Mr. Kelly inquires about the adoption and implementation of Recommendation 4 from a Western Rock Lobster report. The government confirms full adoption, detailing proactive management responses and positive impacts on lobster stocks and catch rates.

AnsweredQoN 1616Legislative Assembly
Asked
5 December 2013
Portfolio
Fisheries

QuestionView source ↗

I refer to Recommendation 4 of the Western Rock Lobster Low Puerulus Risk Assessment report produced following the two day workshop of 1 and 2 April 2009, held at the Western Australian Fisheries and Marine Research Laboratories Hillarys, and I ask: (a) was Recommendation 4 adopted by Government wholly or in part; (b) if it was adopted in part, then: (i) why was it not adopted in full; (ii) which parts were adopted; (iii) what implementation has occured; and (iv) what discernable impacts have been observed; and (c) if Recommendation 4 was not adopted at all, why not?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
19 February 2014
Responded by
Minister for Fisheries
Response time
76 days
(a)
Recommendation 4 has been adopted in full
(b) (i) - (ii) Not applicable
(iii)
There
was a significant pro-active management response taken well before lobsters arising from the low puerulus years entered the fishery. Significant reductions in fishing effort (in the order of 40-70%) and catch were implemented from 2008/09 and a catch quota system was introduced in 2010/11. A closed area was implemented for the Big Bank area, which is north of the Abrolhos Is., as anecdotal information indicated there had been a decrease in stock abundance in that area.
(iv)
The effort reduction and subsequent catch quota setting has resulted in increased catch rates by fishers and this early management intervention has resulted in the breeding stock being at record-high levels in recent years.
The spawning stock in the Big Bank region has also improved considerably since the closure in 2009.
(c)
Not applicable

Explore WA Government Data

Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.

Explore more