Study looks at decline in catches
Rock lobster fishermen say they are spending less time working the shallow waters from Cliff Head to Leeman.
Dongara boatbuilder John Fitzhardinge said more than 60 commercial lobster boats had seasonally worked there in what had been a very productive fishing ground before the turn of the century.
“Currently very little of the catch comes from these shallows but instead (it) now comes from deeper water,” Mr Fitzhardinge said.
Mr Fitzhardinge has had a close involvement with the fishery for more than 50 years.
He has obtained a grant for a three-year project to investigate the low-lobster catches in these waters with three scientists.
They are UWA’s Tim Langlois and Simon de Lestang and Jason How from the departments of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Dr Langlois has previously worked on the ecology of southern rock lobster in New Zealand and in WA and has investigated the feeding preferences and fertilisation rates of western rock lobster.
“The project aims to quantify whether a decline in lobsters has occurred in this region and, if so, to investigate what could be the cause,” Dr Langlois said.
“We will use a range of methods to collect various life stages of lobsters from post-larvae to adults.
“This includes lobster pots, demersal and pelagic post-larval collectors, juvenile hides, diver-operated surveys and habitat mapping.”
Dr Langlois said the project would also use historical information to detect long-term trends in lobster abundance.
This includes factors such as commercial catch data, private catch logs and photos.
He said the team was keen to hear from anyone with experience in those waters and any information on changes in habitat or local rock lobster population.
People are encouraged to email him via timothy. firstname.lastname@example.org.
Mr Fitzhardinge asked people to respect the gear that would be set in the shallows from just to the north of Cliff Head out to Big Horseshoe Reef, and inside Beagle Islands.
It is to be clearly marked “FWA Research” on the top floats.
The project is jointly funded by the Western Rock Lobster Council and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and will be led by Dr Langlois from the University of WA’s Oceans Institute and School of Biological Sciences, Mr Fitzhardinge of Dongara Marine, Dr de Lestang and Dr How of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Fisheries Division and the Western Rock Lobster Council.