Western Rock Lobster Management - Options and Issues

Executive Summary

Following the Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee (RLIAC) meeting of the 3 March 1998 the Minister has advised that his position is that there will be no management changes for the 1998/99 season. This is in line with the Minister's previous commitment to licence holders that he would announce forthcoming seasonal management arrangements well in advance unless exceptional circumstances prevailed. Some sectors of the industry are nonetheless concerned about the impact two seasons of unprecedented high catches will have on the industry and have identified the lack of information as a difficultly in fully considering management options.

Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is primarily to provide information explaining management options and issues for consideration of the long term management of the fishery. The RLIAC acknowledges that some of the options included in the paper have been presented previously, in particularly off-season fishing proposals, and have not received a lot of support. However, for the sake of completeness, these options are included in this paper.

The options presented in this paper are primarily aimed at achieving the following objectives:

• to make available supplies of live lobsters for the longest period practicable; and/or
• to smooth the catch within, and between, years.

The outlook for the 1998/99 season is for significantly increased production but a down turn in demand and price is expected particularly in Taiwan and Japan. The immediate prospect is for a fall in prices in an attempt to boost demand for the increase in production from key business and private catering sectors

In 1992/93, the western rock lobster fishery was at a critical point, with declining breeding stock levels and forecasts of low recruitment for the years 1994/95 to 1996/97. The management plan introduced in 1993/94 reversed the trend in breeding stock levels and by 1996/97 had reduced exploitation to a safe level.

Concurrent with the improvement in the breeding stock, the fishery has experienced improved puerulus settlement for a number of years, mainly due to environmental conditions. This situation should generate well above average catches in 1998/99 and 1999/2000.

Since early 1997 the RLIAC has been considering its advice in relation to what changes, if any, should be made to the existing management arrangements to make the most of the forecast high catch years. This paper draws together the information that is relevant to RLIAC deliberations and provides a number of options for discussion.

The paper is divided into three main sections which detail options that have been identified as having the potential to increase the catch value over the next three years. In the first section, an option for enhancing the catch value by transferring lobsters to the off-season is provided.

In the second section, options for enhancing the catch value by transferring lobsters within and between seasons are provided. In the third section, options for enhancing the catch value by taking oversize female lobsters are provided.