MANAGEMENT POLICY FOR THE COMMERCIAL WEST COAST PRAWN FISHERY

November 2010

CONTENTS

1 FISHERY TO WHICH THIS POLICY APPLIES......................................................32 DESCRIPTION OF FISHERY..................................................................................3

2.1 Overview..........................................................................................................32.2 Biology of key species.....................................................................................42.3 Economic characteristics.................................................................................5

3 CO-MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS................................................................64 ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS.........................................................................................75 OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND STRATEGIES..........................................................8

5.1 Goals and objectives........................................................................................8

6 HARVEST STRATEGY.........................................................................................106.1 Spatial scale of fishery management.............................................................106.2 Stock Assessment Surveys...........................................................................116.3 Harvest Strategy Development......................................................................126.4 Biological performance indicators..................................................................15

7 STOCK ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH..........................................................177.1 Research services.........................................................................................177.2 Data collection and analysis..........................................................................177.3 Reporting.......................................................................................................177.4 Strategic research plan..................................................................................17

8 COMPLIANCE AND MONITORING.....................................................................188.1 Objectives......................................................................................................188.2 Compliance Planning and Risk Assessment.................................................18

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1 FISHERY TO WHICH THIS POLICY APPLIES

This management policy applies to the West Coast Prawn Fishery, which is formally constituted by the Fisheries Management (Prawn Fisheries) Regulations 2006.

The regulations define the fishery as consisting of:

(a) the taking of prawns in the West Coast waters; and(b) the taking of aquatic resources specified in Schedule 1 Part 2 in the West Coast

waters where the aquatic resources are taken at the same time in the same net incidentally to the taking of prawns.

West Coast waters means the waters adjacent to South Australia contained within the meridians of longitude 131° East and 137° East, but does not include the waters of Spencer Gulf north of the geodesic from the location on Mean High Water Springs closest to 34°59′07.15″ South, 136°00′11.06″ East (Cape Catastrophe, Eyre Peninsula) to the location on Mean High Water Springs closest to 35°17′59.60″ South, 136°52′50.11″ East (Cape Spencer, Yorke Peninsula).

Aquatic resources prescribed in Schedule 1 Part 2 of the regulations for the West Coast Prawn Fishery are:

Bug (Ibacus spp) Southern Calamari (Sepioteuthis australis) Octopus (Octopus spp) Scallop (Family Pectinidae) Gould’s Squid (Nototodarus gouldii)

This management policy applies from 1 November 2010 for a period of three years. A review of this management policy may be conducted after its first year of operation, if required.

2 DESCRIPTION OF FISHERY

2.1 Overview

There are three commercial fishing licences for the West Coast Prawn Fishery. Due to regulations that prohibit the taking of King Prawns in waters less than ten metres, there is no recreational fishery for King Prawns in South Australia.

Commercial fishing is undertaken using the demersal otter trawl technique. This essentially consists of towing a funnel-shaped net leading into a bag (most commonly referred to as a cod end) over the sea bottom behind a boat. Otter boards (or doors) are used to keep the trawl nets open horizontally whilst being towed. During trawling operations the otter boards hold the mouth of the net open to assist in herding the prawns into the net. A separate large mouthed bag (crab bag) acts to retain Sand Crabs, while prawns flow to the cod end. The crab bag reduces crab mortality, incidental damage to prawns and allows the crabs to be discarded alive to the sea.

Both single and double rigs are permitted to be used in the West Coast fisheries with a minimum mesh size of 4.5 centimetres and a maximum headline length of 29.26

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metres (the headline length of any single prawn trawl net used in a double rig must not exceed 14.63 metres).

The West Coast Prawn Fishery is an oceanic prawn fishery, and is quite different to the prawn fisheries that operate in the South Australian gulfs.

Trawling is undertaken during the night anytime between sunset and sunrise, depending on the season. Trawl shots are of short duration relative to other prawn fisheries and take on average 60 - 90 minutes duration. After each shot the catch is emptied from the nets on to sorting trays. Separation racks are fitted to sorting tables to reduce the time for sorting prawns from the other catch and enable bycatch to be rapidly returned to the water with a minimum of handling.

After separation, prawns are graded either mechanically or by hand. The prawns are then either cooked or packed green to suit market demand before being snap frozen. Some catch is stored in large built-in refrigerated brine tanks for 1-2 days before delivery to on-shore processing facilities. At the end of each fishing trip, the catch is off-loaded at suitable ports adjacent to the fishing grounds and transported to fish processing factories. West Coast boats are based in Venus Bay and Port Lincoln.

Any boat used in the fishery must be registered and endorsed upon the licence under which it is being used. Boats must not have an overall length exceeding 22 metres and the main engine must not exceed 450 continuous brake horsepower.

2.2 Biology of key species

The following descriptions provide brief background information on the biological characteristics, commercial production statistics and recreational catch and effort levels for King Prawns and Bug, Southern Calamari, Octopus, Scallop and Gould’s Squid, which are important by-product species in the West Coast Prawn Fishery. More detailed information on stock status is provided in stock status reports prepared by the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Aquatic Sciences. All completed reports are available on the PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture and SARDI Aquatic Sciences websites at www.pir.sa.gov.au/fisheries or www.sardi.sa.gov.au.

Prawns are crustaceans which are nocturnal and burrow into the seabed during the day and emerge at night to feed. Adult King Prawns aggregate, mature, mate and spawn in deep water between October and April, with the main spawning period between November and February. Whilst adult M. latisulcatus have an offshore life phase, the juvenile phase is spent in shallow near shore environments generally associated with mangroves and/or tidal flats. Prawn larvae undergo metamorphosis through four main larval stages: nauplii, zoea, mysis and post-larvae. The length of the larval stage depends on water temperature, with faster development in warmer water. The distribution of prawn larvae is influenced by wind patterns and tidal currents, with the highest densities found in the north of Spencer Gulf.

Growth of the King Prawn is highly seasonal and increases with increasing temperature. The highest growth period is immediately after the spawning period is completed, as prawns reduce the energy spent on reproduction. Female prawns grow faster and attain a larger maximum size than males.

The Southern Calamari is common throughout southern Australian coastal waters. It ranges from Dampier in Western Australia to Moreton Bay in Queensland, including

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Tasmania, and it also occurs in northern New Zealand waters. Sepioteuthis australis usually inhabits coastal waters and bays in depths of <70 m.

The Bug (Ibacus spp) is commonly referred to as the “Balmain Bug” and inhabits depths of 4–288 m. It is long-lived, with low fecundity compared to other lobsters in the Scyllarid family. Whilst little is known of its biology off the West Coast, it exhibits limited movement patterns in NSW.

The Octopus (Octopus spp) is distributed across New Zealand and southern Australian waters. It is the largest of the southern octopuses and reaches weights of up to 9 kg. The species lives on rocky reefs and seagrass or seaweed beds to depths of over 100 metres. It forms lairs in crevices or burrows, recognised by the scatter of shells and crab parts around the entrance. It feeds on a wide range of prey including crabs, abalone, crayfish, mussels, fish and other cephalopods.

The two most common species of Scallop in South Australia are the ‘Coffin Bay’ Scallop and the ‘doughboy’ Scallop. Both Scallops are abundant locally in many places and are among the more obvious macroinvertebrates in the seagrass-dominated habitats typical in bays across much of the southern Australian coast. There is a small diver based fishery for Scallops in South Australia.

Gould's Squid (arrow squid) are schooling squid inhabiting waters from 0 to 500m in depth. They can be readily distinguished from the Southern Calamari by the presence of two fins at the base of the tail that give the animal a characteristic arrow shape. They are similar to calamari because they have rapid growth rates and feeding behaviour and live only for about 12 months.

2.3 Economic characteristics

Preliminary catch and value of catch figures for South Australia’s prawn fisheries are detailed in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Prawn catch and value of catch, South Australia, 2001/02 to 2008/09

Economic information for the West Coast prawn fishery is reported with Spencer Gulf prawn fishery economic data to protect the confidentiality of individual fishers.

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The total catch in the Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn fisheries in 2008/09 was 1,915 tonnes with a total GVP of $30.8 million. Total catch decreased by approximately 8 per cent from the previous year. Total GVP in the Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn fisheries decreased by 7 per cent.

Figure 1 illustrates how the value of the fishery has changed over the period 1990/91 to 2008/09. The nominal value of the prawn catch in 2008/09 was 54 per cent above that in 1990/91, the average price of prawns in the Spencer Gulf and West Coast prawn fishery increased over the 19-year period by 57 per cent in nominal terms (i.e. from $10.25/kg in 1990/91 to $16.09/kg in 2008/09).

Figure 1. GVP, price and catch indices for the Spencer Gulf and West Coast prawn fishery (1990/91=100)

3 CO-MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS

The Fisheries Management Act 2007 establishes the Fisheries Council. The Council has responsibility for the preparation of management plans under the Act and for advising the Minister on a range of fisheries management matters. In particular, the Council has been formed to provide advice on strategic issues such as allocation between fishing sectors and cost recovery policy. The Council also has the ability to establish advisory committees.

Arrangements have been established between PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture and the representative industry body for each major commercial fishery. These arrangements recognise the relevant body as the representative body for the industry on the basis that they meet the following criteria:

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1. Financially viable. The body must be demonstrably financially viable to the extent that it can fulfil a fisheries management advisory role. This will be assessed in terms of financial support for the body and financial capacity to engage in the communication and extension necessary to provide input to fisheries management processes.

2. Representative. The body must be able to demonstrate that it represents the interests of members and the broader industry. This may be demonstrated through the structure of the body, its governance arrangements and its processes for canvassing industry feedback.

3. Credible. The body must have demonstrated an ability to provide credible industry advice on fisheries management issues and to engage with PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture in a constructive manner.

The arrangements for specific fisheries have been agreed between PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture and the relevant body and are encapsulated in a communication protocol signed by the Director of Fisheries and the body.

The Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fishermen’s Association Inc. (SGWCPFA) has been recognised as the representative industry body for the West Coast Prawn Fishery. A communication protocol has been signed and an annual schedule of meetings is agreed pursuant to that protocol. The Minister has oversight of the management of the fishery under this management policy, but day to day management is conducted by PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture in association with the SGWCPFA.

4 ECOSYSTEM IMPACTS

A goal of this plan is the management of the West Coast Prawn Fishery as a part of the broader ecosystem, using an ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) approach.

The Fisheries Management Act 2007 requires that ecological impacts be identified and assessed. The Act specifically requires that the following impacts are identified:

current known impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem; potential impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem; and ecological factors that could have an impact on the performance of the fishery.

These risks must be assessed to determine the most serious risks.

Strategies for addressing those risks must be developed,

The ecological impacts associated with the fishery will be identified and assessed through the process of conducting an ecologically sustainable development (ESD) risk assessment for the fishery.

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5 OBJECTIVES, GOALS AND STRATEGIES

5.1 Goals and objectives

Section 7 of the Fisheries Management Act 2007 sets out the objects of the Act. Ecologically sustainable development is established as the overall object of the Act. A number of biological, social and economic factors are identified that must be balanced in pursuing ecologically sustainable development. Object 7(a), relating to the avoidance of over-exploitation, is specified as the primary consideration.

Objectives for the West Coast Prawn Fishery are set out below. They are organised under four broad goals. These goals and objectives capture all of factors identified in the Act that must be balanced to pursue ecologically sustainable development.

Goal 1 – Ensure the King Prawn resource is protected from over-exploitation

This goal relates to the sustainability of the target stock.

The intent of goal 1 is to ensure that King Prawn stocks are harvested sustainably and that adequate data exists to determine this. The main management strategies for ensuring sustainability of the commercial fishery are the restrictions on the number of nights fished, regulations restricting the number of licence holders in the fishery, constraining pre-Christmas fishing effort and the fishing criteria related to commercial catch rates and prawn size.

The objectives of this management policy in relation to sustainability are:

Sustainable harvest of King Prawns Stability of the target stock Biological and environmental information is collected to inform management

decisions

Goal 2 –Optimum utilisation and equitable distribution of the resource

This goal relates to the economic and social benefits derived from the fishery and aims to optimise the use of the fishery in an equitable way, within its sustainability constraints.

The key objective of this management policy in relation to these benefits is:

Stability of commercial catches and catch rates Sufficient economic information to ensure informed management decisions

Goal 3 – Minimise impacts on the ecosystem

This goal relates to the management of the fishery using an ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) approach.

The objectives of this management policy in relation to EBFM are:

Minimise fishery impacts on bycatch species and the ecosystem Avoid the incidental mortality of threatened, endangered and protected species

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Australian Government guidelines for the ecological sustainability of Australian fisheries acknowledge the need to minimise the impacts of fishing on the ecosystem. Three key objectives were identified to achieve this goal: ensure sustainability of by-catch and by-product species; minimise interactions with threatened, endangered and protected species (TEPS); and minimise impacts on benthic habitats and associated communities.

Goal 4 – cost effective and participative management of the fishery

This goal relates to co-management of the fishery, planning of management activities and the recovery of the costs of management of the fishery.

The objectives of this management policy in relation to co-management, planning and cost recovery are:

Cost-effective and efficient management of the fishery, in line with Government’s cost recovery policy

Management arrangements reflect concerns and interests of the wider community

Compliance with management arrangements

The key objectives of this goal are to ensure that the fishery has involvement in the decision-making processes for developing and implementing management arrangements and to ensure that management arrangements are complied with. The cost effectiveness of management arrangements also needs to be taken into account in the development process as the costs of management are recovered from fishers in accordance with the Government’s cost recovery policy.

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6 HARVEST STRATEGY

Harvest strategies for the West Coast Prawn Fishery are the mechanism for managing fishing effort using spatial and temporal closures. Specifically, this involves the legislation of appropriate closures (a series of GPS co-ordinates) and times and dates of trawling. The primary aim of the harvest strategy is for the fleet to target areas of high catch rate of appropriately sized prawns, ensuring biological sustainability and promoting economic efficiency through stability of the stock and stable catches.

The harvest strategy functions at two scales: harvest strategy development and harvest strategy management. Harvest strategies are developed prior to the commencement of commercial fishing during each harvest period (November, December, March, April and June to September). Fishing does not occur during January or February and generally does not occur in May or October. The development phase involves the determination of suitable areas of the west coast to open to fishing, based on historical commercial fishery information and informed by data obtained from fishery-independent stock assessment surveys and industry-driven spot surveys.

Once established, the harvest strategy is managed on a daily basis during the fishing run by the Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fishermen’s Association (SGWCPFA) and PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. Information is communicated both from and to the fleet by the ‘manager at sea’. Adjustment of the harvest strategy is informed from data obtained during commercial fishing and involves reducing or closing fished areas to avoid small prawns or unsuitable catch rates.

The total allowable nights of fishing for the season (November to October) will not exceed 98 (ninety-eight). This includes a maximum of 14 (fourteen) nights in each fishing trip from March to October) and 7 (seven) nights in each of November and December. Due to the variability of the fishery, the nights may be taken over a possible 18 (eighteen) nights of the fishery being open from March to October.

This management policy is the first to provide formal guidelines for the development and management of harvest strategies by industry, based on data obtained from commercial fishing and surveys.

6.1 Spatial scale of fishery management

There are three regions within the West Coast Prawn Fishery: Venus Bay, Ceduna and Coffin Bay (Figure 2). Data are collected and analysed for the fishery at this regional scale, which aims to provide a clear picture of the biological performance of the fishery for use in decision-making.

Figure 2. Regions for data collection and analysis in the West Coast Prawn Fishery

6.2 Stock Assessment Surveys

Three stock assessment surveys are conducted annually in the fishery on the new moon (dark of the moon), according to the schedule below:

Month Region

November Venus Bay Ceduna Coffin Bay (no observer)

March Venus Bay Ceduna

June Venus Bay

Prawn data collected for each survey shot include: total catch weight, catch weight per commercial prawn grade, mean prawn size (count per 7 kg), sex-specific length frequency, and reproductive index (November and March only). Stock assessment surveys aim to provide an index of current and future biomass and prawn size data from survey shots in the three regions of the fishery.

The total mean catch rate of prawns obtained from the survey is used as the index of current biomass. This value is the most reliable index of relative biomass available in the time constraints for harvest strategy development. The index of future biomass for the fishery is calculated as the total mean weight of the commercial prawn grade “20+”. A rapid assessment of mean prawn size is obtained for each survey shot from a ‘bucket count’ determined as the total number of prawns obtained from a 7 kg random prawn sample.

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6.3 Harvest Strategy Development

These guidelines aim to provide decision rules for harvest strategy development that ensures biological sustainability in a transparent and easily audited process, whilst providing industry the flexibility to develop appropriate spatial and temporal closures for each harvest period.

Prior to a fishing run, committee members from the SGWCPFA, in consultation with PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture, discuss broad harvest strategy goals. At these meetings, details such as survey dates, the starting date of fishing and the expected duration of the fishing run are determined. Fishing usually occurs from the last quarter through to the first quarter of the moon.

Stock assessment surveys are comprehensive surveys across the three regions of the fishery that primarily aim to determine the status of the resource. Their secondary function is to provide data from which the SGWCPFA and PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture develop the harvest strategy. This initial strategy identifies the regions that will be open for fishing and times and dates that they are effective for.

In recent years, stock assessment surveys have been conducted more frequently to inform better spatial management of the fishery and protection of the spawning stock.

Harvest strategy development rules are determined in a two-step process. Firstly, the region/s of the fishery that will be fished during that part of the season are determined, informed by past commercial fishing information and results of the stock assessment survey. Secondly, the at-sea decision rules are applied for the following period, relevant to the particular region and month of the year.

6.3.1 Harvest strategy decision rules

Once fishing has commenced, the harvest strategy is managed by the manager at sea according to the at-sea decision rules. Harvest strategy regions may be closed on a daily basis, if prawns of an unacceptable size or catch rate are harvested. These changes reduce the area available to fishing by removing access to the region where there are small prawns or low catch rates. Further, trawling times and the duration of the harvest strategy can be adjusted when necessary.

Whilst the primary objective of harvest strategy management is sustainability, it is also very important for economic efficiency. Effective harvest strategy management will reduce the risk of recruitment overfishing by reducing the capture of large amounts of small prawns.

Harvest strategy management is informed from data that is collected during commercial fishing and reported to the manager at sea. Daily catch weight estimates and mean prawn size (count per 7 kg) are reported to the manager at sea by each boat. If the minimum average catch per boat per night over two consecutive nights or the average bucket count falls below threshold levels, that region will be closed to fishing.

The average catch per boat per night (kg) is calculated by adding the total catch per boat and dividing by the total number of boats, i.e.

Ave. catch per boat = (Boat A total catch + Boat B total catch + Boat C total catch) / 3

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The average bucket count (number of prawns per 7kg) is calculated by adding the bucket counts for each boat and dividing the by the total number of bucket counts, i.e.

Ave. bucket count = ((Boat A bucket count 1 + 2 + 3) + (Boat B bucket count 1 + 2 + 3) + (Boat C bucket count 1 + 2 + 3)) / 9

There is a minimum of 3 bucket counts undertaken per boat per night.

The data and values used for harvest strategy management are termed ‘at-sea decision rules’. These rules are detailed below and are summarised in Table 2.

6.3.2 Pre-Christmas harvest strategy

November and December coincide with the early spawning period for King Prawns. Studies show that relative egg production increases with increasing prawn size (Dixon et. al. 2006a), thus smaller prawns are targeted during this period to protect egg production and take advantage of the higher relative price of smaller prawns prior to Christmas. To minimise the possibility of recruitment overfishing, a conservative approach to fishing is taken over this period by reducing the area and the number of nights available for fishing. The fishery aims to protect the spawning stock at this time by avoiding the take of larger prawns.

A fishery-independent stock assessment survey is conducted in the Venus Bay and Ceduna regions each November on the night of the new moon. A survey with no observer (in order to reduce costs) is conducted in Coffin Bay 1 night before the new moon.

Seven nights in November and 7 nights in December may be permitted for fishing in the Ceduna and Coffin Bay regions only. These 7 nights are around the dark of the moon. The at-sea decision rules during this period are that fishing will cease if:

1. The average catch per boat is below 300kg per night over two consecutive nights; or

2. The average bucket count is higher than 270 prawns per 7kg in Ceduna or 240 prawns per 7kg in Coffin Bay.

Fishing does not take place in Venus Bay during November or December, in recognition that Venus Bay may be an important spawning ground for the fishery. A more conservative pre-Christmas strategy may be taken if the fishery-independent survey shows poor abundance of spawning prawns in Venus Bay.

6.3.3 Post-Christmas harvest strategy

Fishing does not take place in the fishery during January or February. Fishing does not usually occur in May or October. May is generally the period when the water is cooler and prawns are not present or difficult to catch. October is an industry-initiated closure to take time off after the major part of the fishing season. In years where environmental conditions have precluded fishing in other months, May and/or October may be fished if discussed and agreed by the SGWCPFA.

A stock assessment survey in Venus Bay and Ceduna takes place on the night of the new moon in March. Subject to the results of the survey and the at-sea decision rules, a maximum of 14 nights of fishing may be undertaken in the fishery in each month of March and April. If Venus Bay demonstrates poor catches, then fishing may occur in Ceduna; or Venus Bay may be surveyed again and the results may re-determine the harvest strategy.

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Subject to the at-sea decision rules, a maximum of 14 nights of fishing may be undertaken in each of the months of June, July, August and September. Data from each commercial fishing period will also be used to inform the next, given that environmental conditions are variable and can alter fishing patterns quickly. June stock assessment surveys also inform fishing in the months between June and September.

The West Coast prawn fishery is an oceanic prawn fishery and is subject to oceanic influences, including bad weather (swell and wind) and cold upwelling events. Additionally, the West Coast Prawn Fishery is less affected by moon phases, mostly fishing in deeper waters. To allow flexibility in the management of the fishery, fishing may start 2 nights before the last quarter of the moon and finish 2 nights after the last quarter of the moon, with a maximum of 14 nights fished during March through to October.

The at-sea decision rules during March and May are that fishing will cease if:1. The average catch per boat is below 300kg per night over two consecutive

nights; or2. The average bucket count is higher than 250 prawns per 7kg in Venus Bay, 270

prawns per 7kg in Ceduna or 240 prawns per 7 kg in Coffin Bay.

The at-sea decision rules between June and October are that fishing will cease if:1. The average catch per boat is below 300kg per night over two consecutive

nights; or2. The average bucket count is higher than 240 prawns per 7kg in Venus Bay, 270

prawns per 7kg in Ceduna or 240 prawns per 7 kg in Coffin Bay.

Spatial management arrangements are also in place to protect small prawns in Venus Bay. Based on the survey results, closures based on NW – SE contour lines are put in place during the post-Christmas fishing months.

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Table 2. At sea decision rules for the West Coast Prawn Fishery

Region VENUS BAY CEDUNA COFFIN BAYAve. catch per boat (kg)

Ave. bucket count

Ave. catch per boat (kg)

Ave. bucket count

Ave. catch per boat (kg)

Ave. bucket count

November 300 270 300 240December 300 270 300 240JanuaryFebruaryMarch 300 250 300 270 300 240April 300 250 300 270 300 240May 300 250 300 270 300 240June 300 240 300 270 300 240July 300 240 300 270 300 240August 300 240 300 270 300 240September 300 240 300 270 300 240October 300 240 300 270 300 240

… No fishing

6.4 Biological performance indicators

Biological performance indicators are identified to provide measures of the status of a fishery and predictions about the future performance of the fishery.

A suite of performance indicators need to be developed that reflect the current management arrangements for the fishery. Potential indicators identified by Dixon et al. (2009) include:

Mean survey catch rate Total annual catch Catch during the early spawning period Mean daily catch per vessel Total commercial effort Mean commercial CPUE

Sources of data for performance indicators include: Fishery-independent survey data Commercial logbook data

o Catch, effort and CPUEo Prawn grades.

In the future, reference levels will be established for each biological performance indicator. Advice on these reference points will be provided in the stock assessment report. These levels are intended to provide a reference against which performance of the indicator can be assessed. A target reference level establishes a benchmark for desirable fishery performance. A limit reference level establishes a benchmark for undesirable fishery performance. Decision rules for a fishery establish rules for using the measurement of biological performance indicators against defined reference levels.

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6.4.1 Primary biological performance indicators

For the West Coast Prawn Fishery, primary biological performance indicators may include:

1. Abundance of adults/mature prawns in each region (total mean survey catch rate)

2. Prawn size in each region - Venus Bay, Ceduna and Coffin Bay 3. Recruitment index (mean 20+ prawn grade catch rate)4. Annual commercial catch

6.4.2 Secondary biological performance indicators

Secondary biological performance indicators for a fishery provide additional measures by which to assess the performance of the fishery, however they are not used routinely in decision-making for the fishery. These indicators are reported annually but assessed less frequently (ie stock assessment every 3 years) and are used in reviews of the fishery, rather than in day-to-day decision-making.

The suggested secondary biological performance indicators for the West Coast Prawn Fishery are:

1. Commercial CPUE2. Effort (spatial)3. Prawn size in each region - Venus Bay, Ceduna and Coffin Bay

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7 STOCK ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH

7.1 Research services

PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture contracts stock assessment research services for each fishery. SARDI Aquatic Sciences is currently the preferred research provider by PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture and the primary research provider for core research for the West Coast Prawn Fishery.

7.2 Data collection and analysis

Catch and effort information forms the basis for decision-making in relation to the biology of the fishery. Catch and effort returns are completed and submitted by registered masters in accordance with the regulations. This information is entered into a database.

From 1 July 2007 a logbook was also introduced for commercial licence holders to report interactions with threatened, endangered and protected species.

7.3 Reporting

Two types of report are prepared and delivered periodically for the West Coast Prawn Fishery:

1. Stock assessment report. This is a major report that is published once every three years analysing the performance of the fishery.

2. Stock status report. This is a targeted review of each season published within 12 months of the end of the fishing season. It provides analyses of catch, effort and prawn survey data from the preceding years. This report is delivered to the Spencer Gulf and West Coast Prawn Fishermen’s Association each year.

7.4 Strategic research plan

Key research priorities for the West Coast Prawn Fishery will be identified through the development of a fishery strategic plan during 2011. Greater knowledge about the oceanographic conditions in the West Coast region will improve understanding of the fishery.

The last full stock assessment report for the West Coast prawn Fishery was published in 2006 (Dixon and Roberts, 2006). Brief status reports have been provided annually thereafter, reflecting a prolonged period of low biomass and commercial catch. As the stock continues to recover, there is an increased need for robust stock assessment (Dixon et al., 2009). The fishery aims to have another formal stock assessment report published when this management policy is reviewed in 2013, with particular regard to developing meaningful performance indicators for the fishery.

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8 COMPLIANCE AND MONITORING

8.1 Objectives

PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture runs a compliance program that has dual objectives:

To maximise voluntary compliance with fisheries rules1

To create effective deterrence to breaching fisheries rules

These objectives are consistent with the National Fisheries Compliance Policy.

Voluntary compliance is maximised through ensuring that fishers are aware of the rules that apply to their fishing activities, understand the rules and the purpose of those rules and operate in a culture of compliance.

Effective deterrence is created through the presence of Fisheries Officers and awareness of compliance operations, as well as through detection and prosecution of illegal activity. 2

8.2 Compliance Planning and Risk Assessment

PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture compliance programs are developed on an annual basis to:

Support the fisheries management objectives for each fishery

Identify compliance risks in each fishery

Respond to key risks within each three year period

Have an appropriate mix of tools designed to maximise voluntary compliance and create effective deterrence

Establish benchmarks against which to measure responses to risks

A compliance risk assessment is undertaken on an annual basis for each fishery. This assessment identifies and priorities the emerging compliance risks that exist in the fishery. Risks are ranked according to the likelihood and consequence of the risk occurring. The template for a risk assessment is attached at Appendix 18.1.

This risk assessment is used to inform annual compliance planning processes and involves industry representatives.

Compliance activities are planned to respond to the risks identified in each fishery, with an emphasis on the most serious risks. Responses must include measures aimed at both maximising voluntary compliance and creating effective deterrence

1 Rules include regulations, licence conditions, closure notices or any other enforceable instrument under the Fisheries Management Act 2007.2 Prosecution may include the issuing of a formal caution or an expiation notice, in addition to prosecution through the courts.

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