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Western Australia’s rock lobster is the most significant single species fishery in Australia, generating exports around $300 million a year. In 2000 it became the first fishery in the world to be certified to the MSC standard as a well managed and sustainable fishery and earned the right to market its product internationally under the MSC eco label.
An average of 11,000 tonnes of lobster is harvested each year along the continental shelf from Shark Bay to Cape Leeuwin. There are 596 commercial boats licence to fish rock lobster. The number of units determines the quantity of pots each licensee can use. The season operates from November to June each year. (Abrolhos Islands - March to June).
Management of the fishery began in 1963 and it has one of the longest running management plans of any fishery in Australia. The data collected from this time provides a detailed history of the fishery and enables fisheries scientists to predict catches four years in advance. This information allows industry and government to work together to introduce management controls to ensure the sustainability of the fishery, which has included a 28% reduction in the number of pots used in the fishery since 1987.Controls focus on protecting breeding stock and include season closure, minimum size requirement and total ban on catching breeding females.
It is exported either live, frozen whole cooked, or raw to Taiwan, Japan Hong Kong and China or processed into frozen lobster tails for the United States. An aggressive marketing campaign is targeting new markets in Europe.
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Abalone
Aquaculture
Crabs
Fin Fish
Lobsters
Patagonian Toothfish
Pearls
Prawns
Pilchards
Scallops
Sharks
Snapper
Swordfish and Tuna
