Keeping the fish in ‘fish and chips’: research and management of the Western Australian shark fishery

Abstract

The shark fishery in the southern half of Western Australia fishery began in 1941 and developed slowly until the mid 1970s when the fishery began to expand rapidly. A management plan incorporating limited entry, gear specifications and effort controls was introduced in 1988 in response to concerns about the status of the stocks. Research has focused on the assessment of stocks, and has involved the collection of catch-and-effort data since 1975, and tactical research projects to gather data on biology; this has allowed the implementation of stock assessment, modelling and forecasting techniques. The fishing industry is involved in the development of the research projects and in the decision-making process of management. This, together with regular reporting of research results, assists in maintaining industry support and acceptance of results. A potential disadvantage of the involvement of industry is the delay in implementation that may be caused by the complexity of the system of consultation or by the conflict between regulation of the fishery and the present livelihood of fishers. However, this is minimized by the creation of clear quantitative targets for management.