Latest science report confirms WA’s aquatic resources are in good condition
Western Australia has maintained its global leadership in sustainable fisheries management with 93 per cent of stocks assessed as not being at risk or vulnerable to fishing, following the publication of the annual Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia, colloquially known as the State of the Fisheries.
The State of the Fisheries report provides an annual measure of the health of WA’s aquatic resources across recreational and commercial fisheries.
The report also confirms the high level of independent sustainability captured within Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries, including Western Rock Lobster, West Coast Deep Sea Crab, West and South Coast Abalone, Shark Bay Prawn, Exmouth Gulf Prawn, Peel-Harvey Sea Mullet and Blue Swimmer Crab, Pearl Oyster, Octopus, Abrolhos Islands Scallop, Greenlip Abalone, and Sea Cucumber. These fisheries all contribute significant economic and social value to the State and its regional communities.
More than 90 per cent of Western Australia’s fisheries by value is independently certified through MSC.
WA Fishing Industry Council Chief Executive Officer, Melissa Haslam said the latest report confirms that commercial fishing remains sustainable within the managed fisheries framework.
“Sustainability is arguably the most important measure for commercial fishers as they have to fish the same waters today and every day into the future. Commercial fishers are highly regulated in when, where and when they can fish, so they need to ensure the fish stocks are always at sustainable levels,” she said.
Not surprisingly, the West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource continues to struggle as it works through the second half of its 20-year recovery plan.
“While there are some signs of recovery, the catch levels continue to be reduced by fisheries managers. In recent years, the fishery has seen significant cuts to its catch levels for commercial and recreational fishers, but a lack of digital catch reporting for recreational fishers means some of the data used in the report is three years old, which makes it difficult to understand what is really happening today. Recreational and commercial fishers are reporting bumper catches, but the old data makes it hard to know what’s happening with certainty.”
“The current catch data is still reflecting recreational catch during the border closures and COVID lockdown, which is hardly reflective of current catch levels,” Melissa said.
Ms Haslam said it’s important to recognise that the report is a reflection of all impacts on WA’s fisheries, not just fishing. Climate change, cyclones, marine warming, floods, offshore oil and gas, as well as coastal developments all have an impact on fish stocks and are examined to determine their impact on WA’s aquatic resources.
“Having 93 per cent of WA’s fisheries rated as sustainable and not-at-risk is a great result when you consider the natural impacts we are seeing with cyclones, heat waves and floods,” Melissa said.
The latest annual Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources includes the most recent assessments for each of the aquatic resources within WA’s six bioregions, using DPIRD’s Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management approach.
You can download the report here.