Research Observer Days - SQU6T and SQU1T
Project: Research Observer Days – SQU6T and SQU1T
Project Code: OBS2004/04
Start Date: 1 October 2004
Completion Date: 30 September 2005
Overall Objectives:
-
To collect specified data on the capture rate of New Zealand sea lions in the southern and sub-Antarctic squid fishery.
Specific Objectives:
-
To record the incidental capture of New Zealand sea lions in the SQU fishery, with special reference to captures within area SQU6T.
-
To record information associated with the capture of sea lions, such as the use of mitigation technology, sea-lion abundance around the vessel, to gather information to enable the testing of specific hypotheses regarding Sea Lion Exclusion Device efficacy, as and when required.
-
To record information about other non-fish bycatch occurring on vessels in the SQU fishery, as an when required.
Observer Days Required:
1215 days required for SQU6T. While observations within SQU1T are not targeted, these will be undertaken where the opportunity arises.
Note:
The Department of Conservation’s Conservation Services Programme (CSP) may also levy for observer days in the squid fishery. Some of the Ministry of Fisheries observer requirements may be met by the CSP coverage.
Rationale:
General
Vessels fishing in the southern squid fishery typically move between SQU1T and SQU6T, observer coverage for these two fisheries needs to be considered in tandem. However, over 90% of reported captures occur in the Auckland Islands region of area SQU6T (Baird and Doonan, unpublished). Consequently, coverage of this area is a priority for monitoring the sea lion – fishery interactions.
The number of vessels operating in the SQU6T fishery has declined in recent years, and since 1996/97 has ranged between 27-36 (Langley, unpublished). The calculation of observer days for 2004/05 is on the basis of 30 vessels operating in the fishery at any one time.
Historically, the fishery has operated between 1 February and mid May each year (Langley, unpublished). A meeting of the Aquatic Environment Working Group, using data from 1987/88 to 2002/03, further characterised the SQU6T fishing season as being of 13 weeks average duration, starting on 1 February, (Breen and Kim, unpublished). However, communications with the Squid Fishery Management Company have indicated that vessels fishing SQU6T during the 2003/04 season may leave for fishing trips during January, and not return to port before the beginning of the fishing season for squid in the southern and sub-Antarctic fishery. It is assumed that this pattern will continue during 2004/05. On this basis, observer days are calculated as covering 4.5 months with an average of 30 days per month.
An analysis of coverage of the southern squid fishery, suggests that coverage between 27-30% of the fleet fishing in the combined SQU 1T and 6T areas achieves sufficient coverage in the SQU6T area to estimate the catch of sea lions with the desired level of precision for management of the sea-lion - fishery interaction i.e. with greater than 80% certainty of achieving more than 20% cover in SQU6T (Ministry of Fisheries, unpublished data). On this basis, a target of 30% cover of the projected fleet is recommended for 2004/05. This level of coverage equates to 1215 days (0.3 cover x 4.5 months x 30 days x 30 vessels = 1215 days).
History
The observer coverage for the SQU6T fisheries planned in 2003/04 and proposed coverage for 2004/05 is detailed in Table 1 below.
|
2003/04 |
2004/05 |
Plan |
Proposed |
Mfish |
725 |
1215 |
DoC |
(part of the above) |
(part of the above) |
Industry |
250 |
- |
Total |
975 |
1215 |
Table 1: Observer sea days planned and sea days achieved from 2001/02 – 2003/04, and proposed sea days for 2004/05.
Objective 1
Observers will record the incidents of capture of sea lions in the squid fishery, to enable active management of the effects of fishing on the sea lion population. In addition, data should be collected on seabird incidental mortality in the trawl operations.
Objective 2
Ongoing experimentation is underway on mitigation devices to avoid mortalities of sea lions in the squid fishery. Observers will collect information relevant to the analysis of factors affecting sea lion mortalities, associated with the deployment of sea lion exclusion devices and other technologies.
Objective 3 Previous research undertaken by the Ministry (e.g. under projects ENV2001-01) has shown that the SQU fishery has a high incident rate with seabirds. Recording of incidental catch information on species other than sea lions is required.
References
Baird S.J., Doonan, I.J. (unpublished). Phocarctos hookeri (Hooker’s sea lion): incidental captures in New Zealand commercial fisheries during 2000/01 and within-season estimates of captures during squid trawling in SQU6T in 2002. Draft NZFAR. Ministry of Fisheries, Wellington.
Breen P.A. and Kim S. W. (unpublished). Exploring alternative management proceedurs for controlling bycatch of Hooker’s sea lions in the SQU6T fishery. Draft Final Research Report. Ministry of Fisheries, Wellington.
Langley A. (unpublished). Summary of catch and effort data from the SQU 1J, SQU 1T, and SQU 6T fisheries for the period 1989/90 to 1999/00. Draft report to the Squid Management Company Ltd. February 2001.
Strategic Relevance
This research addresses the environmental principle of the 1996 Act that “…associated or dependent species should be maintained above a level that ensures their long-term viability…” and the strategy for marine environment research “…to develop and apply methods to ensure the use of fisheries resources is compatible with the requirements to avoid, remedy or mitigate any adverse effects of fishing on the marine environment, to maintain biological diversity and to protect habitat of particular significance for fisheries management”. This project forms a part of the Aquatic Environment research theme ‘…to determine the direct effects of fishing on associated or dependent species…’. This project is therefore consistent with the Aquatic Environment Research section of the Ministry of Fisheries Strategic Research Directions document.
Cost Recovery Information:
The percentage allocation for this project will be attributed to the following Fishstocks according to rule 8 of the Fisheries (Cost Recovery) Rules 2001: