Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 2:18:48 to 2:24:12
Officials explain the science behind sustainable catch limits for migratory stocks and Australia's role in international regional fisheries management organizations.
Topics: Fisheries, AFMA, International law
Speakers: Speaker 23, Speaker 17, Speaker 13, Speaker 12, Speaker 4, Speaker 8
>> Um maybe um I guess rather than maybe characterizing it as a view, we have a uh a really important role in international um fisheries management more broadly. >> Uh and there's a range of different I guess treaties that we're um we have a responsibility to negotiate and manage um in a multilateral sense. And I'm sure my colleagues can talk in a lot more detail about that. But um that is a really important role where we ensure that in an international sense balanced outcomes are achieved.
>> And probably just to add to what my colleague was saying, that's entirely correct. And one of the recent bits of work um that we've done is look at uh measures to um limit the risk of uh seafood being imported from fisheries that are subject to IU fisheries. So illegal unreported or unregulated fisheries. One of the measures coming out of that um that was committed to last year is a um to review um seaffort seafood import codes. Uh and so again looking at um how we can uh better understand and have better data in terms of the the fisheries that have the fish that is being imported into Australia.
>> And finally from I know Senator Brockman has some followup on this subject but have you had any analysis of the impact that this decision in WA is having upon
any Commonwealth fisheries? Uh it will be a a question for um for AFHMA who will be appearing later today. Um but again it probably would be about where um there are Commonwealth or AF managed fisheries that are either adjacent or >> uh o overlapping in the WA area and we understand AHMA has looked at that but they're targeting um as I understand it quite different species in those in
those fisheries. >> Yes. Yes. But but you know if if fishes are not fishing the merciless and they're moving to other species you know does that have a is there any consideration of the impact that that might have on those other species that are within the Commonwealth jurisdiction
>> there there has been some anecdotal discussion around people looking at other fisheries now from the Commonwealth fisheries in that area they're managed under quotota so sustainable catch limits so if people want to buy into those fisheries ries and catch that those fish that's fine. There's a sustainable limit that would be in place to manage it.
>> Okay. >> So, in terms of the sustainable catch limits, that's obviously a methodology that's put in place by ATHMA or
yourself. >> Uh that's put in place by AHMA.
>> And what is the I guess what is the science underpinning that? Um, is there a consistent methodology across species that actually underpins those decisions?
>> Yes, there's a consistent approach to stock assessment. So, you take in characteristics of the stock and the biology of the stock indicators like the catch rates and they go into a stock assessment model. Uh, it's a mathematical model and that comes out with sustainable catch levels.
>> So, um, is that held for the demeral species we're talking about? in Western Australia >> in these combined waters that you just
spoke about. >> So for the Commonwealth fisheries, the one that's probably predominant in that area is a tuna fishery. Um those stock assessments are done at the international level and then applied
into >> Can you can you explain that to me? I don't pretend to be an expert in this area. >> Sorry. So >> So at the international level, what what
does that mean? So, as uh Miss McCormack was saying, we're part of these regional fisheries management organizations with many countries that fish these migratory stocks and so the stock assessments and management needs to be done at the regional level because the fish will go from here to Africa and back and um so there's a it's a large area and the stock assessment to assess the sustainability of that stock is done through these regional bodies. I I accept that. So you're talking about SBT >> uh in this case it is like SBT but yellow fin tuna albore.
>> So so but there there is a a level of science underpinning those decisions because part of the problem in terms of the WA decision is there is a very significant lack of transparency in the science actually underpinning the decision to end commercial fisheries uh in significant parts of WA waters. So is there any science in those combined waters you talked about that would allow for an assessment of demeral species?
>> No. No. It's different fishery.
>> Different fishery. >> There's no science that exists to make
that assessment. >> I think if there was it, it'd be along the lines of impact of climate change, some sort of um water temperature. But in terms of the stock data and what people are catching, how long they live for, it's it's separate fisheries.
>> Okay. >> So
>> that would be done. >> WA. That's right. WA will be responsible for for um the information that's supporting their decision.