❓ Hon Robin Chapple questions the Minister for Fisheries regarding shearwater bycatch in the South Coast Purse Seine Fishery, requesting reports and mortality rates. The Attorney General, representing the Minister, provides information, tables a report, and notes data validation is underway.
AnsweredQoN 434Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
SOUTH
COAST PURSE SEINE FISHERY
434. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the
Attorney General representing the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to question without notice 872 asked in the
Legislative Council on 27 November 2013 regarding the shearwater bycatch
reduction program in zone 1 of the south coast purse seine fishery, in which
the minister stated that a report is prepared annually by the Department of
Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Fisheries.
(1) Will the minister table the reports?
(2) If no to (1), why has the minister failed to meet his
obligations?
(3) What is the bycatch mortality rate for February to April
2016?
COAST PURSE SEINE FISHERY
434. Hon ROBIN CHAPPLE to the
Attorney General representing the Minister for Fisheries:
I refer to question without notice 872 asked in the
Legislative Council on 27 November 2013 regarding the shearwater bycatch
reduction program in zone 1 of the south coast purse seine fishery, in which
the minister stated that a report is prepared annually by the Department of
Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Fisheries.
(1) Will the minister table the reports?
(2) If no to (1), why has the minister failed to meet his
obligations?
(3) What is the bycatch mortality rate for February to April
2016?
AnswerView source ↗
On behalf of the Minister for
Fisheries, I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) Information
on shearwater interactions—mortalities and birds captured and released—within
the south coast purse seine fishery is collated by the Department of Fisheries
with data sourced primarily from operators in the fishery. The information is
provided annually to the Purse Seine Protected Species Working Group, which
consists of operators in the fishery, and representatives from the Western Australian
Fishing Industry Council, OceanWatch, the Department of Parks and Wildlife, and
the Department of Fisheries. Upon receiving the information, WAFIC prepares an
annual report on behalf of the working group. The report details various
shearwater mitigation measures that were implemented and the number of
shearwater interactions with the fishery the previous season and over time. The
most recent report, ''Protected Species Bycatch in Zone 1 of the South
Coast Purse Seine Fishery 2014/15'', summarises all the shearwater
interactions by the fishery since 2006. The report was provided by WAFIC to the
present minister's predecessor on 11 March 2016. I will be tabling that
information.
The department has recently
identified some inconsistencies in the shearwater data it provided to WAFIC and
is currently undertaking a process to validate the reported interactions.
Notwithstanding, the identified inconsistencies are unlikely to affect the
overall trend in shearwater interactions, which shows a reduction in
mortalities over time and since the commencement of the shearwater bycatch
mitigation program 2006.
(3) The
information requested by the honourable member is yet to be validated and is
not available at this time.
I table the
documents I referred to.
[See paper 4087.]
Fisheries, I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1)–(2) Information
on shearwater interactions—mortalities and birds captured and released—within
the south coast purse seine fishery is collated by the Department of Fisheries
with data sourced primarily from operators in the fishery. The information is
provided annually to the Purse Seine Protected Species Working Group, which
consists of operators in the fishery, and representatives from the Western Australian
Fishing Industry Council, OceanWatch, the Department of Parks and Wildlife, and
the Department of Fisheries. Upon receiving the information, WAFIC prepares an
annual report on behalf of the working group. The report details various
shearwater mitigation measures that were implemented and the number of
shearwater interactions with the fishery the previous season and over time. The
most recent report, ''Protected Species Bycatch in Zone 1 of the South
Coast Purse Seine Fishery 2014/15'', summarises all the shearwater
interactions by the fishery since 2006. The report was provided by WAFIC to the
present minister's predecessor on 11 March 2016. I will be tabling that
information.
The department has recently
identified some inconsistencies in the shearwater data it provided to WAFIC and
is currently undertaking a process to validate the reported interactions.
Notwithstanding, the identified inconsistencies are unlikely to affect the
overall trend in shearwater interactions, which shows a reduction in
mortalities over time and since the commencement of the shearwater bycatch
mitigation program 2006.
(3) The
information requested by the honourable member is yet to be validated and is
not available at this time.
I table the
documents I referred to.
[See paper 4087.]
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