1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2008
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 07/02/2008
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FISHING
Table 17.8 shows the quantity produced and gross value of fishery production in the years 2003-04 to 2005-06. Australian fisheries production covers total production from both Commonwealth and state-managed fisheries, including aquaculture. Commonwealth fisheries accounted for 13% of the total gross value of Australian fisheries production in 2005-06. Commonwealth fisheries are those managed on behalf of the Australian Government by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. State and Northern Territory governments manage inland fisheries and aquaculture, in addition to those salt water fisheries not managed by the Australian (Commonwealth) Government. The distribution of the management of fisheries between the Australian Government and state governments is determined following consultations held under the Offshore Constitutional Settlement Agreement.
Processing of fish, crustaceans and molluscs Processing establishments vary in size, scope of operations and sophistication of technologies employed. The majority of establishments undertake only the most basic cleaning, filleting, chilling, freezing and packaging processes, but some have the capacity for significant product transformation. Much of the value that is added to the catch is due to correct handling and quick delivery by air to local or overseas markets. Processing aims to maintain quality and freshness of export product by superior handling, cold storage and rapid transport to markets. This quality aspect is important in generating high values. Exports and imports Exports of fisheries products come under Australian Government jurisdiction, while domestic market activity is the responsibility of the states and territories. A significant proportion of Australian fisheries production - edible and non-edible - is exported. In 2005-06 the total value of exports (including live fish) remained steady at $1.5b (table 17.9) as Australia remained a net exporter of fisheries products. Rock lobster was the highest earning export, accounting for 32% of total value of exports of fisheries products. Value of exports of abalone, the second largest single edible fisheries export product, fell 7% to $246 million (m) while the value of prawn exports declined 18% to $134m. Value of tuna exports increased 9% to $177m. The highest value non-edible export earner, pearl, remained stable at $290m in 2005-06. (For some fisheries categories, the value of exports exceeds the value of production because exports are valued on a free-on-board basis which includes the value of packaging and distribution services to the point of export.) In 2005-06, Hong Kong continued as the major destination for Australian exports of fisheries products, taking $546m worth of product and accounting for 36% of the total value of Australian fisheries exports. Japan - the number two destination - accounted for 29%, with the products valued at $433m. The United States of America followed with $140m and China $103m. Western Australia was the highest earning state from exports of edible seafood in 2005-06, with income of $388m accounting for 31% of the total value of Australia's seafood exports. Western Australia earned $324m (84%) of this income from exporting rock lobster, South Australia earned 52% of its seafood income of $319m from fresh and frozen fish. Prawns earned Queensland 33% of its total income of $193m from exports of edible seafood. Tasmania ($145m) and Victoria ($132m) each earned about two-thirds of their seafood export income from sales of prawns. The total value of Australian imports of fisheries products in 2005-06 rose 8% to $1.3b (table 17.9). The major items of imports, in value terms, were fish ($601m) - a third 'canned' and another third frozen fillets - prawns ($201m) and pearls ($159m). The two main source countries of imported fisheries products were Thailand ($272m) and New Zealand ($169m) which together accounted for more than a third of the value of imports. Imports from Vietnam ($132m) and China ($101m) continued to increase but at the much reduced rates of 9% and 12% respectively.
Fisheries resources The Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) covers offshore waters between 3 to 200 nautical miles seaward of the territorial sea baseline of Australia and its external territories. This area of almost 9 million (mill.) square kilometres makes it an expanse 16% larger than the Australian land mass and the third largest fishing zone in the world. However, the catch is small by world standards as the waters of the AFZ lack nutrient-rich currents, causing low productivity. While there are about 3,000 known species of fish, and at least as many species of crustaceans and molluscs inhabiting Australian waters, only about 600 species are fished commercially. The Fishery Status Reports 2006, produced by the Bureau of Rural Sciences, provides stock assessment information for 97 species (or groups of species) in fisheries for which the Australian Government has primary or shared management responsibility. Stocks were included in the reports if: they were a primary target; had significant catches; or were subject to a total allowable catch. The status of each stock was determined by its current size (biomass) and the rate of removals (exploitation rate). Of those assessed, 19 were classified as overfished and/or subject to overfishing, 27 were not overfished and the status of 51 were uncertain. Brief definitions of the main status classifications can be seen below (or obtained in more detail from the Fishery Status Reports 2006):
Map 17.10 shows the status of 97 fish species (or groups of species) in Australia's Commonwealth-managed or jointly-managed fisheries in 2006. Despite Australia's international reputation for its well-managed fisheries, these resources are particularly vulnerable to over exploitation. This is due to the low productivity of some areas of the marine environment and intensive harvesting by well-developed commercial and recreational fisheries. Status reports from 1992 to 2005 showed a trend of continued overfishing, increasing numbers of overfished stocks and continued high levels of uncertainty regarding stock status.In response, a structural adjustment program was implemented in 2005 to give stocks a chance to recover and improve profitability in the fishing industry by reducing the number of competing fishers. The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) has also taken further steps to halt overfishing and bring about recovery of overfished stocks. The effects of these measures and the structural adjustments will become apparent over a number of years, with some stocks quicker to recover than others. Already, progress has been noted in the Fishery Status Reports 2006 regarding less stocks subject to overfishing. Aquaculture Aquaculture is an alternative to harvesting the naturally occurring mature fish stocks. It involves the breeding and/or 'growing out' of aquatic organisms with intervention in the rearing process designed to enhance production e.g. regular stocking, feeding and protection from predators. It has potential as a means of reducing fishing pressure on wild capture fisheries. In 2005-06 the gross value of production of aquaculture was $748.3m (table 17.11), or 35% of the total value of fisheries production. Aquaculture commenced in Australia in the late-1800s with the successful introduction of trout from the northern hemisphere and cultivation of the native Sydney rock oyster. The industry remained centred on these two species until the 1950s when the first cultured pearl farm was established in north-western Australia. A new wave of aquaculture development began in the 1980s with the beginning of the Atlantic salmon industry in Tasmania and commercial cultivation of native freshwater finfish, freshwater crayfish, prawns and Pacific oysters. The value of aquaculture production increased significantly in the 1990s, based on increased production and processing of Pacific oysters, prawns, Atlantic salmon, pearls and southern bluefin tuna. Aquacultural operations occur in diverse environmental areas including tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. The location of aquaculture is dependent on seasonal factors, the type of species being cultivated, the life-cycle stage of aquatic organisms and proximity to marine parks. The industry directly employs about 4,000 people, provides development opportunities in regional Australia and contributes to export growth. There are many types of systems used in aquaculture employing a variety of management techniques. The main emphasis of the industry is on producing high value species in near-shore or land-based sites within the coastal zone. Systems can be open or closed depending on the water flow. Open systems allow water to move through the cages such as in open seas or flowing rivers. In closed systems, the water flow is contained as in a lake or an aquarium. In 2005-06 the gross value of Australian aquaculture production increased 18% (table 17.11). Salmon ($221m) replaced tuna ($156m) as the species contributing the most to total gross value with a 65% increase in the value of its production. Pearl oysters and edible oysters followed with $122m and $84m respectively.In quantity terms, Australian aquacultural production for 2005-06 increased 16%. As in previous years, salmon, with a 27% increase in production, remained the major aquaculture product (19,219 tonnes), while edible oyster (11,995 tonnes) was the second most plentiful product.
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