Fishers' description of changes in fishing gear and fishing practices in the Australian South East Trawl Fishery

Abstract

Between the mid 1980s and early 1990s, the concurrence of three major events significantly altered the structure and dynamics of the demersal trawl sector in the Australian South-East Fishery (SEF). These events included marked technological improvement, severe decline of major fish stocks and introduction of an Individual Transferable Quota system. They have led to a switch from maximizing catch volume to maximizing catch composition and quotas, with important associated changes in fishing practices and catches. To better understand these changes and their effect on stock assessment and management, an industry survey asked SEF trawl fishers to describe their fishing gear and fishing practices in detail. This paper is a qualitative synthesis of current trends in fishing that most significantly affect the single-species, logbook-dependent assessment and management of the fishery. It demonstrates how effective collaboration between scientists and fishers can benefit fisheries research and management, by helping scientists make more informed analysis and interpretations of fisheries data.