ROCK LOBSTER FISHERY

In reply to the Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14 February 2012).

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for State/Local Government Relations): I have been advised:

1. Prior to the start of the 2010-11 fishing season, the Aquatic Sciences branch of the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) Fisheries, informed industry that the Southern Zone Rock Lobster Fishery had been performing poorly for several years and management interventions were needed to address the problem.

The poor performance of the fishery was based on the following scientific data:

The fishery only caught 1,243.7 tonnes of the 1,400 tonnes total allowable commercial catch (TACC) during the 2009-10 season. This was the third consecutive year that the TACC had not been fully taken (it was missed by 50.4 tonnes in 2007-08 and 362.7 tonnes in 2008-09).

The commercial catch rate (which is a reliable measure of Rock Lobster stock abundance) for the 2009-10 season declined for the seventh consecutive year, to the lowest level ever recorded in the fishery. This reflected a 67 percent decrease from the catch rate of 2003-04.

The declines in fishery performance were not limited to individual locations; the decreases in catch rate during this seven year period were observed across all regions, depth and months of the fishery. Such decreases in catch rate reflected a decline in Rock Lobster stock abundance which in turn reflected low recruitment over this period.

At the same time, SARDI and PIRSA Fisheries also informed industry that indices used as an indicator of future catch suggested that a pulse of just-legal size Rock Lobster would enter the fishery during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 fishing seasons, but it was important that this new recruitment pulse was afforded adequate protection to rebuild the existing stock.

2. The former minister set the 2010-11 TACC at 150 tonnes lower than the previous fishing season (i.e. 1,250 tonnes) and closed the fishery for the months of October 2010 and May 2011 in order to constrain catch and contribute to the rebuilding of the Rock Lobster stock. In quota managed fisheries, it is common fisheries management practice to adjust the TACC level in response to increases and decreases in stock abundance.

3. Each year, SARDI Aquatic Sciences presents a mid-season and end of year report on the status of the Southern Zone Rock Lobster Fishery. In these reports, information on the indices used to predict the future catch of the Southern Zone Rock Lobster Fishery is always presented to industry.

An analysis of all the scientific information prior to the start of the 2010-11 fishing season indicated that the Southern Zone Rock Lobster Fishery had been performing poorly for several years. This information was conveyed to industry.