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Description

The State of the Fisheries document is designed as an essential supplement to the Annual Report to Parliament and provides a more detailed level of information to support the Department of Fisheries' non-financial performance measures. By summarising management changes, compliance activities and research data including stock assessments and breeding stock levels, this document provides a valuable reference point for Western Australian fisheries of major importance to the commercial and recreational sectors. Information relevant to the State's developing aquaculture industries and the Department's Fish and Fish Habitat Protection Program is also provided. This year's report follows the ecologically sustainable development (ESD) format established in 2000/01 and reflects Department's commitment to sustainable management and reporting of Western Australian fisheries. The status reports on individual fisheries, which have now been provided since the mid-1990s, also form the basis of a number of key performance indicators for the Department's management programs set out in our Annual Report. These reports indicate that the majority of the State's fish stocks continue to be in a healthy condition and are producing at sustainable levels. It is pleasing to note also that the State's pilchard fisheries, which were severely depleted by an exotic virus in 1999, have recovered substantially, assisted by the significant quota reductions under their management plan. This success, and the good recovery of the previously depleted eastern Shark Bay pink snapper stock, have however been tempered by ongoing difficulties in maintaining the other pink snapper stocks in the Gascoyne coast bioregion, where reduced commercial quotas and additional recreational controls have become necessary. These events highlight the ongoing and increasing need for research monitoring and active management, particularly of our more accessible coastal fisheries. Current initiatives to develop integrated fisheries management regimes are designed to meet these challenges, but will require strong community support for their successful implementation. Similarly, active resolution of the increasing number of resource-sharing issues will be required over the next 3-5 years, so that management can focus on ensuring total catches by all sectors do not exceed sustainability targets.

ISSN

ISSN (Print): 1446-5906, ISSN (Online): 1446 - 5914, ISSN (CD): 1446 - 5922

Publication Date

30-6-2003

Publisher

Department of Fisheries, Western Australia

City

Perth

Keywords

fisheries, Western Australia, status reports, compliance, fish stocks

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Environmental Monitoring

State of the Fisheries Report 2002/2003

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