Biodiversity in Trawl Fisheries

Full description

There are good descriptions of biodiversity and fishing impacts in tropical trawl fisheries in Australia. Further work is required to adapt this generic understanding of biodiversity and trawl impacts to the needs of long-term ESD management.

For this purpose, cost-effective monitoring systems are required for specific fisheries in WA. The systems take into account their spatial impact relative to habitat types and related species assemblages captured in the trawls.

This information will enable the Department of Fisheries and industry to effectively respond to information required by the Commonwealth Department of Environment and Heritage in order to continue to provide quality and highly valued seafood to both export and local markets. It will also provide a basis to answer queries from conservation and community groups.

The project will:

* provide baseline data on biodiversity on-and-off trawl habitats in Shark Bay and Exmouth Gulf to allow an assessment of the effects of trawling on bycatch;
* develop a better understanding of the faunal composition and habitat preference of bycatch species in both trawled and untrawled areas to determine the most appropriate level of risk to bycatch species. This may allow management strategies to be developed to ameliorate any detrimental impacts on those species that are found to be highly vulnerable to trawl impacts;
* set up reference sites for long-term monitoring of the environmental impact of trawling; and
* examine the seasonal variation in biodiversity and efficiency in capture of bycatch species in Shark Bay to provide a rigorous scientific basis for determining reference sites for other trawl fisheries.
* understand seasonal variability to allow the selection of appropriate timing of long-term monitoring; and
* conduct experiments to ensure that bycatch catch per unit effort is related to actual abundance.

Time : Funded until September 2005.

Lineage

Maintenance and Update Frequency: unknown

Statement: Original record compiled for the Western Australian Marine Science Institution (WAMSI), Project 3.8, 2008. Originally sourced from WA Fisheries website (May, 2008). Spatial extent assumed to be whole of WA.

Notes

Credit
M. Kangas