Fisheries occasional publication No.72 - Western Rock Lobster ecological effects of fishing research plan.

Authors

Rhys Brown, Fisheries Western Australia

Files

Description

The commercial West Coast Rock Lobster Fishery (WCRLF) targets the western rock lobster (WRL), Panulirus cygnus, averaging approximately 10,000 tonnes of lobsters each year. Currently approximately 450 to 500 boats operate in the Fishery in waters ranging from 5 m to 200 m depth adjacent to the Western Australian coast and stretching from Cape Leeuwin in the south to Shark Bay in the north. The Fishery is managed by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) in Western Australia, using an input control system designed to constrain exploitation/fishing effort and deliver sustainable catches. The annual value of the catch is estimated at between AUD $200 - $300 million.

In March 2000 the WCRLF became the first Fishery in the world to be certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as a well managed and sustainable fishery. The status of the rock lobster stocks, the fishery’s impact on the ecosystem and its management systems were independently assessed by a team of experts contracted to, Scientific Certifications Systems Inc (SCS) of Oakland California, which undertook the certification on behalf of the MSC. The fishery successfully underwent its second five-year assessment by SCS in November 2006 and was has been recertified until November 2011.

ISBN

1 921 258 69 1

ISSN

1447 - 2058

Publication Date

14-11-2008

Series Number

72

Publisher

Department of Fisheries, Western Australia

City

Perth

Keywords

Ecological risk, Western Rock Lobster, Environmental management, Fishing, Ecosystems, Habitat mapping

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Biodiversity | Biology | Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment | Environmental Monitoring | Marine Biology | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Recommended Citation

Brown, R. 2008. Fisheries occasional publication No.72 - Western Rock Lobster ecological effects of fishing research plan.. 72. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. Perth.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fr_fop/76