The effect of western rock lobster fishing on the deepwater ecosystems of the west coast of Western Australia

Disclaimer The authors do not warrant that the information in this document is free from errors or omissions. The authors do not accept any form of liability, be it contractual, tortious, or otherwise, for the contents of this document or for any consequences arising from its use or any reliance placed upon it. The information, opinions and advice contained in this document may not relate, or be relevant, to a readers particular circumstances. Opinions expressed by the authors are the individual opinions expressed by those persons and are not necessarily those of the publisher, research provider or the FRDC. This work is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the copyright owners. Information may not be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation plans, invests in and manages fisheries research and development throughout Australia. It is a statutory authority within the portfolio of the federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, jointly funded by the Australian Government and the fishing industry. Objectives 1. To identify gradients in the density/size distribution of western rock lobster to enable selection of representative areas. 2. To assess the catchability of western rock lobster and its relationship with population abundance and size structure. 3. To identify the relationship between the deep-water habitat and the density/size distribution of western rock lobster to enable a preliminary evaluation of the impact of lobster biomass removal in the deep-water. Non Technical Summary Outcomes achieved to date This study has resulted in the collection of biological, population and habitat data that improves our understanding of the role of western rock lobster in the deepwater ecosystem. The relationship between western rock lobster size and abundance and habitat established in this study is important for the effective management of the fishery in an ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) framework. For fisheries managers this information has application in two main areas. Firstly, it enables the examination of the spatial distribution of lobster abundance and size by habitat type and in combination with fine resolution fishing effort data may allow the assessment of standing biomass and harvest rate. Secondly, it provides invaluable information for the design and implementation of marine protected areas as a tool for research and species conservation. For researchers this …