DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES ANNUAL REPORT TO THE ...

AgENCy PERFORMANCE � SERvICE 3 – RESEARCH AND MONITORINg
Service 3 – Research and Monitoring
the Research Division is responsible for the
delivery of the Department of Fisheries’ research
and monitoring service. the primary role of
the Research Division is to provide timely and
quality scientific knowledge and objective advice
to support the management, conservation and
sustainable use of the State’s aquatic resources.
Ongoing research, monitoring and assessment
programs are focused on supporting the
management of the State’s major fish stocks
and the marine ecosystems that underpin these
resources. these activities also contribute to the
Department of Fisheries meeting its statutory
responsibilities.
The Research Division’s 130-plus staff members,
of which over 45 are professionally-qualified
research scientists, work within four expertisebased
branches (Invertebrate Fisheries, Finfish
Fisheries, Biodiversity and Biosecurity, and Stock
Assessment and Data Analysis), with monitoring
and assessment research projects frequently
conducted by multi-disciplinary teams, increasingly
in cooperation with external research partners.
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The major research activities undertaken by
the Research Division are:
• Provision of objective expert scientific advice
to assist the Department of Fisheries to
implement a comprehensive holistic approach
to management of the State’s aquatic natural
resources (i.e. Ecosystem-Based Fisheries
Management).
• Annual reporting on the status of the key
fish stocks, fisheries and their associated
ecosystems in the State of the Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources report.
• Maintenance of long-term monitoring
programs and databases to enable the
scientific assessment of fish stocks and their
associated ecosystems.
• Development of new assessment and governance
techniques to assist in aquatic management
within an integrated, ecosystem-based framework.
• Generating an understanding of the threats
to biosecurity and biodiversity specifically
associated with aquaculture activities and to the
marine and freshwater environments in general.