❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses sustainability issues, breeding cohorts, survival rates, management arrangements, and research related to the West Coast Demersal Scale Fishery, particularly focusing on dhufish populations.
AnsweredQoN 986Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WEST COAST DEMERSAL SCALE FISHERY
I note the recent publishing of the Department of Fisheries annual report. Within the west coast demersal scale fishery — (1) What are the sustainability issues to be addressed? (2) Have any breeding cohorts of dhufish been identified in recent years? (3) What is the likely survival of dhufish in this fishery? (4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE
I note the recent publishing of the Department of Fisheries annual report. Within the west coast demersal scale fishery — (1) What are the sustainability issues to be addressed? (2) Have any breeding cohorts of dhufish been identified in recent years? (3) What is the likely survival of dhufish in this fishery? (4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(1) What are the sustainability issues to be addressed? (2) Have any breeding cohorts of dhufish been identified in recent years? (3) What is the likely survival of dhufish in this fishery? (4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(2) Have any breeding cohorts of dhufish been identified in recent years? (3) What is the likely survival of dhufish in this fishery? (4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(3) What is the likely survival of dhufish in this fishery? (4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(1) What are the sustainability issues to be addressed? (2) Have any breeding cohorts of dhufish been identified in recent years? (3) What is the likely survival of dhufish in this fishery? (4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(2) Have any breeding cohorts of dhufish been identified in recent years? (3) What is the likely survival of dhufish in this fishery? (4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(3) What is the likely survival of dhufish in this fishery? (4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(4) What current management arrangements are in place for commercial and recreational fishers accessing this fishery and are further restrictions to be placed on this fishery? (5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(5) What current or future research is being carried out or is planned for this fishery and what budgets are associated with this research? Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(1) Stock assessments in 2007 and 2009 demonstrated overfishing of stocks of demersal species in the west coast bioregion. Significant changes have been made to the management of the west coast demersal scalefish resource to ensure the long-term sustainability of these stocks. Both the commercial sector and the recreational sector have achieved the key management objective of reducing catches of demersal scalefish by at least 50 per cent of catch levels recorded in 2005–06. The current fishing level of both the recreational and commercial sectors is considered acceptable and the stock is recovering. (2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(2) A relatively strong year class for dhufish has been identified as a result of better than average spawning success in 1999. There is also some evidence that a better than average spawning may have occurred in 2002. These year classes are identified as dhufish grow and enter the fished stock. (3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(3) The member’s question is unclear, but I have interpreted it to be about the percentage of fertilised eggs that survive to become adult dhufish. Although I cannot give an exact percentage, it is likely to be very low, as is the case with most marine broadcast spawners. However, if the member is referring to the survival of undersize fish returned to the water, it is dependent on a number of factors, including the depth at which they were caught, how they were handled after capture and whether or not a release weight was used to return them to the water. (4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(4) Commercial fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of restrictions on effort, gear type, minimum sizes and fishing zone. Recreational fishing for demersal scalefish off the west coast is managed by a combination of size, bag, boat and possession limits, gear restrictions, and temporal closures. The need for management change will be considered during 2013–14 following a stock assessment to be conducted in 2012–13 and analysis of the results of a statewide recreational fishing survey currently underway. (5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
(5) Western Australian dhufish and the other demersal indicator species are monitored annually, with the next assessment due in 2012–13, based on data collected from 2008–09 to 2010–11. Data for such assessments are collected by the Department of Fisheries staff via a network of stakeholders and programs, including the Send Us Your Skeletons initiative. The total budget for all programs is approximately $650 000. Other related research includes a natural resource management–funded project with a focus on determining habitats critical to the juvenile lifecycle stage of WA dhufish, with a budget of $112 000; a Fisheries Research and Development Corporation–funded collaborative project with the CSIRO investigating the distribution of spawning activity and the dispersal of dhufish larvae in the south west capes region, with a budget of $292 000; and a three-year Western Australian Marine Science Institute–funded project investigating stock structure of demersal indicator species to review the appropriateness of management areas for the west coast scalefish interim managed fishery, with a budget of $250 000.
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