Redesigning inshore fisheries with innovative or alternate fishing gears after the prohibition of gillnets throughout Australia

Abstract

The Fish-LIGHT (Low Impact Gears and Harvest Technologies) project is a six-year package of work which aims to identify, trial and implement a range of innovative and alternative low-impact harvest technologies as replacements for gillnets with Australia’s inshore fisheries. The program has been developed in response to growing pressures on gillnets around the country due to threatened species interactions, and resultant prohibitions on use of gill nets across large areas of northern Australia. The alternative gear types in this program are not modifications to existing gears, but new gears to the fishery, with each evaluated to determine their triple bottom line (social, ecological and economic) credentials, before potential implementation within the fishery to sustainably wild harvest inshore resources. In this talk, we will present background information on decisions to move away from gillnets within Australian waters, outline the approach for transitioning to new gear types, including our close efforts with commercial fishers, and highlight a range of candidate gears for discussion (i.e. fish traps, line fishing, trap nets, tunnel nets, and arrowhead traps). We will call on the group to stimulate high level thinking about the challenges and needs associated with replacing gillnets with other static gear.