Harvest strategies for the blue swimmer crab and finfish resources in the Peel-Harvey Estuary have recently been reviewed and updated, and are now open for public comment.
The estuary’s blue swimmer crab and sea mullet fisheries were certified against the globally-recognised Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard for sustainable fishing in 2016 and will soon enter into re-assessment. The draft harvest strategies prepare for this process, and detail the performance indicators and reference levels used to assess whether the fisheries meet objectives relating to the sustainability of the target species, as well as the broader ecosystem. They also describe the harvest control rules that trigger management action if assessments suggest the ecological objectives are not being achieved.
In addition to consideration of ecological sustainability, the harvest strategies also some broad socio-economic objectives. An annual, fishery-level review is undertaken to determine whether the current level of catch by the relevant fisheries/sectors is consistent with the levels expected when ecological objectives are met.
Copies of the updated draft harvest strategies are available from our public comment page. Interested persons are invited to make comment in writing by 5.00pm, 29 September 2020, or forward your written submission to nick.blay@dpird.wa.gov.au.