Long-term monitoring of boat-based recreational fishing in Shark Bay, Western Australia: providing scientific advice for sustainable management in a World Heritage Area

Effective management of a recreational fishery must include long-term monitoring programs that allow determination of trends in temporal and spatial variability of catch and effort data. Such monitoring becomes of inherently greater importance when managing a recreational fishery in a World Heritage Area, such as Shark Bay, Western Australia. Between 1998 and 2010, 11 12-month bus-route surveys of boat-based recreational fishing were undertaken at three key boat ramps in Shark Bay. These surveys demonstrated that, in response to the progressive implementation of new management measures, the estimated annual recreational fishing-boat effort decreased by 46%. As a consequence, the estimated annual retained and released catches of the key species, pink snapper (Pagrus auratus), declined and the proportions of the catches of this species that were released each year increased. Annual catches of other species also declined, however, the composition of species retained and released each year varied. The study demonstrated that monitoring of the recreational fishery within Shark Bay provided both immediate and longer-term data on the responses by recreational fishers to changes in management. This produced the information necessary to assess the effectiveness of management measures that were introduced and to modify these as required.

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Complementary evidence for small-scale spatial assemblages of the exploited grass emperor (Lethrinus laticaudis) in the Shark Bay World Heritage Area, Western Australia

Marine Environmental Research ◽

10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105543 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 105543

Author(s):

David V. Fairclough ◽

Suzanne G. Ayvazian ◽

Stephen J. Newman

Keyword(s):

Western Australia ◽

World Heritage ◽

Small Scale ◽

Shark Bay ◽

World Heritage Area ◽

Heritage Area

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A comparative assessment of approaches and outcomes for seagrass revegetation in Shark Bay and Florida Bay

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf12032 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 63 (11) ◽

pp. 984 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

John Statton ◽

Kingsley W. Dixon ◽

Renae K. Hovey ◽

Gary A. Kendrick

Keyword(s):

Florida Bay ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Shark Bay ◽

Commercial Activities ◽

History Of ◽

World Heritage Area ◽

Short Time ◽

Time Frames ◽

Heritage Area

Here, we review the literature to evaluate seagrass revegetation projects focussed on Posidonia australis and Amphibolis antarctica, the main affected species in Shark Bay in the World Heritage Area in Western Australia, together with projects from Florida Bay, an analogous system with a long history of seagrass revegetation. We assessed the effectiveness of anchoring planting units, plant-unit density and size on planting-unit survival. We found no positive trends in our assessment, suggesting that there is no discrete technique, approach or technology that could be used with confidence to deliver cost-effective, scalable revegetation. Of concern was that revegetation success was evaluated over comparatively short time frames (1–3 years), driven by the strict time frames or deadlines of governing grant funding and commercial activities, leading to concerns that long-term revegetation outcomes may be difficult to assess with confidence. Several factors influenced revegetation outcomes which were grouped into three ‘filter’ categories; abiotic, biotic and socioeconomic. We recommend that future revegetation programs involving seagrass have greater emphasis on understanding how these filters act independently or collectively to drive successful revegetation as well as developing cost-effective, proven and scalable technology supported by longer-term monitoring to ensure revegetation programs do achieve the desired ecological outcomes.

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Falling apart? Insights and lessons from three recent studies documenting rapid and severe decline in terrestrial mammal assemblages of northern, south-eastern and south-western Australia

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr16178 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (2) ◽

pp. 114 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

A. F. Wayne ◽

B. A. Wilson ◽

J. C. Z. Woinarski

Keyword(s):

Western Australia ◽

National Park ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Causal Factors ◽

Terrestrial Mammal ◽

Monitoring Programs ◽

Long Term Monitoring ◽

Mammal Assemblages ◽

Term Monitoring

Context Since European settlement in 1788, much of the Australian terrestrial mammal fauna has declined or become extinct. The pattern of, and reason for, that decline was little documented, and is now difficult to decipher. Many mammal species are still declining, providing (an unfortunate) opportunity to better document the process, identify the causal factors and attempt to redress the problem. Aim We compare trends in mammal abundance reported in three recent longitudinal studies in conservation reserves in Australia. The studies were not established with the intention of documenting mammal decline, but marked simultaneous decline of co-existing species was the most striking feature of their results. Methods Long-term monitoring in Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory (2001–04 and 2007–09), the Upper Warren region of Western Australia (since 1974) and the Great Otway National Park, Victoria (since 1975) principally relied on trapping, but also some spotlighting and sand plots, to document changes and trends in abundance in their respective mammal assemblages. Key results Decline was reported in most mammal species, across taxonomic groups, diets and size classes, but mostly involved species <5500g. The studies differed in their monitoring protocols and varied in the degree to which potential causal factors were monitored, thereby constraining interpretation of the drivers of declines. Inappropriate fire regimes and predation by feral cats are likely contributing factors in at least two study areas, and periods of markedly below-average rainfall are implicated in two areas. Conclusions We conclude the following: (1) conservation reserves in Australia may be failing to maintain at least some elements of the biodiversity that they were established to protect, and substantially enhanced management is required to redress this problem; (2) with current threats, mammal assemblages in Australia may be highly unstable; (3) substantial increase in effective long-term biodiversity monitoring programs in an adaptive management framework is needed; and (4) such monitoring programs will be more insightful if they also monitor factors driving population change. Implications Native mammal species declines and community disassembly may be occurring elsewhere. Long-term monitoring is critical for assessing trends in biodiversity and if done well, it can guide more effective and efficient management to deliver better conservation outcomes.

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