Recreational fisheries data requirements for monitoring catch shares

Abstract

AbstractCatch sharing among fishing sectors requires credible data for decision‐making, allocation and management. Integrated Fisheries Management in Western Australia formally allocates allowable catch for Western Rock Lobster (WRL) (Panulirus cygnus) with 95% commercial and 5% recreational; Roe's abalone (Haliotis roei) with 36 t commercial and 40 t recreational; and West Coast Demersal Scalefish (WCDS) with 64% commercial and 36% recreational. While commercial catch is obtained from statutory returns, estimates of recreational catches from surveys depend upon spatial and temporal scales of the resource and fishing activity. WRL is a single‐species, licensed recreational fishery operating across large spatial and temporal scales. Mail surveys supplemented with occasional phone‐recall surveys provide cost‐effective monitoring. Roe's abalone is a single‐species, licensed recreational fishery operating over restricted spatial and temporal scales appropriate for aerial‐access surveys. The WCDS recreational fishery targets multiple species across large spatial and temporal scales. The introduction of charter logbooks and a Recreational Fishing from Boat Licence has provided the basis for monitoring charter and private boat‐based recreational fishing. Monitoring allocations is ongoing, with routine surveys required to provide catch estimates with a known confidence. This study highlights the application and importance of surveys in providing timely and accurate data for formal catch sharing.