vanishing tiger prawns

[fishingjew]

vanishing tiger prawns



The head of a large seafood company in the Bowen district of north Queensland says tiger prawns have virtually disappeared from the region and he is calling for an inquiry into the matter.


Terry Must from Arabon Seafoods in Bowen says this season has been so bad that some fishermen have tied up their boats and decided not to bother.
He is urging the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries to do a stock assessment and work out why prawn numbers are so low.

Mr Must says authorities must consider what has changed in recent years.
"The only thing that's happened since 2004 is the green zones, so when the green zones came in we were led to believe that there would be a flow-on effect from out of the protected areas, that there would be more product there in three or four years time, which is the total opposite of what's happened," he said.

Mr Must says the green zones have forced certain areas to be over-fished and local fishermen are worried for their future.

"Disheartened, I'd say the word's desperate at the moment because they've still got to make a livelihood and it's not happening," he said.
"The fishery is finished, you know it's not just in trouble, the tiger prawn fishery is finished and someone's got to be held accountable for that."

[Far side]

I hate to burr anyone up but

If we fished the green zones Commercially would not this happen at a later date
Or is commercial fishing sustainable

Where is the balance I dont know?

[Jono_SS]

The Dpi does tiger prawn surveys every year, but i don't think they go much further south than Townsville.

far side, "is commercial fishing sustainable"...are trying to restart a massive debate that we've all seen so many times before on this website?

[Jono_SS]

Surveys planned for two northern prawn trawl fisheries
News release | 18 January, 2006
SURVEYS of the northern Queensland east coast and Torres Strait prawn trawl fisheries will be conducted within the next two months.
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries senior fisheries biologist at the Northern Fisheries Centre in Cairns, Clive Turnbull, said two surveys would be held as part of the long-term monitoring program for both prawn trawl fisheries.
"The first survey will be held from February 18 to March 3 from Cape Flattery to the Torres Strait and the second from March 18 to 24 from Cairns to Townsville," Mr Turnbull said.
"The information collected in the Torres Strait section of the first survey will be sent to the Torres Strait Cooperative Research Centre for continuing research in this prawn fishery."
This is the eighth annual survey of recruitment into tiger and endeavour prawn fisheries in North Queensland using DPI&F Queensland's research trawler Gwendoline May.
"More than 70 sites between Cape Flattery and Papua New Guinea waters in the Torres Strait will be sampled during the first 14-day survey and about 30 sites between Cairns and Townsville will be sampled during the second seven-day survey.
"The surveys are conducted with the new moon closest to the start of the prawn trawl fishing season to provide Government and industry fisheries management authorities independent information on prawn recruitment levels to the fishery.
"The samples provide a snapshot of the size and distribution of these prawn populations just before fishing, and the data can also be used with trawler logbook data to estimate relative changes in prawn abundances.
"Information on bycatch of the trawl fisheries is collected as well," Mr Turnbull said.
The Gwendoline May will trawl one nautical mile at each survey site using four 4-fathom nets of commercial mesh size and construction. Each net is fitted with a turtle exclusion device and a bycatch reduction device.
Researchers onboard include Mr Turnbull and fisheries biologist Cassandra Rose, both from DPI&F Cairns.