A risk assessment and prioritisation approach to the selection of indicator species for the assessment of multi-species, multi-gear, multi-sector fishery resources

Authors

Stephen J. Newman, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Joshua I. Brown, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
David V. Fairclough, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Brent S. Wise, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Lynda M. Bellchambers, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Brett W. Molony, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Rodney C J Lenanton, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Gary Jackson, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Kimberley A. Smith, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Daniel J. Gaughan, Department of Primary Industries and Regional DevelopmentFollow
Warrick (Rick) Fletcher, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Rory McAuley, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Corey B. Wakefield, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-9-2017

Journal Title

Marine Policy

ISSN

Print: 0308-597X Electronic: 1872-9460

Keywords

Ecosystem-based fisheries management; Index species; Stock assessment; Harvest strategies; Data limited; Resource poor

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Marine Biology

Abstract

Assessing the stock status of mixed and/or multi-species fishery resources is challenging. This is especially true in highly diverse systems, where landed catches are small, but comprise many species. In these circumstances, whole-of-ecosystem management requires consideration of the impact of harvesting on a plethora of species. However, this is logistically infeasible and cost prohibitive. To overcome this issue, selected ‘indicator’ species are used to assess the risk to sustainability of all ‘like’ species susceptible to capture within a fishery resource. Indicator species are determined via information on their (1) inherent vulnerability, i.e. biological attributes; (2) risk to sustainability, i.e. stock status; and (3) management importance, i.e. commercial prominence, social and/or cultural amenity value of the resource. These attributes are used to determine an overall score for each species which is used to identify ‘indicator’ species. The risk status (i.e. current risk) of the indicator species then determines the risk-level for the biological sustainability of the entire fishery resource and thus the level of priority for management, monitoring, assessment and compliance. A range of fishery management regimes are amenable to the indicator species approach, including both effort limited fisheries (e.g. individually transferable effort systems) and output controlled fisheries (e.g. species-specific catch quotas). The indicator species approach has been used and refined for fisheries resources in Western Australia over two decades. This process is now widely understood and accepted by stakeholders, as it focuses fishery dependent- and/or independent-monitoring, biological sampling, stock assessment and compliance priorities, thereby optimising the use of available jurisdictional resources.

Recommended Citation

Newman, S J, Brown, J I, Fairclough, D V, Wise, B S, Bellchambers, L M, Molony, B W, Lenanton, R C, Jackson, G, Smith, K A, Gaughan, D J, Fletcher, W, McAuley, R, and Wakefield, C B. (2017), A risk assessment and prioritisation approach to the selection of indicator species for the assessment of multi-species, multi-gear, multi-sector fishery resources. Marine Policy, 88, 11-12.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fr_fja/150