❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding the sustainability, catch rates, uses, and economic value of the South West salmon fishery, highlighting concerns about recreational catch data and market distribution.
AnsweredQoN 2056Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) What research has been carried out to determine the sustainable annual catch of the South West salmon fishery?
(2) Has a sustainable annual catch been determined for this species and, if so, what is the figure?
(3) For salmon caught by commercial fishers, what has been the average tonnage of salmon catch each year for the past 10 years and what has been the tonnage caught for each of the last five years?
(4) For salmon caught by recreational fishers, what has been the average tonnage of salmon catch each year for the past 10 years and what has been the tonnage caught for each of the last five years?
(5) What are the common uses for salmon that are sold by the commercial fishers in Western Australia?
(6) What is the estimated number of recreational fishers who target salmon each year in Western Australia?
(7) How many commercial fishers are licensed to catch salmon and how many of these have been actively catching salmon over the past five years?
(8) What has been the average annual value of the total tonnage of salmon caught by commercial fishers over the last five years?
(2) Has a sustainable annual catch been determined for this species and, if so, what is the figure?
(3) For salmon caught by commercial fishers, what has been the average tonnage of salmon catch each year for the past 10 years and what has been the tonnage caught for each of the last five years?
(4) For salmon caught by recreational fishers, what has been the average tonnage of salmon catch each year for the past 10 years and what has been the tonnage caught for each of the last five years?
(5) What are the common uses for salmon that are sold by the commercial fishers in Western Australia?
(6) What is the estimated number of recreational fishers who target salmon each year in Western Australia?
(7) How many commercial fishers are licensed to catch salmon and how many of these have been actively catching salmon over the past five years?
(8) What has been the average annual value of the total tonnage of salmon caught by commercial fishers over the last five years?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
22 October 2003
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Response time
29 days
(2) Yes. The acceptable catch range for salmon for the State is calculated to be between 1,300 and 3,600 tonnes per year. (3) For the area just south of Tim's Thicket (33 ºS) to Cape Beaufort (116 ºE), the catches of Australian salmon were as follows: The average catch for the last 10 years (1993-2002) was 499.6 tonnes. The catch for each of the last 5 years is (1998) 557 tonnes, (1999) 283 tonnes, (2000) 217 tonnes, (2001) 321.3 tonnes and (2002) 626.7 tonnes. (4) Recreational catch information is not recorded on an annual basis. The most recent creel survey (survey of actual catch) of salmon and herring fishing in the South West of the State was carried out in 1994 and 1995. Australian salmon accounted for an estimated 2.4% of the recreational catch over the whole survey area (lower west and south coast). The estimated recreational shore based catch of salmon for the Bunbury, Busselton and Augusta areas (combined) were 9,100 fish (36.1 tonnes) in 1994 and 13, 800 fish (55 t) in 1995. A more recent national survey in 2001/2002, undertaken by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, reported the average annual recreational catch of Australian salmon in all of Western Australia as 41,695 fish. It should be noted however that the Department’s researchers have raised some questions about the results obtained in this survey. (5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(3) For the area just south of Tim's Thicket (33 ºS) to Cape Beaufort (116 ºE), the catches of Australian salmon were as follows: The average catch for the last 10 years (1993-2002) was 499.6 tonnes. The catch for each of the last 5 years is (1998) 557 tonnes, (1999) 283 tonnes, (2000) 217 tonnes, (2001) 321.3 tonnes and (2002) 626.7 tonnes. (4) Recreational catch information is not recorded on an annual basis. The most recent creel survey (survey of actual catch) of salmon and herring fishing in the South West of the State was carried out in 1994 and 1995. Australian salmon accounted for an estimated 2.4% of the recreational catch over the whole survey area (lower west and south coast). The estimated recreational shore based catch of salmon for the Bunbury, Busselton and Augusta areas (combined) were 9,100 fish (36.1 tonnes) in 1994 and 13, 800 fish (55 t) in 1995. A more recent national survey in 2001/2002, undertaken by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, reported the average annual recreational catch of Australian salmon in all of Western Australia as 41,695 fish. It should be noted however that the Department’s researchers have raised some questions about the results obtained in this survey. (5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(4) Recreational catch information is not recorded on an annual basis. The most recent creel survey (survey of actual catch) of salmon and herring fishing in the South West of the State was carried out in 1994 and 1995. Australian salmon accounted for an estimated 2.4% of the recreational catch over the whole survey area (lower west and south coast). The estimated recreational shore based catch of salmon for the Bunbury, Busselton and Augusta areas (combined) were 9,100 fish (36.1 tonnes) in 1994 and 13, 800 fish (55 t) in 1995. A more recent national survey in 2001/2002, undertaken by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, reported the average annual recreational catch of Australian salmon in all of Western Australia as 41,695 fish. It should be noted however that the Department’s researchers have raised some questions about the results obtained in this survey. (5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
A more recent national survey in 2001/2002, undertaken by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, reported the average annual recreational catch of Australian salmon in all of Western Australia as 41,695 fish. It should be noted however that the Department’s researchers have raised some questions about the results obtained in this survey. (5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(3) For the area just south of Tim's Thicket (33 ºS) to Cape Beaufort (116 ºE), the catches of Australian salmon were as follows: The average catch for the last 10 years (1993-2002) was 499.6 tonnes. The catch for each of the last 5 years is (1998) 557 tonnes, (1999) 283 tonnes, (2000) 217 tonnes, (2001) 321.3 tonnes and (2002) 626.7 tonnes. (4) Recreational catch information is not recorded on an annual basis. The most recent creel survey (survey of actual catch) of salmon and herring fishing in the South West of the State was carried out in 1994 and 1995. Australian salmon accounted for an estimated 2.4% of the recreational catch over the whole survey area (lower west and south coast). The estimated recreational shore based catch of salmon for the Bunbury, Busselton and Augusta areas (combined) were 9,100 fish (36.1 tonnes) in 1994 and 13, 800 fish (55 t) in 1995. A more recent national survey in 2001/2002, undertaken by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, reported the average annual recreational catch of Australian salmon in all of Western Australia as 41,695 fish. It should be noted however that the Department’s researchers have raised some questions about the results obtained in this survey. (5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(4) Recreational catch information is not recorded on an annual basis. The most recent creel survey (survey of actual catch) of salmon and herring fishing in the South West of the State was carried out in 1994 and 1995. Australian salmon accounted for an estimated 2.4% of the recreational catch over the whole survey area (lower west and south coast). The estimated recreational shore based catch of salmon for the Bunbury, Busselton and Augusta areas (combined) were 9,100 fish (36.1 tonnes) in 1994 and 13, 800 fish (55 t) in 1995. A more recent national survey in 2001/2002, undertaken by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, reported the average annual recreational catch of Australian salmon in all of Western Australia as 41,695 fish. It should be noted however that the Department’s researchers have raised some questions about the results obtained in this survey. (5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
A more recent national survey in 2001/2002, undertaken by Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, reported the average annual recreational catch of Australian salmon in all of Western Australia as 41,695 fish. It should be noted however that the Department’s researchers have raised some questions about the results obtained in this survey. (5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(5) The Department of Fisheries understands that approximately 90% of commercially caught salmon is sent to South Australia for canning, and is then sold for human consumption. Waste product (i.e. salmon heads) is often used as bait in rock lobster fisheries. There have been some developments recently in establishing export markets for Australian salmon in Spain and the Philippines. There have also been some developments in the marketing of Australian salmon for human consumption in restaurants across the south coast of the State. (6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(6) The number of recreational anglers targeting salmon is not known. (7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(7) At June 2003 there were 12 commercial fishers licensed to operate in the South West salmon managed fishery. Each of these license holders has caught salmon in the past 5 years. (8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
(8) The average annual value of the catch of salmon from the South West of the State for the last 5 years is estimated to be about $158,000.
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