DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES ANNUAL REPORT TO THE ...

SUMMARy OF THE yEAR � FROM THE CHIEF ExECUTIvE OFFICER
International Union for the Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) criteria for classification as marine
protected areas under the Conservation and Land
Management Act 1984 and the Fish Resources
Management Act 1994. In State waters additional
marine reserves are being planned for the
Kimberley and in the South West ‘Capes’ area. At
the same time the Commonwealth is in the process
of implementing a system of marine reserves
beyond the State three-nautical-mile-limit in waters
stretching from the Northern Territory to the South
Australian border.
A very strong Leeuwin Current and unusually
high water temperatures – in some places the
highest-ever recorded – contributed to a number
of marine ‘fish kills’ over the 2010/11 summer,
with abalone deaths reported near the Greenough
River mouth and in the waters north of Kalbarri.
Fish kills were also recorded in Jurien Bay and
Leeman and coral bleaching was observed at the
Abrolhos Islands. The strength of the Leeuwin
Current also saw many tropical species extend
their range as far south as Albany over the
summer months.
To help us better understand the likely
causes and significance of this unusual event the
Department convened a workshop of more than 80
marine scientists and managers from organisations
including the Department of Environment and
Conservation, the CSIRO, the Australian Institute of
Marine Science and the Department of Fisheries.
In addition, a joint Department of Fisheries/CSIRO
project to closely examine climate change effects
on Western Australia’s marine environment was
commenced.
Implementation of a new fee-setting model
applying a royalty-like access fee of 5.75 per cent
of the gross value of production (GVP) for each
commercial fishery commenced on 1 July 2010.
This new approach removes the inequity evident
under the old model where some licence fees were
as high as 20 per cent of the GVP of the fishery,
while others were as low as one per cent.
Importantly, the new model moves away from
cost recovery, where the bulk of the Department’s
revenue was tied to the level of service provision
in the State’s major fisheries – West Coast Rock
Lobster, Shark Bay Scallop, Shark Bay Prawn,
Exmouth Gulf Prawn, pearling and, to a lesser
extent, abalone – with limited funding available to
address sustainability issues of other fisheries.
In future, all revenue raised through
commercial access fees will be able to be directed
to commercial fisheries research, management
and compliance projects of the greatest need,
with the exception of funds allocated to the
Commonwealth’s Fisheries Research and
Development Corporation (0.25 per cent of GVP)
for fisheries research and to the WA Fishing
Industry Council (0.5 per cent of GVP).
In 2010/11 the commercial fishing industry
contributed $19.8 million in access fees.
6