❓ The WA government has assessed the impact of climate change on the western rock lobster fishery and is taking actions to mitigate the effects through monitoring and proactive management responses, resulting in record-high egg production levels.
AnsweredQoN 1617Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Has the Government assessed the impact of climate change on the western rock lobster fishery? (2) If no to (1), why not? (3) What actions, if any, is the Government taking to mitigate the effects of climate change or environmental anomalies on the western rock lobster?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
19 February 2014
Responded by
Minister for Fisheries
Response time
76 days
(1)
Yes. The Department of Fisheries (Department) has been working in collaboration with the CSIRO to assess the potential impact that climate change may have on the western rock lobster fishery. An initial study completed in 2010 identified the effects that climate change appeared to be having on both the size of maturity and the size of migrating lobsters. The potential for climate change to impact on lobster recruitment has also been the focus of more recent studies. Investigations into the possible causes for the recent period of below-average puerulus settlements (including the lowest settlement recorded in 40 years of monitoring), identified that these were associated with years of warmer ocean temperatures which affected the timing of spawning, and fewer winter storms. Such conditions are likely to increase in frequency under climate change predictions.
The Department is also currently undertaking the WA component of a national project to examine possible climate change effects on all Australian fisheries using a risk assessment approach. This involves examining some case study fisheries including the western rock lobster.
(2)
Not applicable
(3)
Monitoring the annual level of puerulus settlement is invaluable in managing the impacts of any environmental changes that may affect recruitment and therefore the abundance of adult lobsters. This monitoring enables early detection of any changes in the abundance of rock lobsters that will be available for the fishery because it takes 3-4 years for puerulus to reach legal size. The advantages generated by this ongoing program was illustrated during the recent period of low settlement because it enabled a pro-active management response to be made before these low puerulus year-classes entered the fishery.
The major change in pre-recruitment abundance was taken into account within the stock assessment and management advice enabling appropriate pre-emptive management responses to be made. The fishing effort and catch were therefore reduced in 2008/09 and subsequent years which ensured that there was sufficient carryover of stock into the years when the poor year-classes were to enter the fishery. Consequently, given these pre-emptive actions, the spawning stock of lobsters not only did not decline to unsustainable levels, but with early management intervention, the egg production levels have actually risen to be at record-high levels over recent years.
The monitoring of environmental factors that are associated with annual fluctuations in puerulus settlement and other aspects of the rock lobster fishery has been undertaken for over 30 years. In response to concerns of climate change there has been in an expansion in the level of monitoring of environmental factors through both in-situ environmental measurements and the use of improved oceanographic modelling to better estimate environmental parameters.
Yes. The Department of Fisheries (Department) has been working in collaboration with the CSIRO to assess the potential impact that climate change may have on the western rock lobster fishery. An initial study completed in 2010 identified the effects that climate change appeared to be having on both the size of maturity and the size of migrating lobsters. The potential for climate change to impact on lobster recruitment has also been the focus of more recent studies. Investigations into the possible causes for the recent period of below-average puerulus settlements (including the lowest settlement recorded in 40 years of monitoring), identified that these were associated with years of warmer ocean temperatures which affected the timing of spawning, and fewer winter storms. Such conditions are likely to increase in frequency under climate change predictions.
The Department is also currently undertaking the WA component of a national project to examine possible climate change effects on all Australian fisheries using a risk assessment approach. This involves examining some case study fisheries including the western rock lobster.
(2)
Not applicable
(3)
Monitoring the annual level of puerulus settlement is invaluable in managing the impacts of any environmental changes that may affect recruitment and therefore the abundance of adult lobsters. This monitoring enables early detection of any changes in the abundance of rock lobsters that will be available for the fishery because it takes 3-4 years for puerulus to reach legal size. The advantages generated by this ongoing program was illustrated during the recent period of low settlement because it enabled a pro-active management response to be made before these low puerulus year-classes entered the fishery.
The major change in pre-recruitment abundance was taken into account within the stock assessment and management advice enabling appropriate pre-emptive management responses to be made. The fishing effort and catch were therefore reduced in 2008/09 and subsequent years which ensured that there was sufficient carryover of stock into the years when the poor year-classes were to enter the fishery. Consequently, given these pre-emptive actions, the spawning stock of lobsters not only did not decline to unsustainable levels, but with early management intervention, the egg production levels have actually risen to be at record-high levels over recent years.
The monitoring of environmental factors that are associated with annual fluctuations in puerulus settlement and other aspects of the rock lobster fishery has been undertaken for over 30 years. In response to concerns of climate change there has been in an expansion in the level of monitoring of environmental factors through both in-situ environmental measurements and the use of improved oceanographic modelling to better estimate environmental parameters.
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