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A partnership approach between industry and government has made Western Australia a world leader in fisheries management.
In 2000 Western Australia became home to the first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fishery in the world when the western rock lobster fishery was certified to the MSC’s standard as a well-managed and sustainable fishery.
The foundation of good management is decisionmaking based on scientific research.
Professional fishermen, whose livelihood depends on the sustainability of the fishery, assist the Department of Fisheries in collecting detailed data and the WA industry makes the largest voluntary contribution of any Australian state to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC).
Commercial fisheries are therefore assessed on an ongoing basis from monthly catch returns and research projects. Any declines in fish stocks are detected early with management actions coming into place where necessary. Unlike the recreational sector new restrictions in the commercial sector are not widely publicised, so the wider community is often unaware of the restrictions introduced in commercial fisheries management.
In 2003, commercial effort reductions occurred in the Shark Bay Snapper Fishery, Swan River and Mandurah Estuarine Fisheries, Shark Bay Beach Seine Fishery, Marine Aquarium Fishery and Pilbara Trawl and Trap Fisheries as part of ongoing fisheries management. The new legal minimum lengths and spawning closures introduced in 2003 to the recreational sector, also apply to the commercial fishing industry.
Western Australia’s major commercial fisheries based on lobster, pearling, prawns, abalone and scallops pay the total costs associated with managing and researching their fishery through the WA Department of Fisheries. Smaller fisheries pay a contribution towards the running of their fisheries and all fisheries contribute to the State Government’s Development and Better Interest Fund.
Industry participates in the management process in the major fisheries via management advisory committees (MACs) that includes representatives from the Department of Fisheries, the community, the recreational and environment sectors. In the smaller fisheries fishermen and their professional associations consult directly with the Department.
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