Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6385255 | Fisheries Research | 2016 | 15 Pages |
Abstract
Australian marine wild-capture fisheries are managed by eight separate jurisdictions. Traditionally, fishery status reports have been produced separately by most of these jurisdictions, assessing the fish stocks they manage, and reporting on the effectiveness of their fisheries management. However, the format, the type of stock status assessments, the thresholds and terminology used to describe stock status and the classification frameworks have varied over time and among jurisdictions. These differences complicate efforts to understand stock status on a national scale. They also create potential misunderstanding among the wider community about how to interpret information on the status of fish stocks, and the fisheries management and science processes more generally. This is especially true when considering stocks that are shared across two or more jurisdictional boundaries. A standardised approach was developed in 2011 leading to production of the first national Status of key Australian fish stocks reports in 2012, followed by a second edition in 2014 (www.fish.gov.au). Production of these reports was the first step towards a broader national approach to reporting on the performance of Australian fisheries for target species and for wider ecosystem and socioeconomic consequences. This paper outlines the challenges associated with moving towards national performance reporting for target fish stocks and Australia's successes so far. It also outlines the challenges ahead, in particular those relating to reporting more broadly on the status of entire fisheries. Comparisons are drawn between Australia and New Zealand and more broadly between Australia and other countries.
Keywords
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Aquatic Science
Authors
Matthew J. Flood, Ilona Stobutzki, James Andrews, Crispian Ashby, Gavin A. Begg, Rick Fletcher, Caleb Gardner, Lee Georgeson, Scott Hansen, Klaas Hartmann, Patrick Hone, James Larcombe, Luke Maloney, Anthony Moore, Justin Roach, Anthony Roelofs,