• be documented, publicly available and transparent;

• be developed through a consultative process providing opportunity to all interested and affected parties, including the general public;

• ensure that a range of expertise and community interests are involved in individual fishery management committees and during the stock assessment process.

• be strategic, containing objectives and performance criteria by which the effectiveness of the management arrangements are measured;

• be capable of controlling the level of harvest in the fishery using input and/or output controls;

• contain the means of enforcing critical aspects of the management arrangements;

• provide for the periodic review of the performance of the fishery management arrangements and the management strategies, objectives and criteria;

• be capable of assessing, monitoring and avoiding, remedying or mitigating any adverse impacts on the wider marine ecosystem in which the target species lives and the fishery operates
  

• require compliance with relevant threat abatement plans, recovery plans, the National Policy on Fisheries Bycatch, and bycatch action strategies developed under that policy.

Principle 1
A fishery must be conducted in a manner that does not lead to over-fishing, or for those stocks that are over-fished, the fishery must be conducted such that there is a high degree of probability the stock(s) will recover .

Information requirements

1.1.1 There is a reliable information collection system in place appropriate to the scale of the fishery. The level of data collection should be based upon an appropriate mix of fishery independent and dependent research and monitoring.

Assessment

1.1.2 There is a robust assessment and periodic review of data collected on the dynamics and status of the species/fishery that should include, where relevant, an assessment of the status and trends in age and sex composition. Assessment should be with a view to identification of reduction in biological diversity and/or reproductive capacity. Review should take place at regular intervals but no greater than three years should elapse between reviews.

Management response

1.1.6 There are reference points (target and/or limit), that trigger management actions including a biological and/or effort bottom line beyond which the stock should not be taken.

Management response

1.2.1 A precautionary recovery strategy is in place specifying management actions, or staged management responses, which are linked to reference points. The recovery strategy should lead to the recovery of the stock within a specified period of time, or until the species recovers.

Information requirements

2.1.1 Reliable information, appropriate to the scale of the fishery, is collected on the composition and abundance of bycatch.

Assessments

2.1.2 There is a risk analysis of the bycatch with respect to its vulnerability to fishing.

Management responses

2.1.3 Measures are in place to avoid capture and mortality of bycatch species unless it is determined that the level of catch is sustainable (except in relation to endangered, threatened or protected species). Steps must be taken to develop suitable technology if none is available.

Information requirements

2.2.1 Reliable information is collected on the interaction with endangered, threatened or protected species and threatened ecological communities

Assessments

2.2.2 There is an assessment of the impact of the fishery on endangered, threatened or protected species.

Management responses

2.2.4 There are measures in place to avoid capture and/or mortality of endangered, threatened or protected species.

Information requirements

2.3.1 Information appropriate for the analysis in 2.3.2 is collated and/or collected covering the fisheries impact on the ecosystem and environment generally.

2.3.2 Information is collected and a risk analysis, appropriate to the scale of the fishery and its potential impacts, is conducted into the susceptibility of each of the following ecosystem components to the fishery.

• Impacts on ecological communities
  • Benthic communities
  • Ecologically related, associated or dependent species
  • Water column communities

• Impacts on food chains
  • Structure
  • Productivity/flows

• Impacts on the physical environment
  • Physical habitat
  • Water quality

Management responses

2.3.3 Management actions are in place to ensure significant damage to ecosystems does not arise from the impacts described in 2.3.1.

• The commercial catch in any year may fall below the TACC for a number of reasons, which must be accounted for before any action is taken. The total commercial catch will be monitored against the TACC for the fishery.
• Catch per unit of effort is a measure of the standardised catch rate and is also commonly used as a index of relative abundance. For the purpose of this management plan, CPUE is defined as the kilograms of lobster caught per pot lift and will be calculated separately from both commercial catch returns and independent research surveys.
  • While CPUE can provide a relative index of abundance, it does not provide an actual estimate of legal size biomass. For the purpose of this management plan, legal size biomass will be defined as the estimated tonnage of legal sized lobster on the bottom at a stated point in time (1 November). Changes in the biomass are important because this will affect the catch rate, productivity, sustainable harvest level and egg production of the fishery.
• Biomass will be estimated by two separate techniques. The first will be a length structured, spatial stock assessment model of the rock lobster fishery and the second method will be through independent research surveys in selected regions of the fishery.
• The puerulus settlement index involves monitoring puerulus settlement at a number of locations, with Bicheno being the main site. The data series from this sites extends back 12 years. The indications are that puerulus settlement at these sites gives a measure of the potential catch available 5 years after settlement. At this stage the index is only applicable to assessment areas 2, 3 and 4.
• · The byproduct species are likely to be giant crab, scalefish species or octopus, which will be monitored in conjunction with the annual assessments under the scalefish and octopus management plans respectively.

• The TACC is less than 95% of the TACC
• A CPUE statewide of less than 95% of the reference year, regional CPUE of less than 75% of the reference year (lowest year of 1994-1995)
  • a new trigger is proposed: a CPUE statewide of less than 95% of the reference year, regional CPUE of less than 75% of the reference year (2000)
• An estimated statewide biomass that is less than 95% of the reference year (lowest for the period 1993-95) or an estimate of regional biomass that is less than 85% of the reference year
  • a new trigger is proposed: an estimated statewide biomass that is less than 95% of the reference year or an estimate of regional biomass that is less than 85% of the reference year (2000)
• An estimate of abundance of undersize rock lobsters that is less that 95% of the reference year (1993-95)
  • this trigger point is to be dropped until more reliable data can be obtained
• That landing of byproduct species increased by 25% in any year or the landings of a single species increase by 50% in any year. Note that appropriate triggers will also be included in the Scalefish Policy Document

• The recreational catch will be monitored through the continuation of recreational surveys. The recreational catch is not limited directly. It is important to monitor the catch and to take corrective action if it increases above what it may have been in the past. In the last 10 years the recreational catch has ranged between 5% and 11% of the commercial catch, based on surveys conducted in 1997 and 2001. It is recommended that the recreational catch on a State and regional level be assessed in detail at least every second year. Future assessments of the recreational fishery should include an assessment of recreational fishing power.
• As the legal size biomass rebuilds it is likely that there will be an increase in the number of recreational licences as people find rock lobster easier to catch it will encourage more fishers to take out a recreational licence. The number of licences needs to be monitored

• The estimate of the recreational catch exceeds 10% of the total allowable commercial catch
  • new triggers are proposed: the estimate of recreational catch exceeds 10% of the TACC; the number of recreational licences increases by more than 10% of any year

4. Conserving egg production and containing fishing mortality on spawning female lobster by the use of minimum size limits and the closure of the fishery for female lobster during the peak spawning period.

5. Restricting the size at first capture by requiring rock lobster pots to have escape gaps and to conform to size specifications.

6. Ensuring minimum incidental mortality by limiting the duration that rock lobster pots can be set.

7. Setting appropriate performance indicators and trigger points that can be monitored and provide meaningful results.

8. Conducting an annual fishery assessment reporting against each of the performance indicators.

1. Review the current enforcement and compliance strategies in conjunction with industry and Tasmania Police to determine its effectiveness.

2. Collect statistics on the enforcement and compliance activities to ensure adequate State, regional and seasonal coverage of vessel and processor inspections.

3. Use industry sources to assist in the detection of illegal activity.

1. Harvesting and recording the catch of byproduct species in accordance with the management arrangements for those species.

2. Requiring rock lobster pots to have adequate escape gaps in which most of the bycatch species can leave the pot, while retaining legal size rock lobster.

3. Limiting the duration that rock lobster pots can be set to reduce incidental mortality.

4. Undertaking fishery independent research that collects and analyses data on bycatch species.

• Bycatch species will continue to be monitored through the fishery independent catch sampling program, any changes in biodiversity or abundance should be detected from this program. This will be supplemented with targeted catch sampling on commercial vessels in an ad hoc manner as time permits.

• Bycatch abundance changes by 25% in any year or 50% in any 3 year period. Bycatch species assemblages changes by 30% in any two year period

1. Requiring interaction with endangered, threatened or protected species, as listed in the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 or the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth), to be recorded on monthly catch returns and requiring fishers to complete documentation necessary under other legislation relating these species.

2. Monitoring the recorded interactions to establish a baseline.

3. Develop a code of practice which encourages fishes to consider potential impacts on such species.

4. Protect any threatened ecological community type through the development and implementation of comprehensive, adequate and representative marine protected areas (This would be done under the Marine Protected Area Strategy being developed by the Government).