❓ Minister Moore responds to a question regarding potential adjustments to the Western Rock Lobster Management Plan, indicating that further adjustments are unlikely before the season's end, but remains prepared to act if necessary to preserve the fishery due to low puerulus counts.
AnsweredQoN 543Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER MANAGEMENT PLAN
I refer to the western rock lobster management plan. Is the minister considering or planning to implement any further adjustments prior to the end of this season? Hon NORMAN MOORE
I refer to the western rock lobster management plan. Is the minister considering or planning to implement any further adjustments prior to the end of this season? Hon NORMAN MOORE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question. The answer is: probably not. All the advice I have at this point in time is that the catch for this season will be below the target that we had set. As the member would be aware, we recently gave back another day of fishing because the original measures that we had taken had, in fact, reduced the catch by more than was necessary. I cannot see any reason for any further adjustments before the end of the season, but, as I have indicated consistently since this season began and the low puerulus count became very apparent, I am prepared to take whatever decisions are necessary to preserve this fishery. If that means almost micromanaging the decisions as we go along, that is what we will have to do. However, I am quite confident at this point in time, based on the evidence provided to me, that there will be no further changes this season. Indeed, we all hope and pray that when the results from the puerulus count start to come in for the following season, it may indicate that the situation will return to normal. As a matter of interest, suggestion has been made that as a result of some climatic factors and Indian Ocean oscillations, there was quite an unusual season last year that may have seen the puerulus being unable to come as close to shore for settlement as is normally the case; indeed, the puerulus may be further offshore. Nevertheless, nobody quite knows that because no assessment has been made of puerulus further offshore in the past, so there is nothing to compare it with at this point. Therefore, as I said, I hope desperately that the situation this season was an aberration and that we can get back to normal in the future. However, for the time being, as I understand it, this season has progressed satisfactorily and the catch is slightly below what we had targeted, and that to me is a satisfactory outcome.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. The answer is: probably not. All the advice I have at this point in time is that the catch for this season will be below the target that we had set. As the member would be aware, we recently gave back another day of fishing because the original measures that we had taken had, in fact, reduced the catch by more than was necessary. I cannot see any reason for any further adjustments before the end of the season, but, as I have indicated consistently since this season began and the low puerulus count became very apparent, I am prepared to take whatever decisions are necessary to preserve this fishery. If that means almost micromanaging the decisions as we go along, that is what we will have to do. However, I am quite confident at this point in time, based on the evidence provided to me, that there will be no further changes this season. Indeed, we all hope and pray that when the results from the puerulus count start to come in for the following season, it may indicate that the situation will return to normal. As a matter of interest, suggestion has been made that as a result of some climatic factors and Indian Ocean oscillations, there was quite an unusual season last year that may have seen the puerulus being unable to come as close to shore for settlement as is normally the case; indeed, the puerulus may be further offshore. Nevertheless, nobody quite knows that because no assessment has been made of puerulus further offshore in the past, so there is nothing to compare it with at this point. Therefore, as I said, I hope desperately that the situation this season was an aberration and that we can get back to normal in the future. However, for the time being, as I understand it, this season has progressed satisfactorily and the catch is slightly below what we had targeted, and that to me is a satisfactory outcome.
I thank the member for the question. The answer is: probably not. All the advice I have at this point in time is that the catch for this season will be below the target that we had set. As the member would be aware, we recently gave back another day of fishing because the original measures that we had taken had, in fact, reduced the catch by more than was necessary. I cannot see any reason for any further adjustments before the end of the season, but, as I have indicated consistently since this season began and the low puerulus count became very apparent, I am prepared to take whatever decisions are necessary to preserve this fishery. If that means almost micromanaging the decisions as we go along, that is what we will have to do. However, I am quite confident at this point in time, based on the evidence provided to me, that there will be no further changes this season. Indeed, we all hope and pray that when the results from the puerulus count start to come in for the following season, it may indicate that the situation will return to normal. As a matter of interest, suggestion has been made that as a result of some climatic factors and Indian Ocean oscillations, there was quite an unusual season last year that may have seen the puerulus being unable to come as close to shore for settlement as is normally the case; indeed, the puerulus may be further offshore. Nevertheless, nobody quite knows that because no assessment has been made of puerulus further offshore in the past, so there is nothing to compare it with at this point. Therefore, as I said, I hope desperately that the situation this season was an aberration and that we can get back to normal in the future. However, for the time being, as I understand it, this season has progressed satisfactorily and the catch is slightly below what we had targeted, and that to me is a satisfactory outcome.
As a matter of interest, suggestion has been made that as a result of some climatic factors and Indian Ocean oscillations, there was quite an unusual season last year that may have seen the puerulus being unable to come as close to shore for settlement as is normally the case; indeed, the puerulus may be further offshore. Nevertheless, nobody quite knows that because no assessment has been made of puerulus further offshore in the past, so there is nothing to compare it with at this point. Therefore, as I said, I hope desperately that the situation this season was an aberration and that we can get back to normal in the future. However, for the time being, as I understand it, this season has progressed satisfactorily and the catch is slightly below what we had targeted, and that to me is a satisfactory outcome.
Hon NORMAN MOORE replied: I thank the member for the question. The answer is: probably not. All the advice I have at this point in time is that the catch for this season will be below the target that we had set. As the member would be aware, we recently gave back another day of fishing because the original measures that we had taken had, in fact, reduced the catch by more than was necessary. I cannot see any reason for any further adjustments before the end of the season, but, as I have indicated consistently since this season began and the low puerulus count became very apparent, I am prepared to take whatever decisions are necessary to preserve this fishery. If that means almost micromanaging the decisions as we go along, that is what we will have to do. However, I am quite confident at this point in time, based on the evidence provided to me, that there will be no further changes this season. Indeed, we all hope and pray that when the results from the puerulus count start to come in for the following season, it may indicate that the situation will return to normal. As a matter of interest, suggestion has been made that as a result of some climatic factors and Indian Ocean oscillations, there was quite an unusual season last year that may have seen the puerulus being unable to come as close to shore for settlement as is normally the case; indeed, the puerulus may be further offshore. Nevertheless, nobody quite knows that because no assessment has been made of puerulus further offshore in the past, so there is nothing to compare it with at this point. Therefore, as I said, I hope desperately that the situation this season was an aberration and that we can get back to normal in the future. However, for the time being, as I understand it, this season has progressed satisfactorily and the catch is slightly below what we had targeted, and that to me is a satisfactory outcome.
I thank the member for the question. The answer is: probably not. All the advice I have at this point in time is that the catch for this season will be below the target that we had set. As the member would be aware, we recently gave back another day of fishing because the original measures that we had taken had, in fact, reduced the catch by more than was necessary. I cannot see any reason for any further adjustments before the end of the season, but, as I have indicated consistently since this season began and the low puerulus count became very apparent, I am prepared to take whatever decisions are necessary to preserve this fishery. If that means almost micromanaging the decisions as we go along, that is what we will have to do. However, I am quite confident at this point in time, based on the evidence provided to me, that there will be no further changes this season. Indeed, we all hope and pray that when the results from the puerulus count start to come in for the following season, it may indicate that the situation will return to normal. As a matter of interest, suggestion has been made that as a result of some climatic factors and Indian Ocean oscillations, there was quite an unusual season last year that may have seen the puerulus being unable to come as close to shore for settlement as is normally the case; indeed, the puerulus may be further offshore. Nevertheless, nobody quite knows that because no assessment has been made of puerulus further offshore in the past, so there is nothing to compare it with at this point. Therefore, as I said, I hope desperately that the situation this season was an aberration and that we can get back to normal in the future. However, for the time being, as I understand it, this season has progressed satisfactorily and the catch is slightly below what we had targeted, and that to me is a satisfactory outcome.
As a matter of interest, suggestion has been made that as a result of some climatic factors and Indian Ocean oscillations, there was quite an unusual season last year that may have seen the puerulus being unable to come as close to shore for settlement as is normally the case; indeed, the puerulus may be further offshore. Nevertheless, nobody quite knows that because no assessment has been made of puerulus further offshore in the past, so there is nothing to compare it with at this point. Therefore, as I said, I hope desperately that the situation this season was an aberration and that we can get back to normal in the future. However, for the time being, as I understand it, this season has progressed satisfactorily and the catch is slightly below what we had targeted, and that to me is a satisfactory outcome.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.