%0 Report %D 2021 %T Social and economic benchmarks of the Australian Marine Parks %A Matt Navarro %A Tim J. Langlois %A M Burton %A A Hegarty %A Aston, C %A Kragt, M.E %A Rogers, A %K Attitudes %K Australian Marine Parks %K Awareness %K Marine Park %K marine protected area %K no-take marine reserve %K non-market valuation %K Socio-economics %X

We present a national social and economic benchmark for the Australian Marine Parks (AMPs), focussing on four key groups: the general public, recreational fishers, non-extractive recreational users, and charter operators. Establishing this benchmark involved conducting four integrated surveys nationally reaching approximately 4,000 respondents. The AMP benchmarks established here are amongst the most comprehensive globally in terms of the spatial extent and stakeholder groups considered. Overall, the surveys highlight the substantial values associated with the AMPs, and generally positive perceptions and attitudes towards the parks. The surveys also highlight potential areas for survey improvement, and data was collected to help address these (e.g. preferred modes of contact). The information is intended to inform management of the AMPs in ways that align with the preferences of stakeholders and the broader community. 

%8 2 Dec 2021 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J ICES Journal of Marine Science %D 2020 %T Trail camera video systems: investigating their utility in interpreting patterns of marine, recreational trailer-boat fishers’ access to an offshore Marine Park in differing weather conditions. %A T P Lynch %A Foster, S %A C Devine %A A Hegarty %A Felicity McEnnulty %A M Burton %A Lyle, J M %E Flannery, Wesley %K anglers %K interviews %K Marine Park %K marine social science research %K MPA %K offshore fisheries %K sensor array %K the human dimension %K weather %K wildlife biology %X

When monitoring marine recreational fishers at sub-bio-regional scales—for example those who are accessing a Marine Park—on-site sampling is often required. This poses various logistical challenges, such as the efficient timing of intercept interviews. Here, we examine these challenges, combining trail cameras, closed-circuit television (CCTV), weather stations, and interviews at boat ramps that bracket an offshore Marine Park. Trail camera results were similar to those from a CCTV system co-located at one of the boat ramps. Fishers’ boat launches peaked early, but return times varied considerably by ramp and weather. Both the numbers of launches and trip durations were strongly responsive to good weather, particularly at ramps used for offshore fishing. Weather was a more important factor to predict the likelihood of intercept interview opportunities than holiday period, which may reflect changing dynamics in work culture and improvements in weather prediction. Interviewed fishers reported preferences to individual ramps over the fishing season and nearly all trips to the Marine Park were reported by fishers accessing just one ramp. The strong relationships between fishing, weather, and ramp, observed by the trail camera and correlated with the weather station data, may allow for the efficient targeting of intercept interviews and potentially the modelling of fishing effort.

%B ICES Journal of Marine Science %V 77 %P 3110 - 3126 %8 25 Nov 2020 %G eng %U https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/77/7-8/3110/6000677 %N 7-8 %9 Journal %R 10.1093/icesjms/fsaa209 %0 Report %D 2019 %T Recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters %A T P Lynch %A C B Smallwood %A Ochwada-Doyle, F %A Joel Williams %A K L Ryan %A C Devine %A Gibson, B %A Burton, Michael %A A Hegarty %A Lyle, J %A Scott D Foster %A Alan Jordan %K climate change %K Commonwealth waters %K fishing effort %K harvest %K Offshore recreational fishing %X

Recreational fishers regularly access both state and offshore Commonwealth waters but offshore fishing is poorly understood. There has been recent global and Australian growth in offshore Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and a better understanding of recreational fishers accessing both these MPAs, as well as offshore stocks of fish more generally, is important for sustainability of catch, communication and compliance. Recreational fishing is popular in Australia and is managed by individual States in collaboration with the Commonwealth agencies: the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) and Australian Marine Parks (AMP). Our study investigated two methodological approaches to gain a better understanding of recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters (>3 nautical miles offshore).

First, we undertook a pan-continental scale comparison of Australian offshore recreational fisheries research and its applications to fisheries and marine park management. In the absence of data collection on recreational fishing in offshore waters by the Commonwealth, we examined two state-wide Marine Recreational Fishery (MRF) surveys, conducted throughout Western Australia (WA) and New South Wales (NSW), to see if they could meet the Commonwealth’s information needs. The specific aims included (1) a comparison of state-based approaches for data collection in WA and NSW, (2) estimates (with associated uncertainty) of catch occurring state-wide for nine species of interest to AFMA and (3) estimates (with associated uncertainty) of fishing effort and catch (all species) occurring within two AMP: Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP) in WA and the Hunter Marine Park (HMP) in NSW.

We also undertook smaller scale on-site surveys along the east coast of Tasmania over a busy holiday period using a novel application of trail cameras combined with interviews on boat ramps of marine recreational trailer-boat fishers. We did this to investigate fishers’ behaviours, perceptions and distributions in relation to a well-established offshore marine park. Our aims were to (1) trial the usefulness of trail cameras to collect novel primary data that can be used in management, (2) to guide collection of on-site interview data for anglers, especially those fishing offshore, and (3) to test an interview questionnaire for usefulness in investigating perceptions and catch of fishers.

%8 12 Jun 2019 %G eng