofwesternrocklobsterfishingontheecosystemsoffWesternAustraliaStudyareas;JurienBay,LancelinandDongaraFundedbyFRDC04/049andDepartmentofFisheries(Bellchambers 2010).
y AssessingcommunitystructurethroughfisherydependentdataFRDC(HallandWise2011).
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Management actions (DoF)
Current:
Maintainfishingatlevelssuchthattheappropriatebiomasslevelsofalltargetedandnontargetedfishspeciesarecontinued.
ProposedNewActions:
Facilitatedevelopmentofanagreementregardingappropriateindicators,performancemeasuresandmonitoringschedule.
Actions if performance is considered unacceptable:
Adjustmanagementsettingsforindividualfisherieswherenecessary.
Review period
TwoyearstocoincidewiththeoutcomesofcurrentandrelevantWAMSIprojectsalreadyunderwaywhenmoredefinitiveindicatorsandperformancemeasureswillbeavailable.
Abrolhos Islands ecosystem structure and biodiversity
Description
TheAbrolhosIslandsareoneofthethreeIMCRAregionsthatfallwithintheWestCoastBioregion(Figure7).FormallyknowastheHoutmanAbrolhosIslands,theycompriseacomplexofreefsandislandslocatedattheedgesofthecontinentalshelfbetween28°and29°Sapproximately60kmoffshorefromGeraldton.TheentireStatewatersofthisregionareaFishHabitatProtectionArea(FHPA),whichincludeshighlyvaluedmarinecommunitiesandhistoricshipwrecksitesofinternationalimportance.WithintheAbrolhosIslandsFHPAtherearefourReefObservationAreaswheretakingfishexceptrocklobsterisnotpermitted.Therearealsoanexceptionalarrayofbirds,diverseterrestrialvertebratesandvaluablevegetationtypesincludingmangrovesanddwarfeucalyptusstands(FMP220).
TheAbrolhosIslandshaveanunusualgeologyandfallwithinazoneofbiogeographicaloverlap.Forinstance,largetropicalcoralreefsareoftenincloseassociationwithstandsoftemperatealgae.TheAbrolhosIslandsincludesthemostsoutherlycoralreefsystemintheIndianOcean.
Theregionincludeshighabundancesofthewesternrocklobsterandprovidesalargeproportionofrocklobstercatchforthestate.Scallopsandfinfishcommunitiesarealsoimportantandhavebeentargetedbycommercial,recreationalandcharterfishers.Inadditiontothecommunitydiversitythereisalsoanincreasinglevelofecotourismwithintheregion.
Abrolhos Islands ecosystem risk status - Moderate
Theinternalandexternalstakeholderworkshopratedtheriskleveloverthecomingfiveyearsaslowtomoderaterisk.Itwasconcludedthatsomeelementsoftheecosystemmayhavechangedbyameasurableamount,mostnotablytherelativespeciescompositionofsomefinfishspecies(Nardietal.,2004).Thisdoesnot,however,appeartohavebeencausedbyeitheralossofbiodiversityoranoticeablechangeinthetypesofcommunitiespresent.
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5years–WithcurrentmanagementarrangementsitwasconsideredthattheimpactsoneachoftheelementsoftheecosystemattheAbrolhosIslandswouldmostlikelyremainthesameasatcurrentlevels.
20Years-(HighRisk)–WiththepotentialincreaseinoceantemperaturesduetoclimatechangeandthepossibilityofaconcomitantshiftinthestrengthanddynamicsoftheLeeuwincurrentitwasconsideredPossible(3)thattheremaybeaSignificant(3)changetothecommunitystructureandbiodiversityinthisregion,whichrepresentsaHighRiskformanyoftheidentifiedecosystemvaluesatthistimescale.Anysealevelchangeswouldalsoincreasetheriskfromthecurrentrating.
Legislative responsibilities
TheDepartmentofFisheriesmanagestheAbrolhosIslands,includingtheterrestrialareas,andisresponsibleforthefacilitationofwhole-of-GovernmentServicedeliveryinthearea.MajorpartnersintheservicedeliveryaretheDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation,theWesternAustralianMuseum,WesternAustralianPlanningCommission,DepartmentofTransport and Tourism Western Australia.
Objectives
FortheAbrolhosIslandsFHPAtheobjectivesare;
y Toconservetheecosystemandculturalheritagevaluesand,
y Toenablemultiple,equitableandsustainableuseanddevelopmentofthehistoricalandeconomicvaluesoftheAbrolhossystem.
Thespecificecosystemstructureandbiodiversityvaluesthatshouldbemaintainedforthisregioninclude:
y thediversityofhabitats(particularlycoralreef,algaeandsponge),fishandinvertebrates;and
y theuniquecombinationsoftropical,temperateandendemicmarinefinfishandinvertebratespecies.
TheDepartmenthasdifferentobjectivesforthedifferentscaleswithintheAbrolhosecosystem.
Regionalobjective:Maintainhealthyfunctionalecosystems.
Fisheryobjective:Tomanagefisheriesandaquaculturesuchthatonlyacceptablelevelsofimpact occur on the ecosystem.
Operational objectives, indicators and performance measures
Currentlyunderdevelopment.
Awaitingtheresultofanumberofcurrentresearchprojects(seebelow).
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
Thereareanumberofresearchprogramsinthisecosystem.TheseincludemonitoringofthehealthofcoralcommunitiesattheAbrolhosIslands.Thisprogram,utilisespermanentcoraltransectslocatedateachoftheislandgroupsandwillcollectimportantbaselineinformationon
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coralcommunities,allowingresearcherstoquantifywhetherlobsterfishingwithpotsresultsindamagetosensitivecoralhabitats,andtodeterminethevulnerabilityofcoralcommunitiesattheAbrolhostoclimatechange.
Therearealsoalargenumberofrelevantpostgraduate,WAMSIandNHTresearchprogramsthathavebeen,orarecurrently,underwaywithintheAbrolhos.
Proposed:
y EstablishmentofaseriesofreferenceregionswithintheAbrolhosIslands.
y Developmentofacoordinatedandintegratedmonitoringprogram.
Management actions
Current:
y ExplicitlymanagetheactivitiesofallstakeholdersthatoperatewithintheFHPAtoensurethattheircollectiveimpactsdonotcauseunacceptableeffectsonthekeycomponentsoftheecosystemandbiodiversityoftheAbrolhosIslandsregion.
y Allrecreationalandcommercialactivitiesmustbeconsistentwiththelevelofprotectionrequired.TheseareoutlinedindetailwithinthedraftmanagementpaperoftheHoutmanAbrolhos system (DoF, 2007).
y Identifyingandprotectingpriorityareas.
y EstablishingtheAbrolhosislandsasaseparatezoneforthemanagementofmostfishingactivities.
y Managingthecommerciallobsterfishery,thecommercialwetlinefishery,aquaculture,recreationalfishingandcharterboatsectors.
y Implementingspecificspatialandtemporalclosurestoeachtypeoffishingmethod.
y Managingmoorings.
y Managingterrestrialactivitiesandtheirpotentialflowonimpacts.
y Encouragingmanagementorientatedresearchintothemarineenvironmentwithinthisregion.
ProposedNewActions:
y FinaliseManagementplanfortheAbrolhosIslands.
y EncouragingacoordinatedapproachtotheresearchundertakenwithintheAbrolhosIslands.
y Seekfundingtoestablishreferencesites,undertakeregularmonitoringandsurveysoftheregion.
Actions if performance is considered unacceptable:
y ReviewmanagementplanfortheAbrolhosIslandsand,whererelevant,thespecificfisheries/activitiesthatgeneratedtheunacceptableperformance.
External drivers
Climate change:Thisispredictedtohaveasignificantimpactontheoceanographiccurrents,temperatureandchemistryoftheregion.GiventheuniquepropertiesofthecurrentsassociatedwiththeAbrolhosandthedominanceoftheLeeuwinCurrentasanoverarchingstructuring
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force,anychangesinthesecouldhavemajorflow-onimpactstotheecosystemandbiodiversityoftheregion(see20yearriskassessment).
Management Responses/Activities:Ensure that these risksare taken intoaccountwhenestablishingreferencesitesandindrawingconclusionsfromanychangesobservedinthecommunitystructureandbiodiversityofthisregion.
Shipping:Thisregionislocatedwithinahighlypopulatedshippingroute.Thereisapotentialforshippingtoimpacttheecologythroughaccidentsreleasingoilsandfuelandpossiblyhazardouscargo.Anapplicationforthegazettingofa‘ParticularlySensitiveSeaArea’wasproposedbytheDepartmentofFisheriesandalthoughtheconceptreceivedstrongstakeholdersupportwasnot continued.
Management Responses/Activities:LiaisewithDepartmentofTransportandmaritimeauthoritiestoensurethattherisksofshippingincidentsarekeptatremoteornegligiblelevels.
Review Period
5 years
Leeuwin-Naturaliste ecosystem structure and biodiversity
Description
TheLeeuwin-NaturalisteregionformsthemostsouthernecosystemintheWestCoastBioregion.PopulationpressureinthisecosystemislowerthanintheWestCoastecosystemandthisislikelyreflectedinthelowerecologicalrisks.
Theareacomprisestheshallowsemi-shelteredwatersofGeographeBay,HamelinBayandFlindersBayandincludesextensiveseagrassmeadowscomprisingpredominantlyPosidonia and Amphibolisspp(LimbourneandWestera2006).Itisthoughtthattheexceptionallyclearwatersintheareaallowtheseagrassestocolonisedeeperwaters(30m)andminimisetheirexposuretodirectoceanicswells(KirkmanandKuo1990).
Inthemoreexposedareas,(CapeLeeuwintoCapeNaturaliste)therearediversereefsystemswithavarietyoffish,invertebrateandalgalspecies.RecentworkwithUnderwaterVideoCameras(UVC)andBaitedRemoteUnderwaterVideoCameras(BRUVS)aspartoftheMarineFuturesproject(UniversityofWesternAustralia)recorded42and69speciesoffishrespectivelyaswellas220speciesofalgaefrom20families.Thesenumbersareconsistentwithotherstudiesrecorded around the temperate Australian coast (Radford et al 2008).
Leeuwin-Naturaliste ecosystem risk status - Marine (Low)
Therisksofsignificantimpactsonthemarinecommunitiesinthisregionarerelativelylowinthisregion.
Leeuwin-Naturaliste ecosystem risk status – Estuaries (High)
ExternalfactorssuchaswaterqualityissuesintheBlackwoodEstuary,duetohighnutrientrun-offfromsurroundingland,aswellasacidsulphatesoilcontaminationareofconcerntosustainablefishstocksintheLeeuwin-Naturalistebioregion.
TheEBFMRiskAssessmentworkshopconcludedthatinthelonger-term(e.g.20years)theestuariesLeschenaultandBlackwoodwouldbeatincreasedriskofecosystemchange,resulting
76 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
fromincreasedinputscombinedwithreducedrainfallandfreshwaterflow(Leshenault)andYaragadeeaquiferissuesaswellassaltwedgeimpactsfortheBlackwoodestuary.
Legislative responsibility and primary and other relevant management authorities
TheDepartmentofFisherieshaslegislativeresponsibilityundertheFRMAformuchoftheecosystemincludingtheReefObservationAreas(CowaramupBay&YallingupReef).OtheragencieshaveprimarymanagementresponsibilityforspecificareasincludingtheDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(DEC),whichisthePrimaryManagementAuthorityfortheMarineParksintheregion(ShoalWaterandtheproposedCapesMarinePark).TheLeschenaultInletManagementCouncilhasanadvisoryroletoDEC.
Objectives
TheDepartmentofFisherieshasanumberofobjectivesatdifferentlevelsrelatingtoecosystemstructure and function.
y Regional:Maintainhealthyfunctionalecosystems.
y Fishery:Tomanagefisheriesandaquaculturesuchthatonlyacceptablelevelsofimpactoccuron the ecosystem.
y External:Toidentify,describeandinfluenceexternaldrivers(outsideDoFlegislativecontrol)that may impact on the functional ecosystems.
Inaddition,thereareotherobjectivesforspecificareaswithinthisregion.
MarineParks:Toprotectnaturalfeaturesandaestheticvalues,andpromotescienceandeducationwhileenablingrecreationalandcommercialusewheretheseactivitiesdonotcompromiseconservationvalues.
Operational objectives, indicators and performance measures
Currentlyunderdevelopment.
Awaitingtheresultofanumberofcurrentresearchprojects(seebelow).
Monitoring and research programs
y StudyofthebenthiccommunityinGeographeBay(Laurensonetal.,1993)
y Annualresearchsurveysofjuvenilefishrecruitment
y Radfordetal2008.WAMarineFutures;BenthicModellingandMappingFinalReport(UWA)
y LimbournandWestera2006.Areview,gapanalysisandassessmentofcurrentinformationrelatingtomarineandcoastalenvironmentsintheSWRegion.
y WAMSIstudyinLeschenaultestuary
Proposed:
y nil
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
y Tryandmaintainappropriatebiomasslevelsofallkeytargetfishspecies.
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 77
ProposedNewActions
y Facilitatedevelopmentofanagreementregardingappropriateindicatorsandperformancemeasures.
Actions if performance is considered unacceptable
y Adjustmanagementsettingsforindividualfisheriesifnecessary
External drivers
SeeExternaldrivercomponenttreeFigure17.
Review period
Fiveyears.
Captured ‘fish’ species
Background
ThissectionoutlinesthecurrentstatusandmanagementofallthecapturedfishspecieswithintheWestCoastBioregionandprovidesprioritiesforfutureactivities.Thisincludesthemaintargetspeciesplusallthebyproductandbycatchspecies(exceptprotectedspecieswhicharecoveredinthefollowingSection).Toenabletheseassessmentstobedoneinanefficientmanner,thespecieshavebeendividedintoaseriesof‘suites/assemblages’(Figure19).
Thedifferentsuitesweredeterminedusingafunctionalapproach,whichwasbasedonacombinationofhabitat,taxonomicandbiologicalaffiliationsofthespeciescombinedwiththepracticalaspectsassociatedwithmanagement.Thearethreemainbranches-finfish,crustaceansandmolluscswhich,wherenecessary,arefurthersubdividedintouptofourseparatemanagementareas-estuarine/embayments,nearshore,inshoreandoffshore.Eachofthedifferentsuites/assemblagesisthereforecapturedeitherindifferentecosystemsand/orbyusingdifferentcombinationsoffishingmethods.Thismeansthateachofthedifferentsuitescanbemanagedrelativelyindependentlyandthereforeindividuallyprioritised.Innearlyallcasestheindividualsuitescanbesubdividedintomoreprecisecategories(e.g.theestuarinegroupcanbesubdividedintothedifferentestuaries)howeverthislevelofdetailwasconsideredtoogreattobeofvalueinbothgettinganoverviewattheregionallevelanditisalsotoofinetomakeprioritydecisionsatthemanagementlevelforestablishingprogramsofactivitywithintheDepartment.
Finfish
Crustaceans
Estuarine/Embayment
Finfish
Molluscs
Nearshore
Finfish
Crustaceans
Inshore Demersal
Finfish
Offshore Demersal
Finfish
Pelagic
Captured 'Fish' Species
Figure 19. Summary component tree for captured species showing the overall risk level for each of the main captured species suites/assemblages in the West Coast Bioregion.
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Eachofthesuitescontainsalargenumberofspecies,whichmeansthatitisnotpossibletoquantitativelyassessthestatusofallspecies.Thestatusofeach‘suite’ofspeciesisthereforedeterminedbythestatusoftheassociatedindicatorspecies.Indicatorspecieswerechosenbasedupon:
y Theirlevelofrepresentativenessfortheparticularhabitat,communityorenvironmentalconditionsmostassociatedwiththesuite;
y Theirlevelofimportance(targeted)tothecommercialorrecreationalsector;plus,mostimportantly,
y Theirvulnerabilitytofishingcomparedtotheotherspecieswithinthesuite.
Toensurethattherewasanobjectivelybasedselectionsystemoftheindicatorspeciesforeachsuite,whichcoveredeachoftheseelements,theDepartment’sformalmulti-criteriaanalysiswasused.Ifoneormoreindicatorspeciesisconsidered‘atrisk’thentheentiresuiteisconsideredtobeatthislevelofrisk.Whereseparatestocksofindicatorspeciesexistwithinthesuiteattheregionallevel(e.g.crabsindifferentestuaries),therangeofrisklevelsisnoted.
Therisklevelforeachindicatorspeciesisinitiallydeterminedirrespectiveofwhetherthecauseoftheriskismainlyduetofishingorthroughsomeexternalfactorsuchaswaterquality.Externalfactorsareimportanttonotebecausemanyoftheproblemsidentifiedwithinestuariesandembaymentsarenotgeneratedbyfishing.Thedegreetowhichthisriskisgeneratedbyexternalfactorsisrecordedbecauseitcanaffectthetypeofactivitiesthatwouldbeundertakendirectly by the Department and the Departmental priority.
Usingthemosttargetedandvulnerablespeciesinthesuiteastheindicatorsprovidesthemostprecautionaryandrobustassessmentmethodology.Thismethodisalsothemostefficientmethodbecause in most cases the assessment of the indicator species is already a normal component oftheannualassessmentprocessandminimaladditionalresourcesarerequiredtoundertakearegionallevelapproach.TheinformationleadingtothejustificationsforeachsuitecanbefoundineitherthecurrentStateoftheFisheriesreportorvariousESDReportSeriesandtheIFMFisheriesManagementReports.
Objectives
Thefollowingarethekeyobjectivesthatareusedtoassessthestatusandriskforeachofthesuites.
Highlevel-Maintainstocksatlevelsthatareconsistentwithecosystemfunction.
Specificfishery-Maintainspawningbiomassofallcapturedspeciesatleastabovethelevelthatminimisestheriskofrecruitmentoverfishing.
Captured fish species - Estuarine/embayment
Description
General:Whilstcommercialfishingwasanearlyfeaturewithinallof theestuariesandembaymentsintheWestCoastBioregion,fewcommercialfishersnowremainwithincreasednumbersofrecreationalfisherstargetingavarietyoffinfishandCrustacea.Themostimportantfinfishspeciescapturedaremullet,whiting,herring,cobblerandblackbream.Themostimportantcrustaceanscapturedintheseregionsareblueswimmercrabsandriverprawns.
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Commercial Fisheries:ThecommercialfisheriesthattargetthesespeciesincludetheWestCoastEstuarineManagedFishery(WCEF),whichoperatesintheSwan/CanningandPeel/Harveyestuaries,isamulti-speciesfisherytargetingblueswimmercrabsandmanyfinfishspecies.InCockburnSoundthereistheCockburnSound(LineandPot)fisherytheCockburnSound(FishNet)ManagedFisheries.ThecommercialblueswimmercrabfisheriesintheWestCoastBioregionaretheCockburnSoundCrabManagedFishery,theWarnbroSoundCrabManagedFishery, Area I (Comet Bay) and Area II (Mandurah to Bunbury) of the Mandurah to Bunbury ExperimentalCrabFishery.Blueswimmercrabsaretargetedusingavarietyoffishinggearbutmostnowusepurpose-designedcrabtraps.BlueswimmercrabsarealsoretainedbytrawlersoperatinginCometBayaspartoftheSouthWestTrawlManagedFishery.
Recreational fishery:RecreationalcrabbingintheWestCoastBioregioniscentredlargelyontheestuariesandcoastalembaymentsfromGeographeBaynorthtotheSwanRiverandCockburnSound.Blueswimmercrabsrepresentthemostimportantrecreationally-fishedinshorespeciesinthesouth-westofWAbyrateofparticipation.Themajorityofrecreationalfishersusedropnetsorscoopnetsanddivingforcrabsisbecomingincreasinglypopular.
Key issues:TherearesignificantanthropogenicfactorseffectingtheWestCoastBioregionsuchaschangesinwaterquality,pollutioninputs,habitatdegradationandfishingpressure.
Estuarine and Embayment captured species risk status – Finfish (Severe)
Indicatorspecies-BlackBream,Cobbler.KingGeorgeWhiting,PerthHerring.
Withinthesuiteofestuarinespecies,oneoftheindicatorsspeciesisratedatsevererisk(cobbler),whileanother(Perthherring)isathighrisk.
Cobbler:(Severe)Cobblerpopulationsaregeneticallyuniquewithineachwestcoastestuary.DespiterecentincreasesincatchinthePeel/Harveyestuaryin2008,thebreedingstocklevelsinthe3mainwestcoastestuariesappeartobeverylow,duetoacombinationofenvironmentalfactors(e.g.lossofbreedinghabitat),fishingpressureandthebiologicalcharacteristicsofthisspecies(e.g.lowfecundity,aggregatingbehaviour)thatmakeitinherentlyvulnerabletodepletion.
Perthherring:(High)WhilerecreationalfishersdonottargetPerthherring,thespeciesisconsideredtoberepresentativeofestuarinehealthasitspawnsintheupperreachesoftheSwanRiver.StocksofPerthherringaredepletedintheSwanestuaryand,accordingtoanecdotalevidence,arealsodepletedinthePeel/Harveyestuary.
Blackbream:(Medium)Blackbreampopulationsaregeneticallyuniquewithineachwestcoastestuary.Thecatchratesofbreamincreasedmarkedlyafter1990intheSwan/CanningEstuarysuggestingrecentincreasesinbreamstockabundanceintheseestuaries.Followingthisassumption,itcouldbeassumedthatbreedingstocklevelsarecurrentlyadequatetomaintainrecruitment.Environmentalfactorsandfishingarelikelytobesignificantsourcesofmortality.InallWesternAustralianestuaries,thelegalminimumlengthissetabovethelengthatmaturityandthereforeaffordsprotectiontoeachbreedingstock.
KingGeorgewhiting:(Medium)KingGeorgewhitinguseestuariesandcoastalwatersasnurseryhabitatswhilejuvenile(aged0to3+).Theyaremostvulnerabletocapturewhileresidinginestuarieswherethesizeatcaptureisconsiderablylessthanthesizeatmaturity.Targetedrecreationalfishingforthisspecies,bothinshoreandoffshorewillneedtobemonitoredtoensureoverallfishingmortalitydoesnotincreasetoanunsustainablelevelinthefuture.The
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currentbreedingstocklevelisconsideredadequate.Lowjuvenilerecruitmentoccurredin2007suggestingthattherewillberelativelylowcatchesinwestcoastestuariesinthenext2-3years.
Estuarine and Embayment captured species risk status – Crustaceans (Severe)
IndicatorSpecies–BlueSwimmerCrabs,Prawns.
AnumberofcrustaceanspeciesarenolongerapparentwithinthePeelHarveyandSwan/Canningestuariesincludingschoolprawns(SwanandPeel)andKingprawns(Swan).
BlueSwimmerCrabs:(Medium–High)Thereareanumberofrelativelyseparatepopulationsofblueswimmercrabsalongthewestcoast.ThespawningstockinCockburnSoundisnowconsideredtoberecoveringfollowingtwoyearsoffishingclosures.WhilethecrabstocksinotherlocationsintheWestCoastarecurrentlyconsideredtobeadequate,giventhecollapseexperiencedinCockburnSound,thereisanintensiveresearchprogramcurrentlyunderwaytoinvestigatetheirstatusinthePeelHarveyandCometBayregions.
SchoolandKingPrawns:(Severe)PrawnstocksinboththeSwanandPeelHarveyestuariesarenolongeratlevelsthatproducereasonablecatchlevels.ArecentsurveyfailedtofindanykingprawnswithintheSwanRiver.
Legislative responsibility and relevant management authorities
JurisdictionwithintheestuariesandembaymentsoftheWestCoastBioregioniscomplex.WhiletheDepartmentofFisherieshasoveralllegislativeresponsibilityforall‘fish’undertheFRMA,withintheSwanRiverEstuary,theSwanRiverTrustisthePrimaryManagementAuthority(SwanandCanningRiversManagementAct2006).Inaddition,theDepartmentofWater,DepartmentofAgricultureandFoodanddifferentLocalGovernmentsadjacenttoestuarinesystemsalsohaveavarietyofmanagementroles.InCockburnSound,thereistheCockburnSoundManagementCommitteeandpartsoftheareaareunderthecontroloftheFremantlePortAuthority.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
Finfish
y Commercialcatchdatawhereavailable,RecreationalAnglerProgram(RAP),occasionalrecreationalcreelsurveys.
y Specificprojectsareunderwayforcobbler,includingarecruitment-monitoringprogramusingfishtraps.
y TherearealsolarvalandjuvenilesurveysforPerthherringunderway(DoF).
y Along-termcomparativesurveyisbeingundertakenintheSwanestuary(MU)andintheBlackwoodEstuary.
y Factorsinfluencingrecruitmentsuccessandthegrowthratesofblackbreamarebeingstudied.
Crabs
y AnnualtrawlprogramsconductedinCockburnSoundprovideinformationonthestatusofthespawningstockandsubsequentstrengthofrecruitment,alongwithdataonthegeneralcrab population.
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Proposed:
y Developacommercialcatch-monitoringprograminPeelHarvey,WarnbroSoundandtheSwanRiver.
y ExaminethegeneticrelationshipbetweentheCockburnSoundstockandthoseinWarnbroSoundandtheSwanRiver.
y Developafishery-independentsamplingprogramtoassessthestatusofthePeel-Harveycrab stock.
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
y Reducedorverylimitedcommercialfishing.Recreationalbaglimits.
Proposed:
y Adaptingfishingcatchandefforttoexternaldrivers.
y Improvedliaisonwithcatchmentmanagers.
External Drivers
AnthropogenicinfluencesimpactsignificantlyontheestuarinesystemsintheWestCoastBioregion.NutrientinputintheSwanRiverandPeelHarveyhasbeenassessedassevere,ashasdeoxygenationandacidsulphatesoils.Pollutioninputshavealsobeenflaggedasanexternaldriver,particularlyinCockburnSound.Coastaldevelopmentsincludingcanals(PeelHarvey)havebeenratedas‘highrisk’.
Captured fish species – Nearshore
Description
General:Coastaldevelopmentandinfrastructureislikelytoimpactthenearshoreareaparticularlyaroundpopulationcentres.Manyofthefishspeciesinthisgroupareheavilytargeted.Theindicatorspeciesforthenearshore‘suite’includeAustralianherring,tailor,whitingandgarfish.Somestocks(e.g.Australianherringmetropolitan)arelikelytobeoverexploited.
AnumberofmolluscspeciesarealsotargetedinthisareaoftheWestCoastBioregionbycommercialandrecreationalfishers.Abaloneandscallopsarethemostvaluablemolluscspeciesandoctopusareincreasinglybeingtargeted.Scallopsarefishedbythecommercialsectoronly,andfoundincommercialquantitiesintheAbrolhosandGeographeBayareas.Abalone,whilstfoundallalongthecoastarenotuniformlydistributed.Themostvulnerableareaforabaloneisoff the Perth metropolitan area.
Commercial Fisheries:TherearethreemainfisheriesoperatinginnearshoreareasoftheWestCoastBioregion.Thecommercialabalonefisheryoperateswithsinglediversworkingoffsmallvessels(generallylessthan9minlength).TheAbrolhosIslandsandMidWestTrawlManagedFishery(AIMWTF)targetsmainlysouthernsaucerscallopswhiletheSouthWestTrawlFishery(SWTMF)targetsscallopsinFremantleandGeographeBay.
Recreational Fisheries:Recreationalfishingforfinfishisintenseinnearshorewatersandisgenerallyundertakenusingline-basedmethodsfromtheshoreorboats.
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TherecreationalfisheryharvestmethodforabaloneisprimarilywadingandsnorkellingwiththemainfocusofthefisherybeingthePerthmetropolitanstocks.
Key Issues:Thefishingpressurefromtherecreationalsectorsonnearshorefinfishspeciesisexpectedtoincreaseasaresultofchangestotherecreationaldemersalfisheryregulations.
Nearshore captured species risk status – Finfish (High)
IndicatorSpecies:Australianherring,tailorandwhiting.
Australianherring:(High)TheAustralianherringstockappearedtobeatsatisfactorylevelsinallregionswhenassessedinthelate1990s–andaboveaconservativebiologicallimitreferencepointof40%ofthetotalvirginbiomass.However,thestatusofthestockisnowuncertain.TheavailableinformationstronglysuggeststhattheabundanceofAustralianherringinsouthwesternWAislowerthaninthelate1990s,duetoconsecutiveyearsoflowrecruitment.Thereasonsforlowrecruitmentareunclearbutareprobablyrelatedtoenvironmentalfactors.Inaprolongedperiodoflowrecruitment,relativelyhighcatchesofbreedingfish,especiallybyrecreationalfishersonthelowerwestcoast,areofconcerninregardtothesustainabilityofthefishery.
Tailor:(High)Availableevidence(asignificantdeclineinboat-basedcatch,anecdotalreportsoflowshore-basedcatchrates,highlyvariableannualrecruitment)suggeststhat,despiterecentchangestobagandsizelimits,therecreationalexploitationrateoftailorintheWestCoastBioregionisatanunacceptablelevel.
Whiting:Therehasbeennoassessmentonthestockstatusofthemainwhitingspeciesinthewestcoastregion(Yellow-finnedwhiting,Sillago schomburgkii).Thisisscheduledtobeginin2009/10throughtheprovisionoffundsfromNRM.
Nearshore captured species risk status – Molluscs (Low to medium)
IndicatorSpecies-Roe’sAbalone,Scallops,Octopus.
Roe’sAbalone:Themainperformancemeasureforthefisheryrelatestothemaintenanceofadequatebreedingstocksineachareaofthefishery.Thisisassessedusingacombinationofthelevelofquotaachievedandtheeffortrequiredtoreachthisquota,bothofwhichreflectstockabundance.In2008,catchandeffortinmostareasfishedwerewithintheagreedranges,indicatingthatoverallbreedingstocklevelswereadequate.
Scallops:TheannualfishingseasonarrangementsintheAIMWTMFaresetsothatthemajorityofmaturescallopsareabletospawnbeforefishingoccurs.Breedingstocksarethereforeprotectedensuringrecruitmentisdependentonlyonenvironmentalconditionseachyear.
Octopus:Thebreedingstocklevelofoctopusonthewestcoastiscurrentlynotassessed.FisherycatchratesinCockburnSound,usingunbaitedpipesasthemethodofcapture,providearelativeannualindexofoctopusabundance.Ameanannualcatchrateiscalculatedfromdatasuppliedbycommercialfishersinvoluntarydailylogbookssince2003.TheannualcatchrateinCockburnSoundhasbeengraduallyincreasingsince2005,probablyasaresultofimprovedfisherknowledgeandgeartechnology.
Legislative responsibility and relevant management authorities
TheDepartmentofFisherieshasclearlegislativeresponsibilityundertheFishResourceManagementAct1994,forallretainedfishspeciescaughtinStatewaters(3nm)whichgenerallyincludesallthenearshorewatersouttoadepthof20m.
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Monitoring and research programs
Current:
Finfish:
RefertocurrentStateoftheFisheriesforcurrentmonitoringandresearchprojects.
AprojectundertakenaspartofWAMSI4.5.3modelledthedifferentbehaviouralchangesthatmayoccurduetotheannualseasonalclosureplacedondemersalfishing(finfish)in2009(Metcalfetal.2010).Thisprojectidentifiedthelikelybehaviouralresponsesandhighlightedtheneedforbehaviouralassessmentswhenimplementingnewrulesandlegislation.
Current–Molluscs:
Scallops:DailymonitoringofthecommercialscallopfleetcombinedwithVMS,providesrealtimemonitoringofcatchandeffort.Recruitmentsurveysprovidepredictivecatchinformationtohelpdetermine;whentheseasonwillopenandclose.
Abalone:CurrentresearchisfocusedonmonitoringandstockassessmentofRoe’sabaloneusingcatchandeffortstatisticssuppliedbycommercialfishersanddigitalvideoimagery(DVI)surveysbyindustrydivers,whosurveyselectedsiteswithanunderwatervideocamera.
FisheryindependentsurveysofthesizeanddensityofRoe’sabaloneacrossthenear-shoresub-tidalreefhabitatatelevenindicatorsitesbetweenMindarieKeysandPenguinIslandarealsocompleted annually.
Octopus:AnFRDCprojectiscurrentlyunderwaytodeterminethefishingefficiencyofoctopustriggerpots,estimatepotentialharvestfromoctopusfisheriesandcalculatetheeffectsoffishingclosuresonoctopuspredationratesonrocklobsters.Thiswillinvolveestimatingfishingefficiency,determiningthepopulationdemographicsofthetargetedOctopus tetricus, determiningsustainableharvestlevelsandassessingtheinterconnectednessoflocaloctopuspopulations.
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
Finfish:Recentadditionalmeasuresincluderecreationallicencesforboatfishingandaseasonalclosureforrecreationaldemersalfishing.
Abalone:ThecommercialRoe’sabalonefisheryismanagedprimarilythroughoutputcontrolsintheformoftotalallowablecommercialcatches(TACCs),setannuallyforeachareaandallocatedtolicenseholdersasindividualtransferablequotas(ITQs).
TherecreationalRoe’sabalonefisheryismanagedunderamixofinputandoutputcontrols.Themanagementfortherecreationalsectorisrestrictivewithadedicatedlicencerequiredtofish,andthefisheryonlyopenforapproximately6hoursperyear(onehourperweekforsixweeks).
ThesophisticatedsuiteofmanagementarrangementsinplaceandtheproactivemanagementusedintheAbaloneFisheryhaveresultedinthemaintenanceofabalonestocksandthesuccessfulcontinuationofafisheryonavulnerablespeciesinahighlypopulatedarea.
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Scallops:AIMWTMFoperatesunderaninputcontrolsystem,withrestrictionsonboatnumbersandtrawlgearsizeaswellasseasonalclosuresandsignificantspatialclosuresprotectingallnear-shorewaters.Thefisheryoperatestoathresholdcatchleveltoceasefishingfortheseasonatanagreedminimumcatchrate.
External drivers
Finfish:Itislikelythatfactorsotherthanfishing(e.g.thestrengthoftheLeeuwinCurrent)significantlyinfluencesthemigrationpatternsofpre-spawningherringandotherinshorefinfish,thedistributionofspawningandthedispersaloflarvae.Thesefactorswouldthenaffectjuvenilerecruitmentsuccessandthecatchabilityandabundanceofadultfishineachregion,whichultimatelydeterminesthetotalbreedingstocklevel.
Molluscs: ThereisastrongrelationshipbetweenthestrengthoftheLeeuwinCurrentandscalloprecruitment.
General:Coastaldevelopmenthasbeenassessedasa‘high’riskinthenearshoreareaandincludesmarinas,boatrampsportdevelopments.Marinepestsarerankedashigherrisksinsomeportareas,includingGeraldton.
Captured fish species - Inshore demersal
Description
General:Theinshoredemersalmanagementareaextendsfrom20m-250mdepthsandincludeshabitatssuchassand,rockyreef(algaldominated),coralreefandspongegardens.Speciesintheinshoredemersalmanagementareaaregenerallyassociatedwiththeoceanfloororbenthoswithinthisdepth.Themajorityofthewesternrocklobsterfisheryoperatesinthisregion,whichformsthebasisofthelargestfisheryinWAandAustralia.
ThereisalsoahighleveloffishingfordemersalfinfishinthisregionespeciallyforkeytargetspeciessuchastheendemicWestraliandhufishandbaldchingroper,pinksnapper,andbreakseacod.Theindicatorspeciesforthefinfishwithinthisregionareallover-exploitedandtheyhavehistoricallybeentargetedbythecommercialandrecreationalsectorsandareconsideredhighvalue‘trophyfish’.Thesespeciesareslow-growing,longlived,generallyformspawningaggregationswhichmakesthemparticularlysusceptibletofishingmortality.
Commercial fisheries:TheWestCoastRockLobsterManagedFishery(WCRLF)targetsthewesternrocklobster,Panulirus cygnus,onthewestcoastofWesternAustraliabetweenSharkBayandCapeLeeuwin,usingbaitedtraps(pots).Withanannualproductionthataveragesabout11000t,thisisAustralia’smostvaluablesingle-speciesfishery.
ThefinfishfisheriesincludetheWestCoastDemersalScalefish(Interim)ManagedFishery(WCDSIMF).Fishersusehandlinesanddroplinestotargetdemersalspecies.However,fishersintheWestCoastDemersalGillnetandDemersalLongline(Interim)ManagedFisheryandtheWestCoastRockLobsterManagedFisheryalsocatchdemersalspecies.
Recreational fisheries:TherecreationalrocklobsterfisheryprimarilytargetswesternrocklobstersinthePerthmetropolitanareaandGeraldtonusingbaitedpotsandscubadiving.
Recreationalfisherstargetingdemersalfinfishspeciesfishalmostexclusivelyfromboatsusinglines.DemersalscalefisharealsotargetedbythecharterboatindustryintheWestCoastBioregion.
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Inshore demersal captured species – Scalefish (High to Severe)
Indicator Species:WesternAustraliandhufish,pinksnapper,baldchingroper;whiskeryshark,duskywhalers.
Scalefish:AssessmentsofthestatusofscalefishstocksintheWCDSFareconductedprimarilythroughestimatesoffishingmortality(F),usingarangeofmethods,foreachoftheindicatorspecies.EstimatesofFaredeterminedseparatelywherepossiblefromsamplescollectedfromboththecommercialandrecreationalsectorsineachofthezoneswherethosespeciesareimportantincatches.ValuesofFarethencomparedtointernationalbenchmarkstodeterminetheoverallstatusofthestocksintheWCDSF.
Independentexternalreviewsoftwostockassessments(basedondatacollectedbetween2002and2006andduring2007/08)havebeencompleted.ThereviewssupportedtheDepartment’sconclusionsthatoverfishingwasoccurringofthestocksofdhufish,pinksnapperandbaldchingroperintheWestCoastBioregionandmanagementactionsarerequiredtoensuresustainability.TheseresultssupportedtheimplementationofaseasonalclosureandaFishingFromBoatLicencefordemersalrecreationalfishingintheWestCoastBioregion.
Sharks:Duskyshark.Asbreedingbiomassisalreadylikelytobeattheminimalacceptablelimitreferencepoint(40%ofitsunfishedlevel)andcontinuingtodecline,thisstockrequirescarefulmonitoringandmayrequireadditionalspecies-specificrecoverymeasuresinthefuture.
Whiskeryshark.Theage-structuredpopulationmodelestimatedthatmaturefemalebiomasshadincreasedbybetween1.3and1.8%peryearsince2001/02,exceptin2004/05whenitestimateda3.0%declineinthefemalebreedingstock.Thisstockisrecoveringadequately.
Inshore demersal captured species – Crustaceans (Medium)
Indicator Species:WesternRockLobster
Rock Lobster:Thecurrentlevelofeggproductionisnearrecordlevelsandthebiologicalmanagementobjectiveofensuringthateggproductionofrocklobstersremainsabovethethresholdlevelswith75%confidenceoverthefollowingfiveyearswillbemetbythecurrentandproposedmanagementarrangementsinspiteoftherecordlowrecruitmentlevelsthathavebeenexperiencedrecently.Thereforetherisktothelobsterstockisatacceptablelevels.
Legislative responsibility and relevant management authorities
AstheDepartmentofFisherieshasclearlegislativeresponsibilityundertheFishResourceManagementAct1994,forallretainedfishspeciescaughtinStatewatersandformostofthefishspeciestothe200nmAustralianFishingZone(AFZ)orEconomicExclusionZone(EEZ)aspartoftheOffshoreConstitutionalSettlement(OSC).
Monitoring and research programs
Current–Lobster:
y Researchactivitiescontinuetofocusonthecorebusinessofassessingstocksustainabilityandforecastingfuturecatchlevels.
y Collection of monthly commercial catch, effort and processor data
y Commercialmonitoringatsixlocations.
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y Voluntarylogbookprogram.
y Puerulussettlementmonitoring
y Small-meshpot
y Fishery-independentbreedingstock
y Taggingoflobsters/analysisoftagging
y MonitoringofMarineSanctuaryzonesatRottnestIsland.
y Stock assessment
y Developmentandmaintenanceofpopulationdynamicsmodel
y Economicassessmentofmanagementstrategies(CRCapplicationpending)
y Undertakinganoceanographicmodellingstudy(FRDC-funded)
y Environmentalfactorspuerulussettlement.(FRDC-funded)
y Novelstatisticaltechniques(FRDC-funded)
y Colonisationofpueruluscollectors(FRDC-funded)
Current–Finfish:
y Researchisfocusedonthemonitoringandrecoveryofthekeydemersalfishstocksinthissuite
y Commercialcatchandeffort(CAES)data,RecreationalLogbookProgram(RAP),spawningandrecruitmentsurveysandcreelsurveys.
y Monitoringagecompositionsandassessmentsoffishingmortalityofdhufish,snapperandbaldchingroper
y The stock structures are being examinedusing genetic otolithmicrochemistry andoceanographictechniquesunderWAMSIsub-project4.4.2
y ModellingRecreationalFishingBehaviour(WAMSI4.5.3)(Metcalfetal.2010)
Proposed:
y Deepwatersettlementoflobsters
y BreedingstocksurveyinBigBankregion
y Oceanographicsurvey
Management actions (DoF)
Current–Lobsters:
Thisfisheryismanagedusingatotalallowableeffort(TAE)systemandassociatedinputcontrols.Theprimarycontrolmechanismisthenumberofpotslicensedforthefishery,togetherwithaproportionalusagerate,whichcreatestheTAEinpotdays.
Therecreationalcomponentofthewesternrocklobsterfisheryismanagedunderfisheriesregulations,whichimposeamixofinputandoutputcontrolsonindividualrecreationalfishers.Thesearrangementsaredesignedtocomplementthemanagementplanforthecommercialfishery
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Withtherecordlowpuerulussettlementin2008/09,significanteffortreductionswereinstigatedforthewhites(ca.35%)andreds(ca.60%)portionsoftheseasontoensurecarryoverintothepredictedlowcatchyearsof2010/11and2011/12.
Current–Finfish:
Considerablerationalisationofthecommercialfleethasbeenundertakenandsignificantreduction of recreational effort is to be implemented.
In 2009, each commercial boat in the WCDSIMF has been allocated a share of the total effort (fishingdays),withaviewtomanagingthefisherytoatotalallowablecommercialcatch(TACC).Followingreviewofthecatcheseachyear,thenumberofeffortdaysallocatedtocommercialfisherscanbemodifiedtoensurecatchdoesnotexceedtheTACC.
Boat-basedrecreationalfisherstargetingdemersalscalefishnowrequireaboatfishinglicenceandeachyeartherewillbeatwo-monthclosuretofishingforthosespeciesfromOctober15toDecember 15.
External drivers
Climatechangeimpactingthestrengthofcurrentsmaybeinfluencinglarvaldistributionofthesedemersalspecies.Forinstance,thereisastrongrelationshipbetweenthestrengthoftheLeeuwinCurrentandlevelsofpuerulussettlement.ThisrelationshipmayalsobeimpactedbyotherfactorsincludingstormeventsandtheIndianOceanDipole.Increasesinwatertemperaturesalsoappeartobeaffectingsomeofthebiologicalparameterssuchassizeatmaturityandthesizeofmigratinglobsters.
Captured fish species – Offshore demersal (250m - EEZ)
Description
General:Theoffshoredemersalmanagementareaextendsfrom250mdepthtotheEEZandmayincluderegionsoffthecontinentalshelf.Habitatsincludedintheoffshoreareaarerockyreef,spongegardensandsand.Similarlytotheinshoredemersalareathespeciesintheoffshoredemersalmanagementareaareassociatedwiththebenthos.
Theindicatorspeciesforthisgrouparethebassgroper,eightbargroper(greybandedcod),hapukuandrubysnapper.Otherspeciesinthiscategoryincludeblue-eyetrevallaandbightredfish.Thesedeep-waterdemersalspeciesarelarge,slowgrowing,longlived,havevariablejuvenilephasesandthereislimitedinformationontheirlifehistory.Theyareverysusceptibletooverfishingandincursignificantbarotraumamortality.
Offshore demersal captured species – Scalefish (High)
Indicator Species:Bassgroper,eightbargroper,hapukuandrubysnapper.
ThesespecieshavebeencommerciallyfishedintheWestCoastsincetheearly1990swiththecatchpeakingandthendeclininginmorerecentyears(5species;2004/0590t,2007/0824t).ThesespeciesarealsocaughtintheCommonwealthWesternDeepwaterTrawlFishery(200m-EEZ)withanecdotalevidencesuggestingthattherapiddeclineofsomeofthesetrawlspecieswasaresultoffishingdownthespawningaggregations.
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TheCharterfisheryhasrecordedsomecatchesofthisspecies(e.g.greybandedcod),however,anecdotalevidencesuggeststhatthereisagreaterfocusfromtherecreationalsectorfortheselargedeep-waterspecies.
Thesedeepwaterspeciesareparticularlyvulnerabletooverfishing,astheirbiologyindicatesthattheyarelong-livedandwouldthereforehavelowratesofnaturalmortalityandproductivity.Inaddition,someaggregatetospawnandmostsufferhighratesofbarotraumafollowingcaptureduetothegreatdepthsinwhichtheyarefished(>250m).
Legislative responsibility and relevant management authorities
TheDepartmentofFisherieshasclearlegislativeresponsibilityundertheFishResourcesManagementAct1994,forallretainedfishspeciescaughtinStatewatersandformostofthefishspeciestothe200nmAustralianFishingZone(AFZ)orEconomicExclusionZone(EEZ)aspartoftheOffshoreConstitutionalSettlement(OSC).
ThosespeciesretainedinFisheriesunderCommonwealthlegislationandmanagedbytheAustralianFisheriesManagementAuthority(AFMA)includethedeepwatertrawlspecies(mostlybugs)andWesterntunaandbillfishfishery(bigeyeandyellowfintuna,broadbillswordfish).Thesespeciesarenototherwisetobetaken.TheIndianOceanTunaCommission(IOTC)providesaforumformanagingtunaandbillfishstocksintheIndianOcean.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
Commercialcatchandeffortdatacollection,creelandboatrampsurveys.
Proposed:
Preliminaryriskassessmentprovidedtomanagers.
Informationfromnewrecreationallicensingrequirements.
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
Significantclosuresandrestrictionsforboththecommercialandrecreationalsector.
External drivers
TheCommonwealthWesternDeepwaterTrawlFisheryfishesinwatersalongthewestcoastofAustraliainwatersfromthe200misobathtotheboundaryoftheAFZandbetweenapproximatelyExmouthandAugusta.ThisfisheryoverlapstheWCDSFandhasobtainedsubstantialcatches.
TheCommonwealth’sSouth-westMarineBioregionalPlanincorporatestheaimofintroducingmarinereserves,whicharelikelytocontainareasclosedtofishing.ThishasthepotentialtorestrictaccesstofishinginpartsoftheWestCoastBioregiontoallsectors,i.e.commercial,recreational and charter.
Captured fish species – Pelagic
Description
General:Thepelagicmanagementareaconsistsoftheopenwaterfrom20mdepthtotheEEZ.Pelagicspeciesarenotgenerallyassociatedwiththebenthosoroceanfloor,theyareassociated
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withmidtoupperlayersofthewatercolumn.Severalstocksareexploitedincludingmackerel,pilchards,samsonfish.Catchesarerelativelysmallandnosustainabilityconcernshavebeenidentifiedatpresent.
Commercial Fisheries: West Coast Purse Seine Fishery captures pilchards, sardines, Perth herring,yellowtailscad,Australiananchovyandmaray.
Recreational Fisheries:ThereisanincreasingrecreationalfisheryforpelagicspeciessuchasSamsonfishpossiblyduetolocaliseddepletionoftraditionallymorepopulardemersalfishspecies.
Pelagic captured species – Finfish (Low)
Indicatorspecies-arestillbeingfinalisedforthissuiteofspecies.Atpresentthespeciesinthismanagementsuiteincludemackerel,pilchardandsamsonfish.Thecurrentfishinglevelhasbeen assessed as acceptable.
Legislative responsibility and relevant management authorities
TheDepartmentofFisherieshasclearlegislativeresponsibilityundertheFishResourceManagementAct1994,forallretainedfishspeciescaughtinStatewatersandformostofthefishspeciestothe200nmAustralianFishingZone(AFZ)orEconomicExclusionZone(EEZ)aspartoftheOffshoreConstitutionalSettlement(OSC).
ThosespeciesretainedinFisheriesunderCommonwealthlegislationandmanagedbytheAustralianFisheriesManagementAuthority(AFMA)includethedeepwatertrawlspecies(mostlybugs)andWesterntunaandbillfishfishery(bigeyeandyellowfintuna,broadbillswordfish).Thesespeciesarenototherwisetobetaken.
TheIndianOceanTunaCommission(IOTC)providesaforumformanagingtunaandbillfishstocksintheIndianOcean(ABAREpg.156).
Monitoring and Research Programs
Current:
SeecurrentStateofFisheriesforcurrentresearchandmonitoring.Boatrampandcreelsurveys,RAP data.
Proposed:
Noadditionalactivityinthisarea.
Management Actions (DoF)
Current:
SeethecurrentStateoftheFisheriesformanagementcontrolsforeachgroupofspecies.
External Drivers
Fewidentifiedforthisareaandgroupofspecies.
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Protected species
Background
Theprotectedspeciescomponenttreehasbeendividedintoprotected‘fish’speciesundertheFRMAsuchasteleosts,crustaceansandmolluscsaswellas;protectednon‘fish’speciessuchasbirds,reptilesandmammalsthatareprotected,butnotdefinedas‘fish’undertheFRMA (Figure20).IntheWestCoastBioregiontherearesomemammals,fewreptilesandonlyasmallnumberofotherprotectedspeciesthatinteractwithfishingactivities.TherearealsominimalfisheriesintheWestCoastthatproducebycatch(R.Campbell,pers.comm.).
Objectives:
Minimiseanydirectandindirectinteractionswithprotectedspecies.
AllWAfisheriesareconductedinamannerthatavoidsmortalityof,orinjuriesto,endangered,threatened or protected species.
Figure 20: West Coast Region: Protected species; consolidated risk.
Protected species - Protected non ‘fish’ species
Description
Thiscategoryreferstothosespeciessuchasbirds,reptilesandmammalsthatareprotected,butnotdefinedas‘fish’undertheFRMA.
Althoughmostlyassessedaslowriskthereareanumberofissuesthathaveratedamediumrisk.Thesearelikelylow–medium.
Protected non ‘fish’ species risk status - Little Penguins (Medium)
Thelargestcolonyoflittlepenguins,Eudyptula minorinWAisPenguinIsland(Perthmetropolitanarea)thatrepresentsthenorthwesterlylimitoftheirdistribution.Anumberofpotentialthreatshavebeenidentifiedandincludeareductioninfoodavailabilityduetoincreasedfishinganddestructionoffishhabitat,collisionswithwatercraftincludingfishingvessels,oilspillsandchemicalcontaminantssuchasTributyltin(TBT)(B.Cannell,perscomm.).Althoughastronglinkhasbeenshownbetweenwhitebaitandthedietsoflittlepenguins(Lenantonetal,2003),itisunlikelythatfishingiscausingareductioninthewhitebaitabundanceasthereisonlyverylimitedfishingofthisspeciesinthePerthregion(FletcherandSantoro,2009).TherehasalsobeenareductionofcommercialfishingvesselsintheareaascrabfishinghasbeenbannedinCockburnSoundandthereareseasonalclosuresinplaceforsnapperfishing.
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Protected non ‘fish’ mammals species risk status - Australian Sea Lion (Medium)
The Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinereaisAustralia’sonlyendemicaswellastheleastnumeroussealspecies.Itisuniqueamongpinnipedsinbeingtheonlyspeciesthathasanon-annualbreedingcycle(Galesetal,1994),italsohasthelongestgestationperiodofallpinnipedsandaprotractedbreedingandlactationperiod.
Althoughhistoricalpopulationsizeandrangeforthisspeciesisunknown,itappearsthatuncontrolledsealingoperationsreducedtheirnumbersconsiderably(Gales,1994).PopulationviabilityanalysesofAustraliansealion(ASL)subpopulationshaveindicatedthatevenlow-levelchronicincidentalmortalityinfisheriescouldleadtotheirextinction.ThecommercialfisheriesidentifiedinwhichbycatchofAustraliansealionsmaybesignificantwerepotortrapfisheriesforrocklobster(WesternrocklobsterandSouthernrocklobster),anddemersalgillnetfisheriesforsharksofftheWesternAustralianandSouthAustraliancoasts.
SeaLionExclusionDevices(SLEDs)arenowmandatoryonallWARockLobsterpotsinusewithina25kmradiusfrombreedingcolonies.Itisbelievedthatthisactionhassolvedanydirectcaptureissuesofjuvenilesealionsinrocklobsterpots(R.Campbell,pers.comm.).Extensive,independent(research)coverageofgillnetdeploymentsindicatedthatmarinemammalcapturewasatarateofjustover1per10,000kmgillnethours(McAuleyandSimpfendorfer,2003).Asaresult,in2002theESDriskassessmentratedPinnipedcaptureaslowtonegligibleintheWCDGLF.
ThereisnowlimitedgillnetfishingeffortonthewestcoastofWA(WCDGLF).Managementrestrictions incorporate seasonal closures (2 months inshore of the 200m isobath) and closed areasincludingatotalexclusioninthemetropolitanregion.Thefisherynowoperatesatapproximately40%ofpeaklevel(1988).
Therelativenumberofsealionsfoundintrapsorrelatedfishinggear(perpotlift)andotherfisheryinteractionsisusedasanindicatorofimpactsonsealionsfromtherocklobsterfishery.
Performance Measure: No increase in the rate of sea lion capture occurs. The historical incident rangeapprox3sealioncapturesperseason.
Evaluation:Duringthe2005/06WRLseason,nosealioncaptureswerereportedthereforetheperformancemeasurewasmetin2005/06.
Therelativenumberofsealionsfoundingillnetsandotherfisheryinteractionsisusedasanindicatorofimpactsonsealionsfromthedemersalgillnetfishery.
Performance Measure: No increase in the rate of sea lion capture.
Evaluation:TheecologicalsustainabilityassessmentundertheEPBCisvaliduntil26February2009andwillbereassessedatthistime.
Legislative responsibility and relevant management authorities
ThesespeciesareprotectedunderamixofStatelegislation(WildlifeConservationActandRegulations1950,ConservationandLandManagementAct1984)andCommonwealthlegislation(EnvironmentProtectionandBiodiversityConservationAct1999knownastheEPBCActandtheWildlifeProtectionAct1982).UnderCommonwealthlegislation(generallyappliedtowatersoutsideStatewatersor3nm)itisanoffencetokill,take,tradeormoveprotectedspeciesunlessyouhaveapermit.Theprotectedorlistedspeciesgroupincludesalarge
92 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
numberofmarineanimalsincludingseabirds,turtles,seasnakesandmammals.Deliberatelycausinginterferencetocetaceanscarriesadditionalpenalties.Asfishingcanoccasionallyresultinunavoidableaccidentsorincidents,allinteractionswithprotectedspeciesundertheEPBCAct must be reported.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
y PotentialimpactofBycatchintheWAsharkgillnetfishery(FRDCprojectNo.2007/059.PIR. Campbell).
y InteractionbetweenAustraliansealionsandthedemersalgillnetfisheriesinWesternAustraliaR. Campbell DoF for the Centre for Applied Marine Mammal Science. In press.
y WAMSI Node 4, Project 4.4 Captured Species Assessments.
Proposed:
y Continuecurrentactivities,noadditionalactivitiesproposedatthisstage.
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
y MandatorySLEDsinallRockLobsterpotswithina25kmradiusofsealionbreedingcolonies.
y MandatoryreportingtoDEWHAofanyinteractionswithsealionsbycommercialfishery.
y DoFCAESlogbookreportingofsealionsinteractions.
ProposedNewActions-
y WCDGDLFwillbereassessedin2009againsttheESDconditionsforthefishery.
PossiblemanagementactionsbyotherDepartments-
SARDIhasinplaceanumberofspatialmanagementmeasures(includingfishingclosuresandMPAs)andiscurrentlydevelopingmitigationmeasurestoreducepossiblesealionbycatch(FRDCresearchproject2007/041)forthesouthernrocklobsterfisheryandgillnetfisheriesinSA.
MaintainingstronglinkswithresearchersattheSARDIisparticularlyimportant.
External drivers
As themajorityof theAustraliansea lionpopulationoccurs inSouthAustralia (86%),withonly14%inWesternAustralia(Goldsworthyetal.2008),itisimportantthatthereisstrongandeffectiveprotectionmeasuresinbothStatejurisdictions.ASARDIriskanalysisidentifiedfisheriesbycatchandclimatechangeasthegreatestriskfactorstotheconservationandmanagementofAustraliansealions(Goldsworthyetal,2008).The‘uncertainty’inthisassessmentwasconsideredhighforclimatechangebecausetheextentandimplicationsofclimatechangeimpactsonAustraliansealionpopulationsareunknown.Lossofsomekeybreedingsitestosealevelriseislikely(Goldsworthyetal,2008).
Review period
5 years
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Protected species - Protected ‘fish’ species
Description
UnderStatelegislation(FishResourcesManagementAct1994)andCommonwealthlegislation(EnvironmentProtectionandBiodiversityConservationAct1999)thereareanumberof‘fish’speciesprotectedincludingallpipefish,seahorsesandseadragons,manysharkspecies,somefinfishspeciesandasmallnumberofcrustaceansandmolluscs.InWesternAustralia,mostoftheprotectedspeciesarefoundinthesouthernornorthernwaterswithfewspeciesoccurringintheWestCoastBioregion.Thisgrouphasbeenratedaslowandwillnotbedescribed.
Benthic habitat
Benthichabitatsinestuariesandembaymentsweretheonlyhabitatcategorytobegivenariskgreaterthanlow(Figure21).Asaresult,onlythiscategorywillbedescribedindetail.
Background
OperationalObjectives
Tomanagefisheriesimpactssuchthatonlyacceptableimpactsoccurtobenthichabitats (Figure21).
Estauries &Embayments
Nearshore Inshore demersal(algae dominated)
Offshore demersal
Benthic Habitat Categories
Figure 21: West Coast Region: Benthic Habitat; consolidated risk of unacceptable change in the short term (5 years).
Benthic habitat - Estuaries and embayments
Description
Estuariesandembaymentsareoftensomeofthemosthighlyimpactedaquatic(marineandfreshwater)areasintheworldduetocoastaldevelopmentandnutrientrun-off.TheestuarineandembaymentareasoftheWestCoast,includingtheSwanandPeelHarveyestuaries,havebeenratedasahighrisk(Figure9).ThelargestpopulationareasanddevelopmentintheStatesurroundtheseareas.Nutrient,pollutionanddrainageinputs,foreshoredegradation,dredgingforboatingchannelsandshellsandmining,appeartohaveresultedinsignificantbenthicimpacts,particularlyonseagrassandsandhabitats.
ThereissomechanceforchangetooccurasaresultoftrawlfisheriesforscallopsintheAbrolhos,however,workinSharkBayindicatesthattheimpactonsandybottomsfromthistypeoffishingisthoughttobenegligible(Kangasetal,2006).ThereislimitedtrawlingintheWestCoastecosystemandnotrawlingintheestuariesandembayments.
Benthic habitat risk status- Estuarine and embayment (High)
Twoofthehabitatcategories(sandandseagrass)bothratedhighinstakeholderassessmentduetosandmininginembaymentsandnutrientloadsandsedimentationthatsmotherseagrassbeds.
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Theriskwasmeasuredagainstunacceptablechangeintheshortterm(5years).Anyimpactfromfishingislikelytobelowornegligible.
Legislative responsibility and other relevant management authorities
UndertheFRMA,DoFhaslegislativeresponsibilityforseagrass,howevertheDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(formallyDEP)takesmanagementresponsibilitythroughtheEnvironmentProtectionAuthority(EPA)foranyimpactsonseagrassresultingfromexistingactivitiesandwhennewdevelopmentsareproposed.UndertheBenthicPrimaryProducerHabitatProtectionforWA’sMarineEnvironment(EPAReportNo.292004)onlyacumulativelossofseagrasslessthan5%outsideMarineParksorsimilarisconsideredacceptable.IntheSwanRivertheSwanRiverTrust(SwanandCanningRiversManagementAct2006)hasresponsibilityfortheecologicalhealthoftheRiversystem,asdoestheCockburnSoundManagementCouncilforCockburnSound.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
y NospecificDepartmentofFisheriesprojectsintheSwanRiverorCockburnSoundrelatingto benthic habitat.
y Nospecificmanagementactions.
External drivers
Issuesaffectingbenthichabitatsinclude,dredging,mining,coastaldevelopment,nutrientrun-off and pollution inputs.
Social outcomes
Background
Socialoutcomes(directstakeholders,Figure22),Finfishobjective:
y Maintainorimprovethelifestyleforcommercialfishersandaccesstoqualityrecreational(andcharter)fishingexperiencesbycreatingsustainableinshoredemersalfisheries.
y Maintainorimprovethelifestyleforcommercialfishersandaccesstoqualityrecreational(andcharter)fishingexperiencesinnearshoreareasbycreatingsustainablefisheries.
Thereisoftenconflictbetweencommercialandrecreationalfishersandoccasionallythegeneralpublicthatdeterminesthatcommercialfishersmaybeforcedoutofareasbylocalgovernments(e.g.beachbaitfishers).Thiswouldchangetheirlifestyleandalsoincreasestressandcausethelossoftraditionalfishingvaluesintheregion.
Finfish
Crustaceans
Molluscs
Direct stakeholders(see previous)
Indigenous Communities Regional Communities Statewide Communities
General Social Outcomes
Figure 22. Social Outcomes consolidated risks.
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Social outcomes - Finfish
Description
Demersal:Themanagementthathasbeenimplementedtoaddressthesustainabilityconcernsanumberofdemersalspeciescapturedinthecommercialwetlinefisheryandtherecreationalsector.Thecommercialmanagementchangesmayhaveaffectedthesmallercommercialoperatorsthathavebeenlong-termfishersfromtraditionalfishingfamilies.Managementchangesthatforcethesepeopletoleavetheindustrycancauseaveryhighlevelofstress.Forthoseremaininginthefisherythereisstilltheuncertaintyassociatedwiththeoutcomesofmanagement,particularlythefinalisedpackageforrecreationalsector,includinglicencesandseasonal closures.
Nearshore:Giventhechangestothedemersalfishery,itislikelythatanumberofrecreationalfishersmayrefocustheireffortfromdemersaltonearshoreareas.Thisislikelytoreduceaccesstoandqualityofrecreationalfishinginthenearshoreareasofthemetropolitanzone.ThereisalsoconcernthatconflictbetweencommercialsalmonandrecreationalfishersintheLeeuwin-Naturalisteregionmaymeanthatthecommercialfishersareeventuallyexcludedfromsomenearshoreareas(e.g.EagleBay).Thiscreatesstressforcommercialfishersandmayalsoreducethequalityofexperienceforrecreationalfishers.
Estuaries and Embayments:Recreationalfishingpressureinestuariesandembaymentsisgenerallyveryhigh,particularlyclosetothemetropolitanzone(i.e.SwanCanningandPeelHarveyestuaries).InsomeareasoftheWestCoastecosystemthereisconsiderablelobbyingpressurefromtherecreationalsectortoforcethecommercialfisheriestoleaveestuariesandembayments.Asaresult,thereisbothconflictbetweenindividualrecreationalfishersandpotentialissueswithlocaliseddepletionsofrecreationallyimportantspecies.Forinstance,CockburnSoundhasbeenclosedtobothcommercialandrecreationalcrabfishingsince2007.Bothissuesmayreducethequalityofrecreationalfishingexperiences.
West Coast social outcomes risk status – Finfish (Severe)
Thecurrentrisklevelforsocialoutcomesgeneratedbyfinfishfishinginthewestcoastforbothcommercialandtherecreationalsectorissevere.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
Creelandboatrampsurveysarecurrentlybeingundertakentoobtaininformationonrecreationalfishingincludingthespecies,numberandsizeoffishcaptured,fishingmethodandarea,andtimespentfishing.Inaddition,thenumberofcustomersandspeciescapturedarerecordeddailybyallcharteroperators.Thisinformationcouldbeusedtoprovideanindicationofaccesstofishingactivitiesandqualityoffishingexperiences.
TheDoFCommunitySurveyisrunannuallyandsurveysapproximately500membersofthepublicfromthePerthmetropolitanarea(444in2007,Baharthah2008).Informationregardingrecreationalfishingparticipationrates,satisfactionwithfishingexperiences,awarenessandopinionoffishingregulationsareanumberoftopicscoveredinthesurveys.
Apilotstudytodevelopasocio-economicassessmentoffisheries(commercialandrecreational)intheWestCoastBioregionhasrecentlybeencompleted(seeWAMSINode4Project4.5.3report).Inaddition,anassessmentofrecreationalshore-basedeffortiscurrentlyunderwayatthe Department of Fisheries.
96 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
AseasonalclosureimplementedintheWestCoastregioninordertoprotectdemersalfishspeciessuchasdhufish,pinksnapperandbreakseacod.Inaddition,newrecreationallicences,increasedlicencefeesforexistinglicencesanddecreasedsizeandbag(recreationalfishery)limitshavebeenappliedtoasuiteofdemersalfishspecies.Itisunknownhowthesemanagementstrategiesimpactthesocialoutcomesforfisherstargetinginshoredemersalfishstocks.
–Fisherstargetingfishinthenearshoreareaareoftenlimitedbybagandsizelimitsforparticularspecies(e.g.pinksnapper).AseasonalclosurealsolimitsthecaptureofasuiteofdemersalfishspeciesbetweenOctober15thandDecember15th.
–Thecaptureofmanyspeciesthatresidewithinestuariesandembayments,suchasblackbream,arerestrictedbybagandsizelimits.Inaddition,somespeciesareprotectedbyseasonalclosures,suchasblueswimmercrabs.
–Themetropolitanzonehasbeenclosedtothecommercialwetlinefisherysince2007.Thisfisheryissubjecttoinputcontrols,suchasrestrictionsonthenumberofboats,sizeofgearandspatialclosures.Inaddition,sizeandbag(recreationalfishery)limitsapplytoalargenumberofdemersalfishspecies.Theseasonalclosuremayalsodeterminethatfishersoncharterboatsmaynolongercapturetheprotectedsuiteofspeciesduringtheclosedperiod.Thishasunknownconsequencesontheeconomicviabilityofthefisheries.
External drivers
PossiblemanagementactionsbyotherDepartments.Pollutionthroughagriculturalandstorm-waterrun-offhasthecapacitytoalterestuarineecosystemsbyincreasingnutrientloads.SeasonalfreshwaterflushingisalsoveryimportantintheSwanCanningandPeelHarveyestuariesasthisfreshwaterinputcanleadtoalgalblooms,whichinturn,deoxygenatethewaterandshadetheenvironmentbelow.Embaymentsmayalsobeimpactedbypollutionthroughindustrialdischargeandrubbish(generalandfishery-related).Agriculturalandstorm-waterrun-offareunderthecontroloftheDepartmentsofWater,AgricultureandPrimaryIndustries.Collaborationwiththesedepartmentswouldbenecessaryforanychangetooccurtobenefitfishstocksandfisheries.TheDepartmentofFisheriesisproactiveinitsendeavourstoreducefisheries-relatedrubbish,however,collaborationwithotherdepartmentsandagencieswouldbenecessarytoreduceindustrydischargeandgeneralrubbish.
Review period
3-5years.
Social outcomes - Crustaceans
Description
Thereareconcernsforthesustainabilityofwesternrocklobsterpopulationsthathaveledtoreductionsinefforttoreducethecatch.Suchreductionsinthefishingeffortintheregionhashadsubstantialimplicationsforemploymentinthefishingindustryandwouldbeexpectedtohavesignificantlyincreasedstresslevelsforcommercialrocklobsterfishers.
Thedailybagandboatlimitsaswellasthepossessionlimitsforrecreationallycaughtwesternrocklobsterhavealsobeenreduced(www.fish.wa.gov.au).Theblueswimmercrabandprawn
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fisheriesarebothcurrentlysubjecttosustainabilityconcerns.TheSwanandPeelHarveyprawnfisheriesandtheblueswimmercrabfisheryinCockburnSoundhavebeenclosedtofishing(commercialandrecreational)withtheaimofallowingthebreedingstocklevelstoincrease.Suchreductionsmayreducethequalityoftherecreationalfishingexperience.
Crustaceanswithintheestuariesandembaymentsarealsosubjecttorelativelyhighrecreationalfishingeffortinandnearthemetropolitanzone.TherecreationalcatchofprawnsusedtobehighintheSwanandPeelHarvey,however,thenumbersofprawnssignificantlyreducedovertime(e.g.drasticreductioninschoolprawns).SincetheinstigationofFishingClosurestherecreationalcatchofcrustaceans(prawnsandcrabs)hasbeensubstantiallyreduced.
Socialoutcomes(directstakeholders),Crustaceans:estuariesandembaymentsobjective;
Maintainorimprovethelifestyleforcommercialfishersandaccesstoqualityrecreational(andcharter)fishingexperiencesinestuariesandembaymentsbycreatingsustainablefisheries.
Social outcomes risk status – Crustaceans (High)
LowpuerulussettlementandchangestomanagementplacethesocialriskwithregardtocrustaceansintheWestCoastBioregionatahighriskofchange.
Monitoring and Research Programs
Current:
Asaboveforsocialoutcomesforfinfish.
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
Effort,licenceusage,complianceandthemonetaryvalueofeachfisheryaremonitoredbytheDoF.A50%effortreductionwasplacedonthecommercialfisheryintheWestCoastRegionin2008.CoursesandskillsworkshopsaremadeavailablebyDoFforpeopleinthefishingindustryandprovidetheseemployeeswithadditionaloralternativeskillsthatmayenablethemtoaccessother employment.
Current:
Thesouthwesttrawlfishery(includesthecaptureofprawns)ismanagedusinginputcontrolssuchasboatnumbers,gearsizesandfishingareas.Thecommercialandrecreationalcaptureofblueswimmercrabsisgovernedbyaseriesofseparatemanagementarrangements,suchasinputcontrols(vesselsnumbers,trapnumbers),sizelimitsandseasonalrestrictions.Asstatedpreviously,theSwanCanningandPeelHarveyareclosedtoprawnfishing,whileCockburnSoundisclosedtofishingforblueswimmercrabs.
ProposedNewActions:
TheCockburnSoundclosureandstatusof thePeelHarveyblueswimmercrabfishery(recreational)willbereviewedfollowingthecompletionofresearchprogramsintheseareas.
External Drivers
EnvironmentalfluctuationsarethoughttoplayanimportantroleintherecruitmentofpuerulustoWesternAustralia(PearceandPhillips1988,Caputietal.2001).Inaddition,fluctuationsinwater
98 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
temperaturearethoughttoimpactgrowthandthereforerecruitmentofsizedindividualsintothefishery.InvestigationintorelationshipsbetweenrocklobsterrecruitmentandenvironmentalfactorsarecurrentlyunderwayattheDepartmentofFisheries.
Fluctuationsinrecruitmentmayoccurduetoenvironmentalchanges,whichmayaffectspawningandlarvalsurvival.Therelationshipbetweenrecruitmentandcatchandenvironmentalfactorsarebeingevaluatedprogressivelyasdatabecomesavailable.
Review period
5 years.
Social outcomes - Statewide communities
Description
WesternAustraliancommunitieshavetheexpectationofaccesstofreshlocalfishaswellashealthymarineecosystemsandtheirassociatedresources.Changesinthesustainabilityofstocksandfisheries(e.g.westernrocklobsterandwetlinefisheries)arelikelytoalterperceptionsofthecommunitieswithregardtofishingandfisheriesmanagement(DoF)intheWestCoastBioregion.Forexample,areductionintherocklobsterfleetoperatingoutofJurienBaymaycreatenegativeperceptionsoffisheriesmanagement.Changestothesustainabilityoffishstocksandfisheriesaswellasalterationstothemanagementoffisheriesmaydeterminethattheavailabilityoflocalseafooddeclines.Inaddition,theremaybelittleavailablelocalseafoodduetocostsofprocessing,thevalueoftheAustraliandollarandincentivestoexportfishratherthan sell locally.
Changestothesustainabilityoffishstocksandfisheriesaswellasalterationstothemanagementoffisheriesmaydeterminethatthecatchoflocalseafooddeclines.Lowavailabilitycoupledwithhighdemandtendstoresultinincreasedprices.Inaddition,whentheAustraliandollarislowthereisanincentivetoexportfishratherthanselllocallyasexportersreceiveagreaterprofit.ItonlybecomesprofitabletosellseafoodlocallywhentheAustraliandollarisveryhighagainsttheUSdollar.Asaresult,inordertocompetewiththeprofitsgainedbyexportingseafood,localconsumerswouldgenerallyneedtopayhighlyinflatedprices.
Culturalandheritagevaluesarethequalitiesthatmakeaspecificanddefinableplace,areaorassetimportanttothecommunity.Heritagevaluesderivefrommanysources,includinghistoricalassociations,architecturalfeaturesandthenaturalecosystemswithinwhichthecommunityreside.Culturalandheritagevaluesmaybelostormodifiedthroughouttimeduetochangingperceptionsandattitudes,changeintheuseofnaturalresourcesonwhichthecommunityreliesaswellastheuseofnewtechnologies.
Commercialandrecreationalfishingisundervaluedinsocietyand,asaresult,thelossofatleastsomeculturalandheritagevaluesislikelyduetoincreasedmanagementregulationsandsustainabilityissues.Forinstance,thelossoflocalfishingfleets(e.g.inFremantle)andlocallycaughtseafoodmaydeterminethatthecommunityvaluesassociatedwithfishingareeventuallyforgotten.
TheeconomicdownturnaswellassustainabilityissuesforanumberoffishpopulationsandincreasedmanagementregulationsintheWestCoastregionhaveslowedboatsales.Ifthesetrendscontinueforasubstantialperiodoftime,thenumberofboatsalesmaynotbeenoughtoensurebusinessesremaineconomicallyviable.
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Social outcomes risk status – Statewide communities (Moderate)
Theriskofchangetosocialoutcomeswithregardtostatewidecommunitiesismoderate.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
AstakeholdersurveyisundertakenbytheDepartmentofFisheriesonaregularbasis.Thissurveycollectsinformationfromallfishingsectors(commercial,recreationalandcharter)aswellasotherstakeholders,suchasmembersofthetouristindustry,universities,aquacultureandpearling.
Current:
QualitativemodellingiscurrentlybeingundertakenbytheDoFtoinvestigatelinksbetweensocial,economicandecological(includingfishing)values.Thisworkmayhelptoidentifyareasthatareparticularlyimportantinordertoretainculturalandheritagevaluesintheregion.
Proposed:
Perthandregionalmarketsalesfigureswouldindicatetheproportionoffishbeingsoldlocallyversusinternationally.Inaddition,thenumberoflocalretailerssellinglocallycaughtfishislistedonthe‘fishlovers’website(WAFIC,www.fishlovers.com.au).Thenumberofretailersonthislistcouldalsobeusedasanindicationoftheavailabilityoflocalseafood.
Management actions (DoF)
Seeaboveformanagementactionsforfinfish.
External drivers
Anincreasein‘green’orconservationthinkingmaychangecommunityexpectationswithregardtofishingactivitiesandthemanagementofmarineresources.Inaddition,themediaplaysalargeroleininfluencingcommunityperceptions,whichmaychangeinresponsetothemediaasopposedtodirectchangesinfisheriesormanagement.
Changesinstockandfisheriessustainabilityduetoclimatechangemayforcetheclosureoffisheriesormakefishingeconomicallyunviable.Asaresult,fishingfleetsmaybelostfromcommunitiesandtraditionalfishingfamiliesmaybeforcedtofindalternativeemployment.Ifsuchchangesinenvironmentalfactorsweretooccur,nochangetofisheriesmanagementwouldbeabletoretainallculturalandheritagevalesassociatedwithfishingthroughoutthestate.
Duringarecessionboatsalesarelikelytoslow,asrecreationalfishingwouldnolongerbeapriorityformanyfamilies.Ifarecessionoccursinconjunctionwithdecliningstockabundance(duetofishing,climatechangeornaturalvariation)andincreasedmanagementregulations,afurtherreductioninboatsalesmayoccuraspeoplemaynolongerseethebenefitsofgoingfishing.Similarly,commercialfishersmaynothavethefundstoputintobuyingnewboatsduringarecessionorfollowingstockdeclineandmanagementchanges.Asaresult,theprofitsofboatsellingbusinessesmaybesignificantlyreduced.
Review period
5 years.
100 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
Social outcomes - Regional communities
Description
Theflowoneffectsfromsustainabilityissuesforspeciesincludingrocklobsteranddemersalscalefish,whichhaveleadtotheincreasedmanagementrestrictionsmayhaveflow-onimpactstofisheries-relatedareasandthegeneralcommunitiesinsomeregionalareas.ApaucityoflocalseafoodmaybeanissueintheLeeuwin-Naturalisteasthereissomelevelofexpectationthatlocallycaughtseafoodwillbeavailabletotouristsvisitingthearea.Peoplebuyingfishforsaleinfishshopswouldthenbeforcedtopayhigherpricesandeithermakeasmallerprofitorincreasethesalepriceforconsumers.Whenpricesincrease,fewerpeoplewillbewillingtopurchasefishandprofitswillbereduced.Similarly,truckdrivers,touristaccommodationbusinessesandtackleshopsmayexperiencereducedprofits.
BoatbuildersintheWestCoastRegionmaybefacedwitheconomicdeclineduetothedeclineinanumberoflargecommercialfisheries(i.e.wetlineandrocklobsterfishery)intheregion.Inaddition,therecentglobaleconomicdeclinehasreducedrecreationalboatsalesand,likely,boatbuildinginthemetropolitanzone.Theeconomicdeclineisthoughttohavehad(andwillcontinuetohave)asevereimpactontheeconomicviabilityofboatbuildersintheregion.
TheuseofaseasonalclosuretoprotectabroadsuiteofdemersalfishspeciesmayreducethenumberoffishingtouriststravellingtotheWestCoastBioregion.Fishingintheregionmaynolongerbeperceivedasworthwhilewithclosuresandadditionalrestrictionsinplace.
Social outcomes risk status – Regional communities (High)
Thesocialoutcomestoregionalcommunitieshavebeenidentifiedasahighriskofchangemainlyduetoimpactsonboatbuilding,tourismandlocalsalesoffish.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
TheDepartmentofFisheriesregularlycollectsinformationregardingthenumberandlocationoffishprocessorsinthestate.Changeinthenumberofprocessorscouldbeusedtoindicatetheeconomicviabilityoffishery-relatedindustries.
Indicators:
Trends in the number of charter clients could be used as an indication of the impact of managementchangesonfishingtourism.
Monitoring and Research Programs
Current:
The number of clients, catch (species and number) and location of charter trips are documented and collected by the Department of Fisheries.
Management actions (DoF)
Seeactionsforfinfishabove.
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External Drivers
Changesinstockandfisheriessustainabilityduetoclimatechangemayforcetheclosureoffisheriesormakefishingeconomicallyunviable.Reducedprofitsmaythenflow-ontofishery-related businesses.
Review period
5 years.
Economic outcomes
Economic outcomes – Finfish
Description
Thesustainabilityofanumberofcommerciallyimportantdemersalfishspeciesisofconcernandifrecruitmentcontinuestodeclinetheprofitabilityofthewetlinefisherywouldbereduced.Similarly,ifmanagementregulations,suchaseffortrestrictions,increaseinordertoaidthesustainabilityofthedemersalfishstocks,fisheryprofitabilitywillalsodecline.Thesustainabilityofdemersalfishstocksandchangesinmanagementregulationsalsoimpactontheprofitabilityoftheeconomicviabilityofthecharterfishingindustryintheregion.
Figure 23: West Coast Region: Consolidated tree; Economic outcomes for Direct Stakeholders.
Economic outcomes risk status – Finfish (High)
Theeconomicoutcomesassociatedwithfinfishweredeemedtobeathighriskofchangefollowingstakeholderconsultation.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
Thenumberofcommercialandcharterboatsoperatingaswellasthenumberofpeopleemployed(licence-holders,crewetc.)isrecordedbytheDepartmentofFisherieseachyear.Inaddition,
102 Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011
catchratesarealsocollectedfromthesevesselsthroughouttheyear.ThisinformationcouldprovideanindicationoftheeconomicwellbeingofthefisheriesintheWestCoastBioregion.
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
None.
External drivers
Thepriceoffishisdrivenbydemandandmaybesomewhatremovedfromtheavailabilityoftheproductinthemarket.Forinstance,demandmayfluctuatedependingontrendsinpublicopinion.Thesefluctuationsindemandandpricemaythereforeimpacttheeconomicoutcomeoffisheries.
Review period
5 years.
Economic outcomes – Crustaceans
Description
Adeclineinthesustainabilityofwesternrocklobsterstockswouldbeexpectedtoreducefisheryprofitsthroughreducedcatchrates.Inaddition,thealterationofmanagementstrategies,throughincreasedrestrictions,mayimpactfisheryprofits.However,ifthemanagementregulationssimplyremovethelatenteffortfromthefisheryandthetonnescapturedremainstable,adeclineinprofitsmaynotoccur.Alteredmanagementregulationsmayalsobenefitfisherswithalargenumberofpotspreferentiallytothosewithasmallernumberofpots.Thismayforcethesmallerbusinessestoleavethefishery.
Economic outcomes risk status – Crustaceans (High)
Theriskofchangeintheeconomicoutcomesforcrustaceanswasassessedashighfollowingdiscussionwithstakeholders.
Monitoring and research programs
Current:
None.
Management actions (DoF)
Current:
Effort,licenceusage,complianceandthemonetaryvalueofeachfisheryaremonitoredbytheDepartmentofFisheries.A50%effortreductionwasplacedonthecommercialfisheryintheWestCoastRegionin2008.CoursesandskillsworkshopsaremadeavailablebyDoFforpeopleinthefishingindustryandprovidetheseemployeeswithadditionaloralternativeskillsthatmayenable them to access other employment.
External drivers
Thepriceoffish(includingcrustaceansandshellfish)isdrivenbydemandandmaybesomewhatremovedfromtheavailabilityoftheproductinthemarket.Forinstance,demandmayfluctuate
Fisheries Research Report [Western Australia] No. 225, 2011 103
dependingontrendsinpublicopinion.Thesefluctuationsindemandandpricemaythereforeimpacttheeconomicoutcomeoffisheries.
EnvironmentalfluctuationsarethoughttoplayanimportantroleintherecruitmentofpuerulustoWesternAustralia(PearceandPhillips1988,Caputietal.2001).Inaddition,fluctuationsinwatertemperaturearethoughttoimpactgrowthandthereforerecruitmentofsizedindividualsintothefishery.InvestigationintorelationshipsbetweenrocklobsterrecruitmentandenvironmentalfactorsarecurrentlyunderwayattheDepartmentofFisheries.
Review period
5 years.
Institutional governance
Background
TheinstitutionalgovernancetreecoverssomeofthemostimportantissueswhenconsideringEBFM.Itconsidersallthelegislative,administrativeandbureaucraticprocessestoenabletheissuesintheprevioustreestobedealtwitheffectively.Verylittleinformationisavailableregardingtheinstitutionalgovernancetreeandthereportingisthereforebrief.
ThecomponentsweredividedintoDepartmentofFisheriesmanagementprocessesandexternallinkagesandconsultationprocesses(Figure24),andwereassessedashavingahighriskofchange.
Internal processes(DoF)
External linkages
InstitutionalGovernance
Figure 24. Consolidated risks- Institutional Governance arrangements.
TheDepartmentofFisheriesiscurrentlyundergoingconsiderablechangeinfinancialresourcing,staffstructureandstrategicdirection.Theexternalcommunicationprocessesarealsounderreview.
Asthesechangeswillsignificantlyimpactontheinstitutionalgovernanceandassociatedrisks,it is not appropriate to consider these issues at present.
TheInstitutionalGovernanceriskswillbereviewedin12months.
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Appendix referencesBarharthah,T.2008.DepartmentofFisheriesCommunitySurvey2007.FisheriesOccasionalPublication
No.47.DepartmentofFisheries,GovernmentofWesternAustralia,Perth,Australia,48pp.
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Appendix 2 Consequence and likelihood tables used for risk analysis of individual ecological assets.
ModifiedfromFletcher(2005,2010).
Target species
Table A1 Consequence categories for the Major Target/Vulnerable species. The default objective was - maintain spawning biomass at least above the level where it is likely not to result in recruitment overfishing
Level Ecological (Target/Vulnerable Species)Minor (1) Either not detectable against background variability for this population; or if
detectable, minimal impact on population size and none on dynamics.Spawning biomass 100% - 70% unfished levels
Moderate (2) Fishery operating at, or close to, full exploitation rate but the long-term recruitment/dynamics are not being adversely impacted. Spawning Biomass < 70% but > Brec
Major (3) Stock has been reduced to levels that are now directly affecting future recruitment levels or severely affecting their capacity to increase from a depleted state (i.e. recruitment overfishing).Spawning Biomass < Brec but > Brec * 0.5
Extreme (4) Stock size and recruitment levels reduced to an extent that local extinctions or significant species range contraction > 50% have occurred. If it continues it would require listing in an appropriate endangered IUCN category and extinctions could result.Spawning Biomass < Brec * 0.5
Bycatch
Table A2 Consequence categories for the Bycatch of Protected species. The default objective was - To maintain levels of catch of these species at acceptable levels
Level Ecological (Protected Species Bycatch)Minor (1) Essentially no protected species are impacted
Moderate (2) The fishery catches or impacts these species at the maximum level that is accepted
Major (3) The catch or impact by the fishery on the protected species is above that accepted but there are few additional stock implications
Extreme (4) The catch or impact is well above the acceptable level and this is having significant additional impacts on the already threatened status.
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Ecosystem
Table A3 Consequence levels for the impact of a fishery on the general ecosystem /trophic levels. The default objective was - To maintain any impact on the wider ecosystem by fishing to be within acceptable levels’
Level Ecological (ECOSYSTEM)Minor (1) Some relatively minor shifts in relative abundance may be occurring but it is
unlikely that there would be any measurable changes at whole of trophic levels outside of natural variation.
Moderate (2) Measurable changes to the ecosystem components without there being a major change in function. (i.e. no loss of components or real biodiversity), these changes are acceptable. None of the main captured species play a ‘true’ keystone role
Major (3) Ecosystem function altered measurably and some function or components are locally missing/declining/increasing &/or allowed new species to appear. The level of change is not acceptable to enable one or more high level objective to be achieved.Recovery measured in many years to decadal.
Extreme (4) An extreme change to ecosystem structure and function. Very different dynamics now occur with different species/groups now the major targets of capture and/or dominating the ecosystem. Could lead to a total collapse of ecosystem processes.Long-term recovery period may be greater than decades
Habitat
Table A4 Suggested consequence levels for the impacts on habitats. (Three levels – standard, fragile, critical). The default objective was – To maintain the spatial extent of habitat impacts from the fishing activity to a comparatively small percentage of the habitat/community’
Level Ecological (HABITAT)Minor (1) Insignificant or barely measurable impacts on habitat(s) which are very localised
compared to total habitat area. (Suggestion – these impacts could be < 5%; < 3%; <2%) of the original area of habitat)
Moderate (2) There are likely to be more widespread impacts on the habitat but the levels are still considerable acceptable given the % of area affected, the types of impact occurring and the recovery capacity of the habitat (Suggestion – for impact on non-fragile habitats this may be up to 50% [similar to population dynamics theory] - but for more fragile habitats, to stay in this category the percentage area affected may need to be smaller, e.g. 20% and for critical habitats less than 5%)
Major (3) The level of impact on habitats may be larger than is sensible to ensure that the habitat will not be able to recover adequately, or it will cause strong downstream effects from loss of function.(Suggestion - Where the activity makes a significant impact in the area affected and the area > 25 - 50% [based on recovery rates] of habitat is being removed; whilst for critical habitats this would be < 10%)
Extreme (4) Too much of the habitat is being affected, which may endanger its long-term survival and result in severe changes to ecosystem function and the entire habitat is in danger of being affected in a major way/removed.(Suggestion this may equate to 70 - 90% of the habitat being affected or removed by the activity; for more fragile habitats this would be > 30% and for critical habitats 10-20%)
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Social
Table A5 Suggested consequence levels for social disruptions. The default objective was Maintenance or enhancement of appropriate social structures and outcomes.
Level Social ImplicationsMinor (1) None, or not measurable. Includes situations where there is no direct
involvement by a community in the fishery.
Moderate (2) Some direct impacts on social structures but not to the point where local communities are threatened or social dislocations will occur
Major (3) Severe impacts on social structures, at least at a local level.
Extreme (4) Changes will cause a complete alteration to some social structures that are present within a region of a country
Economic
Table A6 Suggested consequence levels for economic outcomes. The default objective was - Maintenance or enhancement of economic activity
Level EconomicMinor (1) Possible detectable, but no real impact on the economic pathways for the
industry or the community.
Moderate (2) Some level of reduction for a major fishery or a large reduction in a small fishery that the community is not dependent upon.
Major (3) Fishery/industry has declined significantly in economic generation and this will have clear flow on effects to other parts of the community. May result in some level of political intervention.
Extreme (4) Total collapse of any economic activity coming from what was an industry that the community derived a significant level of their income or employment (resource dependency), including possible debts. High levels of political intervention likely.
Likelihood
Table A7 Likelihood Definitions – these were defined for the likelihood of a particular consequence level actually occurring within the assessment period (5 years was used).
Level DescriptorLikely (4) A particular consequence level is expected to occur in the timeframe
(Probability of 40 - 100%)Possible (3) Evidence to suggest this consequence level is possible and may occur in
some circumstances within the timeframe(Probability of 10 - 39%)
Unlikely (2) The consequence is not expected to occur in the timeframe but it has been known to occur elsewhere under special circumstances (Probability of 2 - 9%)
Remote (1) The consequence has never been heard of in these circumstances, but it is not impossible within the time frame (Probability < 2%)
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