Western Australian Marine Stewardship Council Report Series No. 1, 2015 Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery Kangas, M.I., Sporer, E.C., Hesp, S.A., Travaille, K.L, Moore, N., Cavalli, P., Fisher, E.A. Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery Exmouth Gulf Western Australian Marine Stewardship Council Report Series No. 1, 2015 Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery Kangas, M.I., Sporer, E.C., Hesp, S.A., Travaille, K.L, Moore, N., Cavalli, P., Fisher, E.A. 7122/15 Department of Fisheries 3rd floor, The Atrium 168 – 170 St Georges Terrace PERTH WA 6000 Telephone: (08) 9482 7333 Facsimile: (08) 9482 7389 Website: www.fish.wa.gov.au ABN: 55 689 794 771 © Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. August 2015. ISSN: 2205-3670 (Print) ISBN: 978-1-921845-95-6 (Print) ISSN: 2205-3689 (Online) ISBN: 978-1-921845-96-3 (Online) ii Western Australian Marine Stewardship Council Report Series No.1, 2015 Overview This report provides a comprehensive description of the Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery (EGPMF) in Western Australia and contains information relevant to assist the assessment of this fishery against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard (v1.3) for sustainable fishing. The EGPMF uses demersal otter trawl gear to target predominantly brown tiger prawns (Penaeus esculentus) and western king prawns (Penaeus latisulcatus). The first part of this report (Sections 1 – 5) provides an overview of the EGPMF and the aquatic environment in which it operates, including information on the development of the fishery, fishing methods and gear used, the management system in place, an overview of the biology of the target species and external factors that may influence fishery operations and / or target species populations. The remainder of document provides more detailed information relevant to assessing the fishery against the performance indicators under MSC Principles 1, 2 and 3. MSC Principle 1 (Sections 6 – 8) provides information to assess the condition of the target species’ stocks. These sections provide information on the current stock status of brown tiger and western king prawns in Exmouth Gulf and includes a detailed description of the stock assessment approach and harvest strategy employed for ensuring the future sustainability of these stocks. MSC Principle 2 (Sections 9 – 13) relates to the impact of the fishery on the marine environment in which it operates. These sections include, or point to, all currently-available information on the catch of retained non-target species, bycatch, interactions with endangered, threatened or protected (ETP) species, as well as a detailed description of the habitats and ecosystem within Exmouth Gulf and all fishery-related impacts on habitat and ecosystem structure and function. Where detailed quantitative data are not available, a risk assessment approach has been used to assess the level of risk associated with any identified fishery-specific issues. The issues identified and their associated risk ratings are provided throughout the Principle 2 sections, where relevant. MSC Principle 3 (Sections 14 – 15) provides information to assess the governance and management in place for the fishery. Governance information provided includes an overview of the local, national and international legal frameworks relevant to the management of the fishery, a description of the roles, responsibilities and consultation processes undertaken with fishery stakeholders, the long-term objectives and the incentives in place for sustainable fishing. These sections also include information on the fishery-specific management system, including fishery-specific objectives, the decision-making process, compliance and enforcement, ongoing research and an evaluation of the performance of this management system in recent years. Although this document has been divided into MSC Principle-specific sections, it should be considered in its entirety as many sections provide supporting and complementary information. While this document is intended to provide a comprehensive account of the fishery, it is by no means meant to be the only source of information for assessing the fishery. Western Australian Marine Stewardship Council Report Series No.1, 2015 iii If there is uncertainty regarding any parts of the descriptions and information herein, stakeholders should contact the Department so that any such issues can be addressed in subsequent updates of this document. This document should also be read in conjunction with the EGPMF Harvest Strategy 2014 – 2019 and the EGPMF Bycatch Action Plan 2014 – 2019. iv Western Australian Marine Stewardship Council Report Series No.1, 2015 Table of Contents 1 Aquatic Environment .............................................................................................................. 1 2 Target Species / Stock Description ......................................................................................... 2 2.1 Brown Tiger Prawn ...................................................................................................... 2 2.1.1 Taxonomy and Distribution .................................................................................. 2 2.1.2 Stock Structure ...................................................................................................... 3 2.1.3 Life History ........................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Western King Prawn .................................................................................................... 7 2.2.1 Taxonomy and Distribution .................................................................................. 7 2.2.2 Stock Structure ...................................................................................................... 8 2.2.3 Life History ........................................................................................................... 9 3 Fishery Information .............................................................................................................. 11 3.1 Development of Fishery ............................................................................................. 11 3.2 Fishing Gear and Methods ......................................................................................... 13 3.3 Overview of Catch and Effort .................................................................................... 15 4 Fishery Management ............................................................................................................. 17 4.1 Management System .................................................................................................. 17 4.1.1 FRMA ................................................................................................................. 18 4.1.2 FRMR ................................................................................................................. 18 4.1.3 Management Plan................................................................................................ 18 4.1.4 Determinations by the Director General (Chief Executive Officer) ................... 20 4.1.5 Exemptions ......................................................................................................... 20 4.1.6 Managed Fishery Licence Conditions ................................................................ 20 4.1.7 Section 43 Orders ................................................................................................ 20 4.2 Harvest Strategy ......................................................................................................... 21 4.3 Bycatch Action Plan .................................................................................................. 21 4.4 Cooperative Management Framework ....................................................................... 21 4.5 Customary and Recreational Fishing ......................................................................... 21 4.6 Marine Protected Areas .............................................................................................. 22 4.6.1 State Marine Protected Areas .............................................................................. 22 4.6.2 Commonwealth Marine Parks and Reserves ...................................................... 23 4.7 ESD Reporting and Risk Assessments ...................................................................... 24 4.8 Assessments and Certifications.................................................................................. 25 Western Australian Marine Stewardship Council Report Series No.1, 2015 v 5 External Influences ............................................................................................................... 26 5.1 Catch from Other Fisheries ........................................................................................ 26 5.2 Market Influences ...................................................................................................... 26 5.3 Environmental Factors ............................................................................................... 26 5.4 Other Activities .......................................................................................................... 28 MSC Principle 1 ....................................................................................................................... 29 6 Stock Status ........................................................................................................................... 29 6.1 Current Stock