Evidence is required to address potential albatross mortality in the New South Wales Ocean Trawl fishery.

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Management Agency ◽  
Trawl Fishery ◽  
Responsible Management ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Legal Obligations ◽  
Trawl Fisheries

To examine the current management of trawl fisheries is important to ensure albatross mortality is not being overlooked. By-catch of albatrosses in trawl fisheries occurs cryptically, which has hindered the development of conservation policy. The implementation of tasked seabird observer programmes in trawl fisheries, nevertheless, has shown that albatross mortality can happen at threatening levels. Consequently, mitigation measures have been developed and adopted in some trawl fisheries. Despite this, some trawl fisheries lack clear policy in relation to albatross mortality. In this context, I investigated the management of potential albatross mortality in a state trawl fishery, the New South Wales Ocean Trawl, in Australia. I conducted a literature search and addressed a set of questions to the responsible management agency through questions on notice at the State Parliament of New South Wales to understand albatross interactions from a policy standpoint. My results indicate that current policy neither encompasses albatross mortality nor is evidence-based. However, the combination of characteristics of this fishery and its overlap with albatross occurrence, along with the reported albatross mortality from other trawl fisheries, may warrant the need to collect empirical evidence on potential albatross interactions. Hence, the responsible management agency should take action according to legal obligations. In this scenario, I recommend the implementation of a tasked seabird observer programme, collection of baseline data, and adoption of adaptive management by the examined fishery. As uncertainty can hamper conservation efforts because management actions require evidence, it is imperative to fill current information gaps in this fishery. Additionally, an improved understanding of albatross mortality from individual trawl fisheries across different fisheries management jurisdictions will enable the prioritization of conservation efforts of this avian taxon in an international and multi-gear fishing context.

Annual total mortality and population stucture of jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus Bloch & Schneider) in eastren Australian waters

1983 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 253 ◽  
Author(s):  
DC Smith
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Trawl Fishery ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Annual Total ◽  
Older Males

Catch curves were analysed to estimate the annual total mortality of jackass morwong landed at the port of Eden between July 1976 and June 1979. The annual total mortality of females was lower in 1978-1979 than in the previous 2 years, reflecting the expansion of the trawl fishery in New South Wales to include previously unexploited deepwater grounds. Males were fully recruited to the commercially exploited population at an earlier age than females. It is suggested that the increased mortality in older males is due to an increase in natural mortality.

State entrepreneurship in New South Wales’ trawl fishery, 1914-1923

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 636-655
Author(s):  
Lif Lund Jacobsen
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Consumer Market ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Trawl Fishery ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Fisheries Policy ◽  
Economic Failure ◽  
New Consumer

In 1914, the New South Wales (NSW) Government decided to alter its fisheries policy, with the development of an offshore trawling industry supplanting support for inshore fishing as its key development objective. Accordingly, between 1915 and 1923 the NSW Government operated a commercial trawling industry designed to fish previously unexploited fish stocks on the state’s continental shelf. The State Trawling Industry (STI) was designed to meet a mix of social and economic policy goals, with the NSW Government controlling all parts of the production line from catching to selling produce. This article examines the business structure of the enterprise to reveal the reasons for its economic failure. It argues that government entrepreneurship created a new consumer market and unintentionally paved the way for the rise of a modern private trawling industry.

Observations on the effects of rabbit calicivirus disease on low and medium density rabbit populations in western New South Wales

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Sharp ◽  
Kerry Holmes ◽  
Melinda Norton ◽  
Adam Marks
Keyword(s):  
Arid Zone ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Medium Density ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Positive Growth ◽  
Density Population

Between winter 1995 and winter 1998, seasonal spotlight counts for rabbits were conducted along three transects in western New South Wales. Rabbit Calicivirus (RCV) arrived at the study site in spring 1996 and had an immediate marked effect on rabbit densities. Prior to the advent of Rabbit Calicivirus Disease (RCD), rabbit abundance followed the expected annual pattern of positive growth during the winter to summer period and negligible or negative growth during the summer to winter period. With the arrival of RCV, rabbit abundance was observed to decline by 47% and 75% within low density populations and by 84% within a medium density population. In the subsequent 21 months, the low density populations returned to levels approximating those prior to the arrival of RCV. In contrast, rabbit abundance within the medium density population remained at consistently lowered levels. These data suggest that RCD will have a minimal effect on semi-arid zone rabbit populations below a density of 0.4/ha and that additional management actions will be required to further reduce rabbit abundances.

Land management within capability: a new scheme to guide sustainable land management in New South Wales, Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Gray ◽  
Greg A. Chapman ◽  
Brian W. Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
Land Degradation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Sustainable Land Management ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Evaluation Scheme ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
South Wales

A new evaluation scheme, land management within capability (LMwC), used to guide sustainable land management in New South Wales (NSW), is presented. The scheme semi-quantitatively categorises the potential impacts of specific land-management actions and compares these with the inherent physical capability of the land in relation to a range of land-degradation hazards. This leads to the derivation of LMwC indices, which signify the sustainability of land-management practices at the scale of individual sites up to broader regions. The LMwC scheme can be used to identify lands at greatest risk from various land-degradation hazards. It can help to guide natural resource agencies at local, regional and state levels to target priorities and promote sustainable land management across their lands. Few other schemes that assess the sustainability of a given land-management regime in a semi-quantitative yet pragmatic manner are found in the literature. The scheme has particular application for regional soil-monitoring programs and it was applied in such a program over NSW in 2008–09. The results suggested that the hazards most poorly managed across the state are wind erosion, soil acidification and soil organic carbon decline. The LMwC scheme, or at least its underlying concepts, could be readily applied to other jurisdictions.

Demography of a yellow-footed rock-wallaby Petrogale xanthopus colony in the threatened New South Wales sub-population.

2006 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 215 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Sharp ◽  
M. Norton ◽  
A. Marks
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Juvenile Survival ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Reproductive Rates ◽  
Substantial Decline

The remnant New South Wales (NSW) yellow-footed rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus) population underwent a substantial decline between 1985 and 1992 and remained at dangerously low levels until 1995. To determine the processes underlying this decline, a population study was conducted at one colony, between winter 1995 and winter 1998. The colony was observed to remain relatively constant in size, consisting of between 12 or 13 individuals throughout the study. Reproductive rates were found to be relatively high. Both reproduction and pouch young survival were comparable with those reported for other P. xanthopus colonies, while adult survival rates were higher than those noted in other studies. Because population size remained constant during the study and adult survivorship was consistently high, this suggested that juvenile recruitment into the colony was low. Such low levels of recruitment may have had a substantive role in the slow decline of the entire NSW P. xanthopus population. The results of this study suggest that any management actions undertaken in the NSW P. xanthopus population should focus on increasing juvenile survival rates. Further research is required to determine whether juvenile survival is constrained by predation or competition with other herbivores.

Priorities for management of chytridiomycosis in Australia: saving frogs from extinction

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee F. Skerratt ◽  
Lee Berger ◽  
Nick Clemann ◽  
Dave A. Hunter ◽  
Gerry Marantelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Ecology ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Research Priorities ◽  
Tree Frog ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Risk Of Extinction ◽  
Frog Species ◽  
In The Wild

To protect Australian amphibian biodiversity, we have identified and prioritised frog species at an imminent risk of extinction from chytridiomycosis, and devised national management and research priorities for disease mitigation. Six Australian frogs have not been observed in the wild since the initial emergence of chytridiomycosis and may be extinct. Seven extant frog species were assessed as needing urgent conservation interventions because of (1) their small populations and/or ongoing declines throughout their ranges (southern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne corroboree, New South Wales), northern corroboree frog (Pseudophryne pengilleyi, Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales), Baw Baw frog (Philoria frosti, Victoria), Litoria spenceri (spotted tree frog, Victoria, New South Wales), Kroombit tinkerfrog (Taudactylus pleione, Queensland), armoured mist frog (Litoria lorica, Queensland)) or (2) predicted severe decline associated with the spread of chytridiomycosis in the case of Tasmanian tree frog (Litoria burrowsae, Tasmania). For these species, the risk of extinction is high, but can be mitigated. They require increased survey effort to define their distributional limits and to monitor and detect further population changes, as well as well-resourced management strategies that include captive assurance populations. A further 22 frog species were considered at a moderate to lower risk of extinction from chytridiomycosis. Management actions that identify and create or maintain habitat refugia from chytridiomycosis and target other threatening processes such as habitat loss and degradation may be effective in promoting their recovery. Our assessments for some of these species remain uncertain and further taxonomical clarification is needed to determine their conservation importance. Management actions are currently being developed and trialled to mitigate the threat posed by chytridiomycosis. However, proven solutions to facilitate population recovery in the wild are lacking; hence, we prioritise research topics to achieve this aim. Importantly, the effectiveness of novel management solutions will likely differ among species due to variation in disease ecology, highlighting the need for species-specific research. We call for an independent management and research fund of AU$15 million over 5 years to be allocated to recovery actions as determined by a National Chytridiomycosis Working Group of amphibian managers and scientists. Procrastination on this issue will likely result in additional extinction of Australia’s amphibians in the near future.

Distribution, population structure and biological aspects of Squalus spp. (Chondrichthyes:Squaliformes) from New South Wales and adjacent Australian waters

2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken J. Graham
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Size Composition ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Mixed Species ◽  
Trawl Fishery ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Female Data ◽  
Biological Aspects ◽  
Upper Slope

Four species of Squalus dogsharks, S. megalops, S. cf. mitsukurii, Squalus sp. B and Squalus sp. F inhabit shelf and upper-slope depths off New South Wales and adjacent Australian states. During fishery surveys between 1976 and 2001, distributional, size composition and reproductive data were collected for these species. Adult size classes dominated catches and, for S. megalops, heavily biased sex ratios were observed. Although no female data were available for the rarely caught Squalus sp. B, reproduction in the other three species was found to be continuous with no evidence of seasonality. Fecundity was 1–3 embryos for S. megalops, 1–5 for Squalus sp. F and 4–10 for S. cf. mitsukurii. All species are commercially exploited, contributing to the mixed species demersal trawl fishery off New South Wales. Stocks of some species are greatly depleted on the main trawling grounds, but the overall distributions of all species include large areas of lightly exploited habitat.

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