5-year RD&E Plan for NT fisheries and aquaculture

by Matt Woods | Aug 17, 2021

Fisheries research, development and extension (RD&E) plans are essential for guiding investment but can be challenging to pull together between diverse sectors. With distinct stakeholder groups and large geographical separation, the Northern Territory presents...

Design and implementation of a tropical snapper trawl survey

by Matt Woods | Aug 16, 2021

Tropical snapper are important target and by product species of several northern fisheries including the Northern Territory’s Demersal Fisheries, the Timor Reef Fishery and the Queensland Gulf of Carpentaria Developmental Fin Fish Trawl Fishery (GOCDFFTF). Stock...

Indonesian fishery training and development

by Matt Woods | Aug 16, 2021

Fishwell Consulting worked with Monash University to develop and present training modules for a Sustainable Fisheries Management Short Course program presented to various fisheries groups in Indonesia.  Topics included harvest strategies, data collection OCS...

Optimising Processes and Policy to Minimise Business and Operational Impacts of Seismic Surveys on the Fishing Industry and Oil and Gas Industry

by Matt Woods | Jul 21, 2021

The overlap and interaction between commercial fishing and the offshore oil/gas industry can at times mean both operations are negatively affected. This project aimed to work collaboratively between both industries and establish processes for effective communication...

The Social Drivers and Implications of Conducting an Ecological risk Assessment of both Recreational and Commercial Fishing

by Matt Woods | Jul 21, 2021

Port Phillip Bay is one of Victoria’s most popular tourist destinations and a substantial fishery for both commercial and recreational fishers. Conflict between fishery groups had been ongoing for some time and this project aimed to understand the full range of...

Review of Monitoring and Assessment in the SESSF

by Matt Woods | Jul 21, 2021

The SESSF is a very large and complex fishery that covers multiple jurisdictions, multiple gear types, interacts with over 600 species and targets 34 commercially important species. The 34 target species are managed under TACs which are periodically adjusted by AFMA...

Understanding Factors Influencing Under-caught TACs, Declining Catch Rates and Failure to Recover for many Quota Species in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery

by Matt Woods | Jul 20, 2021

Despite improvements in the status Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF) fish stocks, three key indicators of the performance of the fishery have raised concerns: the fishery is failing to catch the TAC’s of many quota species despite historically...

Review of Fishery Resource Access and Allocation Arrangements Across Australian Jurisdictions

by Matt Woods | Jul 20, 2021

Access and allocation in Australian fisheries have been a top priority issue for fisheries managers since 2010. In that time, there has been large improvement in many aspects of fisheries management, but access and allocation remained an issue requiring attention. To...

Multiple – Before After Control Impact (M-BACI) analysis of the effect of a 3D marine seismic survey on Danish Seine catch rates

by Matt Woods | Jul 20, 2021

A 2020 seismic survey that was conducted in the Gippsland Basin to map geological formations for potential hydrocarbon exploration overlapped with a large area of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery’s Danish seine fishery. Due to the nature of seismic...

Interactions with marine mammals in the SESSF Shark Gillnet Fishery – exploring the possibility and viability of gillnet boats converting to a hook fishery in Bass Strait

by admin | Dec 2, 2020

Gillnets are the main gear type used in the Shark Gillnet and Shark Hook sector of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery.  In some parts of the fishery, the use of gillnets leads to interactions with threatened, endangered and protected species. ...