Project Overview
Fish and crustaceans in coastal and estuarine environments are under pressure from a range of sources, such as a growing population/fishing pressure, pollution and climate change. The development of aquaculture techniques provides ‘new’ options for policy makers and managers with the ability to restore or enhance target fish/crustacean populations by releasing aquacultured individuals (release programs, e.g. restocking). However, to maximise the likelihood for success, we need to develop tools able to evaluate the potential effectiveness of release programs. Thus, the broad aim of the project is to assess the social and economic value of key small-scale multisector fisheries in Western Australia and estimate the potential cost and benefits of various release program scenarios.
To achieve this, the project has three stages
1) Calculation of social values of fishing and attitudes to various management measures
2) Calculation of economic values
3) Estimate the cost and benefits of release programs
Golden Fish
Evaluating and optimising the biological, social and economic returns of small-scale fisheries
Project Objectives
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Conduct a socio-economic evaluation of the recreational and commercial sectors of the Blue Swimmer Crab fishery in the Perth/Peel metropolitan area.
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Conduct a socio-economic evaluation of the recreational and commercial sectors of the Black Bream fishery in the Blackwood Estuary.
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Investigate the potential to optimise the biological, social and economic returns in those fisheries using release programs.
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Provide training for the next generation of fisheries scientists (Honours, PhD students and early-career researchers) and community education.
Team Members
Post-doctoral research fellow
Professor of Marine Ecology and Conservation
Neil studies population biology, fisheries production and food webs. He has extensive experience in release programs and evaluating their cost-benefits through bio-economic modelling. Google Scholar.
Senior Lecturer in Environmental Management
Michael is an expert in recreation and natural resource management, who determines management effectiveness, attitudes, perceptions and cost-benefits of management. Google Scholar.
Professor of Economics
Malcolm is an expert in maritime economic history and applied maritime economics, particularly relating to port and fishing industries. Google Scholar.
PhD student
Clara worked on the Red Grouper fishery in Mexico, determining socio-economic information on fisher’s quality of life and economic profit. She comes to Murdoch University from the Zoological Society of London.
Sarah Poulton
Honours student
Sarah graduated from Murdoch University with a double major in Marine Science and Conservation Wildlife Biology in 2016. She grew up in the Peel region fishing for Blue Swimmer Crabs and scuba diving. Her love for the marine environment has driven her research interests.
PhD student
Denis graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Masters degree in Agricultural Economics in 2015. His research interests lie in incorporating economic data in ecologically sustainable development using the ecosystem-based fisheries management approach.
PhD student
Senior Lecturer in Economics
Anne is an economist who specialises in labour economics and regional labour markets, with an on-going interest in developments in international investment and trade.
News
Our Vision
“Help understand the social and economic dimensions of estuarine fisheries in south-western Australia to enable a more holistic approach to fisheries management”
Watch some project highlights
Project Video
Coming soon....
Publications
These will appear as the project progresses
1) Obregón, C., Hughes, M., Loneragan, N.R., Poulton, S.J. & Tweedley, J.R. (2020). A two-phase approach to elicit and measure beliefs on management strategies: fishers supportive and aware of trade-offs associated with stock enhancement. Ambio 49(2): 640-649. Click here for the paper.
2) Obregón, C., Tweedley, J.R., Loneragan, N.R., & Hughes, M. (In press). Different but not opposed: perceptions between fishing sectors on the status and management of a crab fishery. ICES Journal of Marine Science. Click here for the paper.
Funding Acknowledgements
RAC WA: golden fish: evaluating and optimising the biological, social and economic returns of small-scale fisheries is supported by funding from the FRDC on behalf of the Australian Government. Additional financial support was provided by the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund, which is supported by Recfishwest and the WA Department of Fisheries. In-kind support is also being provided by the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council, Recfishwest, CSIRO and the WA Department of Fisheries.
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