Tighter Monitoring Of Port Lincoln Bluefin Catchesff
24 July 2003
Australia Tuna vessels will require vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and companies will be required to estimate their tonnage of tuna transferred to tow cages while at sea, under new management proposals.
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority on Monday unveiled its proposals to overhaul the management and monitoring of southern bluefin tuna fishing operations.
The authority says the changes were flagged by its board earlier this year following an incident involving the loss of fish from a tow cage off Port Lincoln and the overcatch of the species for the third year in a row.
AFMA fisheries general manager Les Roberts said together with the introduction of the pilot observer program into the fishery during this past catching season, the new changes would build a better picture of the fishery.
"It has become obvious that we need to develop more robust systems of monitoring and managing the quota arrangements for this valuable international fishery, and to ensure we meet our domestic and international management objectives," Mr Roberts said.
"In particular, there is a need for real time reporting of catches and any critical incidents, such of the loss of SBT from tow cages and for managing the problem of overcatch."
The operators are now required to estimate their catches in the tow cage and this amount will be the provisional quota deduction until the catch can be officially counted at the time transfer to the farm cages.
The provisional quota could become the "official, final quota" in the event that the tow cage does not arrive back at the farms after 30 days or where there is "significant and unexplained variation" between the provisional and official count.
Operators must also now officially report any losses or critical incidents once the fish are caught and on their way back.
The tuna industry has voiced concern over the cost effectiveness of VMS, but AFMA stated it believed this system was the most effective and was in the process of adopting it for all Commonwealth fisheries.
The draft version of the management updates could be viewed at www.afma.gov.au with the deadline to make submissions being August 18.